During the pandemic, the adoption rates of dogs and cats skyrocketed. Roughly 1 in 5 households adopted a pet according to ASPCA. From the pandemic to now, these pets have become a part of our families.
We would do anything for our four-legged friends. We want them to receive the same type of health care as we do at the vet. As adoption rates rise so does the number of patients veterinarians gain. “According to the APPA National Pet Owners Survey (2021-2022), 90.5 million American households own a pet ”(vetmeasure.com).
Medical devices are used almost every day in veterinarian medicine from measuring your dog’s vitals after surgery to fitness trackers and surgical instruments. Let’s break down the top medical devices in the veterinarian industry and what they are used for.
Surgical 3D Printing:
Any animal’s makeup is unique to them. So surgeons in the veterinarian field opt to get 3D printed models of the issue in question to get a clear picture of what they are dealing with. 3D printing is also used to ease the four-legged patient’s parents and to understand the risks. By doing this, they know exactly where the issue is and how the operation will go.
Monitoring Harness:
After surgery, many animals wear a monitoring harness that monitors heart rate and vitals to ensure they are recovering correctly. Similarly, when we are hospitalized after surgery, vitals are taken regularly to make sure recovery is going well. Unlike us, dogs and cats are not able to sit still for long periods of time.
Radiology:
As we know, radiology is mainly used to diagnose and help guide treatment. X-rays, cat scans, and MRIs are all forms of radiology. The most common type that veterinarian medicine uses is interventional radiology. Interventional radiology uses a small tube that gets inserted into the body to get images of the problem. These are usually minimally invasive procedures. Some procedures done on animals are pain management injections, cysts aspiration, and biliary drainage.
Endoscopes:
Endoscopes are thin fiber-optic tubes that get inserted inside the body. This tube has a very bright light along with a camera attached to the end to examine the inside of a person’s or animal’s organs. Endoscopy can be used in animals to see lodged foreign bodies or inhaled objects.
Ultrasounds:
The most apparent use of ultrasounds is for pregnancies in animals. But ultrasounds can be used for several health reasons. Including observing the heart and examining a GI track on dogs/cats etc. if they are experiencing abdominal issues.
Fitness Trackers:
The fitness watches we wear on our wrists are also available to dogs. These fitness trackers can be worn on a dog’s neck to monitor heart rate, sleep, calorie intake, exercise, and track their location. FitBark and Whistle Health are two examples of dog fitness trackers that attach to the collar.
Resources
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/interventional-radiology
https://formlabs.com/blog/3d-printed-tools-veterinary-surgeries/
https://vetmeasure.com/medical-devices-in-the-veterinary-industry/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/01/07/covid-dogs-return-to-work/