Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello! Im afraid that second opinions on radiographs are one area we probably disappoint people on this site - they are a common ask and we almost never give them. The reason is, that your vet has taken a thorough history and examined an animal. They have then taken the radiographic views that they (hopefully) deemed to be most useful. If done on film, they then put the radiograph up on a proper Xray viewer - or at the very least, with bright light shining behind them, and examined the detail. Or alternatively, they view the radiograh on the digital application that is designed for it, where they can alter the settings and search closely around different areas of concern. When we are involved on this site, it tends to be because the client then disregards what they say and comes to us with a screen shot - bearing in mind that we have never seen, let alone examined, the animal. Our opinion is always going to be less worthy of notice than your vets'. Of course it is; we have a poorer history, a poorer quality picture and no examination at all. We strongly advise that if a second opinion is needed, then it is obtained by the proper route. That is, by the vet sending the pictures - and appropriate information - ideally to a radiography expert, who might not have examined the patient but can read about the examination, and has more knowledge that the vet does about what to look for on the pictures. This is usually done through your vet, with their consent. In general, vets arent as offended to be asked for a second opinion as you'd think. After all, if we have made a mistake with your dogs' radiograph, we can do our job better if it is brought to our attention. And if we haven't, it will restore the owners' faith in our services. In my experience, properly obtained second opinions can be a win-win. Alterntively, try something like: 'I am having difficulty in getting my head round this and trusting it, because I was expecting something diferent. Would it be ok if I asked a different vet in the practice to look at it too, to give me confidence? This isnt about your competence, its about me.' I hope that something there helps.
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