Our Specialist Equipment
In this section we are able to show you some of the specialist equipment we use in our everyday lives as vets. By using these pieces of equipment we can achieve a quicker and more concise diagnosis and in turn give out advice and medication on the spot.
The practice has three anaesthetic machines. These are used to "maintain" anaesthesia after induction, generally with injectable agents.
The anaesthetic machine delivers anaesthetic agents (such as isoflurane) to the animal through a system of tubes, in a mixture of oxygen, and sometimes nitrous oxide gases. There are various different anaesthetic circuits for different sizes and types of animal.
One of our machines is dedicated to animals having X-ray examinations, as, unlike humans, we can't ask your animals to sit still!!, or to hold their breath!
The ECG machine is used in the practice primarily to detect abnormalities in an animal's heart by assessing heart rate, rhythm and waveform.
ECG's are also used as part of the diagnostic "work up" of other types of systemic disease that may involve electrolyte disorders, metabolic, or hormonal factors.
We can also use the ECG machine to monitor the effects of any drugs we have introduced for the treatment of certain heart diseases.
The practice has a full range of IDEXX diagnostic equipment used primarily for the analysis of blood samples taken from our clients' pets.
This analysis is performed on site, which has the advantage that results are available within minutes. This equipment performs the analysis of blood chemistry which gives us a good idea of what is happening in the animal's liver, kidneys and other organs.
We also perform haematology, which can be used to diagnose anaemia, infection, leukaemia etc from detailed information about the blood cells.
The balance of electrolytes is vital to your pet's health, and abnormalities can be life threatening. Electrolyte tests are important in evaluating vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and heart symptoms.
We are able to provide quality dental work by using quality dental equipment.
Our ultra-sonic scaler enables us to scale our patient's teeth and remove plaque which caused gum disease, whilst our Schein Vetbase Unit (pictured) incorporates a high speed handpiece for extractions of teeth and a low speed handpiece, necessary for polishing teeth.
A dental X-ray machine completes our dental suite.
Ultrasound is a method of creating pictures by using soundwaves. We use it to give us a picture of what is happening inside an animal's body without having to resort to anaesthetics and exploratory surgery.
Ultrasound is used to scan animals for pregnancy diagnosis.
It is also of great use in diagnosing abnormalities of the heart.
The contents of the abdomen, in particular the liver, kidneys, bladder, spleen and prostate can all be viewed with this machine, along with many other parts of the body.
In 1999 the practice radiography department was upgraded during a two year radiology course undertaken by John Stitt.
Our Hitachi 500 MA machine enables us to produce quality radiographs of anything from a budgie to a great dane. X-rays are taken many times during the course of the working day to assist with the diagnosis and monitoring of a variety of medical and surgical conditions. The films are passed through an Optimax automatic processor and are dried and available for interpretation in minutes. Patients are restrained on a floating/tilting table to ensure accurate positioning. In general the patients are sedated, or more commonly anaesthetised for radiography.
All personnel involved in radiography follow HSE guidelines for safe operation, and wear badges to monitor any radiation received. The subject is positioned in a controlled area in which no-one must be present. The whole process is monitored regularly by a Radiation Protection Advisor.
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