Times That Your Pet May Require Sedation Before An X-Ray
Lots of local animal clinics have x-ray facilities that they can use to determine the extent of animals' different injuries and illnesses. There are many reasons that you may need to take your pet to the clinic for an x-ray. One thing that will likely be on your mind when you make this appointment is whether or not the animal will require sedation prior to this procedure. The clinic's staff can successfully x-ray many pets without sedating them first, but there are certain times that sedation will be necessary. Here are three scenarios in which you can expect your pet will be sedated.
Obvious Pain
It's possible that you're visiting the animal clinic to get your pet x-rayed after an injury that appears to have left the pet with a broken bone or another serious injury. When you arrive at the clinic, a veterinarian and/or other staff members will quickly assess the animal's pain level. In some cases, it may be useful to sedate the pet as a short-term way of dealing with its pain. The staff can then complete the x-ray, learn more about the injury, and discuss what next steps are appropriate with you.
Excess Movement
In order for an x-ray to be successful, the pet needs to be very still. This is easy for some pets but challenging for others. A pet that fidgets on the x-ray table will cause the x-ray to be blurry, which may require going through the process multiple times. The staff may see if you're able to calm your pet to the point that it can be still for its x-ray, as your presence may help in this regard. If the pet can't stay still, however, sedation may be the best course of action to ensure that the x-ray works properly.
Aggressive Behavior
Some pets can act aggressively when they visit animal clinics. There are several potential reasons for this aggression. An animal that feels uneasy in this environment might behave in an aggressive manner toward the clinic's staff. Animals can also be aggressive if they're in pain, which can occur even if the pain isn't obvious to you or the clinic's staff. For their safety, given that they'll need to handle the pet in multiple ways to successfully complete the x-ray, they may decide to sedate the pet for the procedure. Learn more about x-ray procedures for your pet by contacting a local animal clinic.