Technology is wonderful. In addition to helping me save pets’ limbs and lives, advances in this area have enabled me to diagnose issues quicker and begin treatment plans sooner.
From blood tests and X-ray pictures to MRI, CT and Ultrasound scans, there is a wonderful range of diagnostic possibilities which we can now offer families.
I say offer, rather than give, because state-of-the-art diagnostic tools cost a lot of money to buy and run. This means that an MRI scan for example, can be quite expensive. However, not all CT and MRI scanners cost the same to buy and not all offer the same resolution, so my personal opinion is that vets have a moral responsibility to reflect this in the price structure. The machine operator and those interpreting the images are also important. So my advice is that you should always check the quality and service you are paying for. I strongly believe that vets have an ethical responsibility to choose the modality of diagnostic imaging wisely and charge responsibly. For example one doesn’t need an MRI scan to look at hip arthritis if a simple inexpensive X-ray picture will suffice. I believe it’s imperative that vets choose and deploy appropriate diagnostic tests with optimal equipment and are transparent about their cost structure.
