From horses to hounds and hogs: LSU offers high tech imaging to diagnose illnesses

Most of the time, animals’ inability to talk, complain, criticize or demand—in our language, anyway—is one of their most endearing traits. However, when an owner suspects injury or illness, a pet’s stoicism and lack of direct communication can be not only frustrating, but potentially life threatening.

Despite the language barrier, most owners intuitively know when Fideaux and Minou need medical attention. Local clinics rely in-house labs to diagnose the most common ailments, such as heart and intestinal worms, parasites and imbalances in the blood stream.

However, if all those tests come back negative and the problem persists, more advanced diagnostics might be necessary. Identifying the source of the problem is the first step to providing a solution.

Because they are fortunate enough to live in one of only 28 communities that have a vet school, Baton Rouge animal owners and their pets have access to the highest level of diagnostic equipment and treatments. “People don’t realize vets have the same specialty training as human doctors,” explains Lorrie Gaschen, DVM, LSU vet school’s professor and section chief of Diagnostic Imaging. “Anything you can imagine for your own health care is available here 24/7 because of the number of experts we have on staff.”

Not that long ago, pets and their owners received their cancer planning and neurological imaging on the very same equipment. For years, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and the NeuroMedical Center allowed veterinarians to bring animals to their facilities for diagnostic scans after the clinic closed.

While the veterinary radiologists were appreciative, the limited access and the necessity of anesthetizing animals to take them offsite had multiple disadvantages. “[Off campus], we didn’t have access to all the care of a veterinary hospital, which was a problem if the animal was unstable or had seizures,” explains Gaschen. “[Due to] limited access, we had to triage cases. If we had one [appointment], the question was: Who got that slot?

“Over the past five years,” Gaschen explains, “we have brought diagnostic imaging up to the highest level.” The school now offers digital x-rays, MRI, CT scans, ultrasound and bone scans and nuclear scans for large and small animals with radioisotopes and even radiotherapy for cats requiring thyroid treatment.

The in-house capabilities allow the staff to provide immediate intervention for the 10,000 animals from all over the South that arrive annually to be evaluated or treated by LSU radiologists. For example, “We had a cat with a tumor in her throat who couldn’t breathe. We took the cat down to radiation and reduced the mass, and she had relief immediately,” Gaschen says. “If a dog with a seizures has a brain tumor, he can undergo both diagnostics and treatment, while undergoing anesthesia only once.”

Furthermore, 50 veterinary clinics in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Arkansas have teleradiology links to LSU and send their images for interpretation. The board-certified veterinary radiologists are always available by remote access for emergency situations.

Whether pet owners arrive with their vet’s recommendation or self-refer, Gaschen says many Baton Rougeans arrive at LSU seeking a diagnosis for a pet’s mysterious ailment.

“The question is: What is it? We can get answers. We rely on [advanced diagnostics] heavily because an animal can’t speak. They give us insight into the problem immediately. So, we can answer that question and give a prognosis.”

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