Wood Green opens ‘Xograph Imaging Suite’ with digital X-ray equipment

Posted by: **jenvetnurse** on Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:20 am

Wood Green opens ‘Xograph Imaging Suite’ with digital X-ray equipment

Wood Green, one of the largest animal re-homing centres in Europe has undergone a £3.6M re-development which includes a new state-of-the-art surgery complex, proudly housing ‘The Xograph Imaging Suite’. This modern suite is a self contained diagnostic facility incorporating the very latest digital X-ray equipment for routine, general and dental veterinary imaging.
This prestigious development marks 25 years of animal welfare at the Godmanchester Centre near Huntingdon. The original surgery is over 20 years old with its ageing X-ray equipment compactly positioned in a converted storage room. The spacious Xograph Healthcare Imaging Suite includes the ‘VetView 30’, a general purpose veterinary X-ray system, with an ‘ImagePilot’ digital acquisition console along with a dedicated digital intraoral imaging system known as the ‘ProSensor’.

Vanessa Cunningham, Head of Veterinary Services at Wood Green says: “As an animal welfare charity, it’s really exciting that Xograph Healthcare has helped both in the supply of our new digital X-ray units as well as assisting us with the layout of the facility. Their new X-ray equipment is simple to use and understand. Joanne Mellor, Xograph’s area representative is friendly and helpful, showing a real empathy for the Charity, whilst at the same time helping us find the right equipment for our needs. With Xograph’s support we have been able to exceed our expectations and the new surgery facilities will have modern, up-to-date equipment benefiting the animals in our care.”

Peter Staff, CEO at Xograph Healthcare said “I am delighted that we have had the chance to work with such a forward-looking organisation and supply it with a modern, state-of-the-art suite of X-ray equipment. I am especially impressed with the amount of work that has gone into making the new centre as eco-friendly, efficient and sustainable as is possible.”
Xograph supplies a wide range of veterinary X-ray, veterinary radiography and imaging equipment to animal hospitals and veterinary practices.

Posted by: **jenvetnurse** on Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:52 pm

It all starts with a biochemical called a “purine.” There are three types of purines:

Oxypurines (like “xanthine,” “hypoxanthine,” uric acid, and “allantoin” – words with which the Dalmatian owner should become very familiar.)

Aminopurines (like adenine and guanine that make up DNA.)

Methylpurines (like caffeine and theophylline, which are drugs)
We eat purines when we eat meat and drink them when we drink coffee and our livers convert them ultimately into something called “Allantoin” which is readily soluble in water and easy for us to unload in that waste/water mixture known as urine.

Purines convert to Hypoxanthine which converts to Xanthine
which converts to Uric Acid which coverts to Allantoin.

This system works for all just about all mammals except for Dalmatians. Dalmatians are different.

HOW DALMATIANS GET RID OF PURINES:

Dalmatians just cannot seem to convert uric acid to allantoin; the process described above never gets past the uric acid stage.

Dalmatian liver cells simply cannot absorb uric acid which is where the conversion to allantoin ought to take place. Dalmatians must excrete uric acid in their urine and the problem is that the stuff just is not that water soluble. Being unable to convert uric acid to allantoin is the main predisposing factor to uric acid stone formation and accounts for why 80% of uric acid bladder stones come from Dalmatians.

DO ALL DALMATIANS FORM URIC ACID STONES?

No, only some Dalmatians form stones and we do not know what makes one Dalmatian a stone former and another one clinically normal. There are genetic factors, dietary factors, and unknown factors.

We know that male Dalmatians are reported as stone formers more often than female Dalmatians but this may be a reflection of the fact that only male dogs have the added stone complication of urethral obstruction, a problem female dogs rarely have to worry about (thus male dogs may be seeing the vet for their stones more than female dogs do).

Stone forming Dalmatians seem to be excreting more uric acid than their non-stone forming counterparts. The average age at which a Dalmatian first is found to have stones is 4.5 years. The risk of stone formation declines as the dog ages.

Posted by: **jenvetadmin** on Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:57 am

It all starts with a biochemical called a “purine.” There are three types of purines:

Oxypurines (like “xanthine,” “hypoxanthine,” uric acid, and “allantoin” – words with which the Dalmatian owner should become very familiar.)

Aminopurines (like adenine and guanine that make up DNA.)

Methylpurines (like caffeine and theophylline, which are drugs)
We eat purines when we eat meat and drink them when we drink coffee and our livers convert them ultimately into something called “Allantoin” which is readily soluble in water and easy for us to unload in that waste/water mixture known as urine.

Purines convert to Hypoxanthine which converts to Xanthine
which converts to Uric Acid which coverts to Allantoin.

This system works for all just about all mammals except for Dalmatians. Dalmatians are different.

HOW DALMATIANS GET RID OF PURINES:

Dalmatians just cannot seem to convert uric acid to allantoin; the process described above never gets past the uric acid stage.

Dalmatian liver cells simply cannot absorb uric acid which is where the conversion to allantoin ought to take place. Dalmatians must excrete uric acid in their urine and the problem is that the stuff just is not that water soluble. Being unable to convert uric acid to allantoin is the main predisposing factor to uric acid stone formation and accounts for why 80% of uric acid bladder stones come from Dalmatians.

DO ALL DALMATIANS FORM URIC ACID STONES?

No, only some Dalmatians form stones and we do not know what makes one Dalmatian a stone former and another one clinically normal. There are genetic factors, dietary factors, and unknown factors.

We know that male Dalmatians are reported as stone formers more often than female Dalmatians but this may be a reflection of the fact that only male dogs have the added stone complication of urethral obstruction, a problem female dogs rarely have to worry about (thus male dogs may be seeing the vet for their stones more than female dogs do).

Stone forming Dalmatians seem to be excreting more uric acid than their non-stone forming counterparts. The average age at which a Dalmatian first is found to have stones is 4.5 years. The risk of stone formation declines as the dog ages.

Posted by: **jenvetadmin** on Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:31 am

Collimate well so that the area is as small as possible.

Stand at least 2 metres away.

Use a lead screen, lead gown and gloves as necessary.

X-ray your protective clothing from time to time to ensure there are no signs of wear and tear.

Always wear dosimeters and make sure they sent away to the NRPB as recommended. Make one person responsible for them.

Have a lead lined table and if possible surrounding walls.

Ensure the x-rays taken are necessary and try to get them right first time to avoid repeating them.
Use the correct plates, films and have good dark-room techniques – again to reduce repeated unnecessary x-rays being taken.

Keep an accurate log of all x-rays taken and see that the staffs are sharing the amount between them.

Do not allow staff to become complacent with x-rays.

Always give a warning before pressing the exposure button i.e. “x-rays” to warn others to keep away.

Remember x-rays can induce the formation of cancer and genetic defects.
X-rays are just one of many potential hazards to our health.

How does pregnancy affect our jobs as vets and nurses?
I have known many vns to have premature/small babies - is this just a coincedence?

Do many still continue as normal despite all the risks?

Posted by: **jenvetnurse** on Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:19 am

jenvetnurse writes:
It all starts with a biochemical called a “purine.” There are three types of purines:

Oxypurines (like “xanthine,” “hypoxanthine,” uric acid, and “allantoin” – words with which the Dalmatian owner should become very familiar.)

Aminopurines (like adenine and guanine that make up DNA.)

Methylpurines (like caffeine and theophylline, which are drugs)
We eat purines when we eat meat and drink them when we drink coffee and our livers convert them ultimately into something called “Allantoin” which is readily soluble in water and easy for us to unload in that waste/water mixture known as urine.

Purines convert to Hypoxanthine which converts to Xanthine
which converts to Uric Acid which coverts to Allantoin.

This system works for all just about all mammals except for Dalmatians. Dalmatians are different.

HOW DALMATIANS GET RID OF PURINES:

Dalmatians just cannot seem to convert uric acid to allantoin; the process described above never gets past the uric acid stage.

Dalmatian liver cells simply cannot absorb uric acid which is where the conversion to allantoin ought to take place. Dalmatians must excrete uric acid in their urine and the problem is that the stuff just is not that water soluble. Being unable to convert uric acid to allantoin is the main predisposing factor to uric acid stone formation and accounts for why 80% of uric acid bladder stones come from Dalmatians.

DO ALL DALMATIANS FORM URIC ACID STONES?

No, only some Dalmatians form stones and we do not know what makes one Dalmatian a stone former and another one clinically normal. There are genetic factors, dietary factors, and unknown factors.

We know that male Dalmatians are reported as stone formers more often than female Dalmatians but this may be a reflection of the fact that only male dogs have the added stone complication of urethral obstruction, a problem female dogs rarely have to worry about (thus male dogs may be seeing the vet for their stones more than female dogs do).

Stone forming Dalmatians seem to be excreting more uric acid than their non-stone forming counterparts. The average age at which a Dalmatian first is found to have stones is 4.5 years. The risk of stone formation declines as the dog ages.