Today, veterinarians have the ability to peer inside horses’ bodies and see what’s causing a limp, swelling, or pain. The use of radiography (X rays), nuclear scintigraphy (bone scan), and MRI in horses is practically commonplace. Unfortunately, choosing which tool to use and interpreting its results is not always black and white.

During the 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention, held Dec. 6-10 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Carter Judy, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, discussed some benefits and pitfalls of these three imaging techniques.

"Each imaging modality has its own strengths and weaknesses," said Judy, who practices at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, in Los Olivos, California. "Knowing the caveats of each will help determine what modalities to use and how to interpret the findings."

Nuclear Scintigraphy Veterinarians can perform this simple and relatively noninvasive procedure with the patient standing under light sedation. It reveals areas of active bone remodeling, and practitioners typically use it to identify physiologic changes in bone and soft tissue, said Judy