Radiography, ultrasound and CT, read the same day
Imaging is where a guess becomes a diagnosis. Two of our hospitals hold CT scanners, every hospital has digital radiography, and the images travel between them, so the machine your pet needs decides where the appointment lands.
2CT scanners, at Fremantle and Joondalup
What happens
Digital radiography
At all six hospitals, with the image on screen within seconds. Most chest, abdominal and limb questions start and finish here.
Ultrasound
The dedicated ultrasound room is at Joondalup. It is the tool for abdominal organ detail, pregnancy, and guiding a needle into a mass without opening the animal.
CT
Fremantle and Joondalup. A scan takes minutes under a light anaesthetic and produces the three-dimensional detail that complex fractures, nasal disease and cancer staging need.
Specialist reporting
Every CT and every difficult radiograph goes to a board-certified radiologist. The report comes back within a working day, and urgent cases within two hours.
Only on this page
Which machine answers which question, and where it lives
This is the table reception works from when they book an imaging appointment, which is why they ask what the vet is looking for before they offer you a time.
| The question | The right tool | Where | Anaesthetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the leg broken | Radiography | All six hospitals | Sedation, sometimes |
| Why is the breathing laboured | Radiography, then ultrasound | All six, ultrasound at Joondalup | Usually none |
| What is the mass in the abdomen | Ultrasound with a guided sample | Joondalup | Sedation |
| Has the cancer spread | CT of chest and abdomen | Fremantle, Joondalup | Light anaesthetic |
| What is inside the nose | CT | Fremantle, Joondalup | Light anaesthetic |
| How complex is this fracture | CT with reconstruction | Fremantle, Joondalup | Light anaesthetic |
| Is she pregnant, and how many | Ultrasound from day 25 | Joondalup | None |
A scan booked at Fremantle or Joondalup is read and reported before your own vet at Midland or Rockingham sees you again, so the follow-up appointment has the answer in it.
Where you can get this
2 of our six hospitals, because the equipment and the people it needs live in those buildings.
What it costs
From $240radiograph series
CT starts at $1,150 including the anaesthetic and the specialist report.
All consult feesQuestions we get asked
Why does a CT need an anaesthetic?
The animal has to be completely still for the scan and the anaesthetic is short and light. Most patients are awake within twenty minutes of the scan finishing.
Can I get the images to take elsewhere?
Yes. We send a link with the full study, in the standard imaging format, at no charge.
How soon can we get in?
Radiography is same-day at every hospital. CT usually runs within three working days, and emergency cases are scanned overnight at Fremantle.
Does my own vet see the report?
The report goes onto the record all six hospitals share, so whoever you see next has it.
Is an MRI available?
We refer for MRI, which is the right tool for spinal cord and brain questions. CT answers most of the rest.
Book diagnostic imaging
Available at Fremantle, Joondalup.