Digatherm Thermal Imaging for Pets

Digatherm thermal imaging is a new service we are excited to be offering at East Bend Animal Hospital. Digatherm is a non-invasive tool used to help detect painful or problematic areas your pet may be experiencing. Thermal imaging provides a visual representation of the surface body temperature of a pet. The imaging provides physiological information about what is going on beneath the surface. Increased body temperature appears red on the imaging and may indicate infection, inflammation, or malignancy. Decreased temperature appears blue and may indicate atrophy or neurological dysfunction.

Obtaining digital thermal imaging is quick and easy. It is non-invasive and not at all painful. Our experienced veterinary team can acquire the thermal images in a matter of minutes during a pet’s physical examination; the process is just like taking a picture. The hardest part is keeping the pet still. Once images are collected, our veterinarians will review them and are able to create a therapeutic plan specific to each pet’s unique needs. Thermal imaging is a great tool available for all of our patients, not just dogs and cats. It is also beneficial for pets of all ages, not just seniors.

Here are images, that were taken in our hospital, of an active one-and-a-half-year-old male neutered golden retriever during his last visit. This young, healthy dog had no clinical symptoms of pain or discomfort at the time of imaging. As you can see from these pictures, his imaging was abnormal. He has areas of inflammation in his joints (red) and potential atrophy in his shoulder/neck (blue). His thermal imaging shows areas of inflammation in his joints (red areas) and potential atrophy in his shoulder/neck (blue areas).
Early detection of these problematic areas has helped his veterinarian create a therapeutic plan specific to this young dog’s unique needs. He has started taking a glucosamine supplement to support bone health and joint mobility. He is also receiving laser therapy sessions to increase blood flow to the compressed area of his shoulder and neck as well as help reduce inflammation in his joints. Thermal imaging will be repeated on this dog in a few months to track improvement.

If you think your pet could benefit from thermal imaging, or you would like to learn more information, call our team to set up an appointment with one of our veterinarians.