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Vets design fluoroscopy container
Pictured: Gary inside the fluoroscopy container.

The unique box allows for safer and easier procedures. 

Veterinary surgeons at the University of Edinburgh's Hospital for Small Animals have designed a tool to make fluoroscopy procedures safer and easier to conduct.

Fluoroscopy, a non-invasive imaging technique, can be very difficult to conduct, as the patients must stand still on their own, to avoid the veterinary team being exposed to the electromagnetic waves used. 

The specialist Internal Medicine Service team at the Hospital for Small Animals designed and developed a solution to keeping the patients still enough to conduct a fluoroscopy procedure – a clear acrylic box, which patients can stand in during swallow studies. 

With no metal components, the container allows for clear and effective images. 

The effectiveness of the fluoroscopy container was proven when a three-year-old pug named Gary was referred to the hospital while suffering from sever abdominal cramping. With the help of the fluoroscopy container, the veterinary team was able to conduct some swallow studies and diagnose some acid reflux. 

Dr Silke Salavati, senior lecturer in Small Animal Medicine, commented: “Due to the availability of the live fluoroscopy and other specialist imaging techniques, our specialist diagnostic imaging teams can pick up subtle changes like the acid reflux in Gary’s case, which helps to optimise treatment.”

Images (C) The University of Edinburgh

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.