What’s involved in a year’s work at a veterinary hospital?

764 animals, 209 species, 706 exams, 259 radiographs, 638 blood tests, 199 vaccinations and 9,267 records.

Every case that comes to C.H. “Doc” Searle, M.D. Animal Hospital has a signalment (the animal in question) and presentation (what seems to be the problem). These factors tell the veterinarians which tests to perform to diagnose and treat the problem.

Diagnoses are often aided by imaging techniques that enable veterinarians to take pictures inside the body:

Radiographs (“x-rays”) are images made with high-energy waves (radiation) that go through air or body parts to expose film underneath like a camera. Air is black in radiographs, while soft tissue is grey, and bone is white. This technique is very good for looking at non-moving objects, such as a broken bone.

Ultrasounds make an image by projecting sound waves through fluid or body parts and then interpreting the echoes with a computer to form an image. Under ultrasound, fluids look black, and body parts are represented with different shades of grey. This technique is very good for looking at moving objects, such as a beating heart.

What goes into making a diagnosis? Click on the case of the month below to find out.

Case of the Month: 16-year-old black-and-white ruffed lemur