Animal Radiography: What Kyiv Residents Know About It
Animal Radiography: What Kyiv Residents Know About It
Caring for pets is an important part of the culture in Ukraine, and awareness in this area is growing every year. Ukrainians increasingly pay attention to the quality of care and treatment of animals, adhering to up-to-date approaches and standards.
X-rays are used in veterinary medicine in case of injuries to diagnose damage to internal organs, bones and the spine, which allows making an accurate diagnosis and prescribing treatment.
However, before taking a pet for an X-ray, the owners should familiarize themselves with how the procedure is performed. This is necessary in order to protect yourself against unwanted exposure, if you have to hold the animal with your own hands.
You can read, how well Kyiv residents are informed on this area in a new survey conducted by Uatom.org Editorial Board in October 2024.
Rostyslav
Rostyslav
17 years old, student
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— I had a fish long time ago, but I don’t have any now. However, we can have someone else over time, for example, a dog.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— Frankly speaking, I don’t know, because I have never been present at this procedure. However, the process is most likely similar to human X-rays. Perhaps, the difference is that an animal should be motionless someway for a while. I think, veterinarians use sedatives for this.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— If I had to take my pet for an X-ray, I would definitely find out all the necessary information on the procedure in advance. However, I guess that special protective clothing such as gloves, vests or aprons is used to protect against unwanted X-ray radiation.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Inna
53 years old, unemployed
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— I don’t have any, but I had dogs and cats before.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— I personally haven’t had to. However, my sister has such experience, although I was not interested in the details of this process.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— No.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— I don’t know. However, if my cat needs an X-ray, I would definitely find out the details at the clinic I would go to.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Kateryna
33 years old, retoucher
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— I don’t have any now, but I had them before.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— No.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— I think, the procedure is similar to human radiography. The only difference is, for example, that a dog does not understand that it needs to sit or lie still, so a vet has to hold it in a comfortable position to get high-quality images.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— As far as I know, up-to-date equipment allows using the lowest possible level of exposure, so neither the pet nor its owner is in danger.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Yana
25 years old, photographer
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— Yes, I have a cat.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— No.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— No.
Perhaps someone close to you was present during radiography?
— Yes, my sister has many cats. I remember she took one of them for diagnostics.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— If a vet asked me to hold my pet during X-rays, I would refuse and start looking for another clinic. All manipulations related to the X-ray procedure should be performed by specially trained people such as doctors.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Anastasiya
18 years old, student
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— Pets are not allowed in the dormitory. However, I had a cat earlier, when I lived with my parents.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— I remember my parents taking the cat to the vet from time to time, but they definitely didn’t do an X-ray, I would have remembered that.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— No.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— I don’t know.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Yehor
24 years old, lawyer
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— I don’t have any pets now, although I recently had a rabbit and a cat.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— No.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— Yes, I know: an animal should be secured in such a way that it moves as little as possible. There are actually several ways to do this: sedatives, mechanical means, such as straps, or simply holding an animal with your hands. If this mission is assigned to the owners, they should obligatorily wear protective clothing so that they are not exposed to X-ray radiation.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Pavlo
19 years old, student
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— Yes, I have a cat and a dog now.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— We visited the vet quite often for various reasons. However, there was no need to do radiography.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— By analogy with human radiography. However, as far as I know, the owner of the animal should hold it during the procedure. You need to ask a medical specialist for a protective apron to protect yourself against unwanted X-rays.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Tetiana
17 years old, student
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— I had a hamster before, but now I don’t have any.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— No.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— I don’t know. I have never been interested in this issue.
Perhaps someone close to you was present during radiography?
— Unlikely.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— If I had a dog that needed radiography, I would definitely google all the necessary information before the procedure. Now I don’t have to worry about that.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Yuliia
18 years old, student
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— I don’t have any pets now, but I had a rabbit before.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— No.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— I think, the procedure should be similar to a human X-ray. However, an animal is most likely anesthetized, because it should be forced somehow to behave calmly and not to make sudden movements. This is necessary to ensure that the images are clear, otherwise the procedure will have to be repeated.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— If an owner is asked to hold an animal during radiography, he/she should wear protective clothing: special apron, gloves, and perhaps even glasses.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
Dina
18 years old, student
Do you have pets or perhaps have you ever had any?
— Yes, I have now and I had before. For example, now I’m taking Mona for a walk.
Have you ever had to go to the vet and get your pet X-rayed?
— I went to the vet before, though with another dog. He had a lot of problems: ticks, worms, etc. However, I didn’t have to do radiography.
Do you know how animal radiography is performed?
— No.
Do you know how to protect yourself during pet radiography?
— Frankly speaking, I don’t know. However, if necessary, I would definitely find out from the Internet.
The publication preserves the respondent’s style and wording.
