What can a vet X-ray detect in my pet? Organs, tumors, or cysts?

Your veterinarian is correct, the x-ray will likely not show a brain tumor. Dense materials, such as bone and metal, show up as white on an x-ray, while tissue is shows up in varying shades of gray. It would very hard to see a brain tumor on x-ray. An MRI or CT scan will show a brain tumor. MRIs can "see" through the bones of the skull to the tissue underneath, while a CT scan creates detailed images of the soft tissue of the body. I would listen to your veterinarian's recommendation, as they would be the expert on all aspects of veterinary medicine given they attended many years of vet school.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Abdominal x-rays are sometimes helpful in determining if there is a mass in the cranial (front part) of the abdomen, near the spleen or liver. Sometimes this is obvious, but masses can be more subtle on x-rays, and it can be difficult to determine from what organ a mass is originating. If there is concern for an abdominal mass on x-rays, an abdominal ultrasound may be recommended to better determine what organ the mass is associated with. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Teddy!

Unfortunately the quality of the image coming through to us isn't great. If you are talking about the circular area on the upper right side of the abdomen, this is gas in the stomach and can be normal. If your vet wants to try additional diagnostics but doesn't have ultrasound, they could do a barium study, or they could send the x-rays to a radiologist for review (a veterinary radiologist has extensive training at reviewing x-rays and so can sometimes interpret things a regular vet may not). X-rays can be send electronically to a radiologist for review through various services, so I would ask them if they feel either of these options would be appropriate.

We can't often see tumors in the stomach on x-rays because they blend in with the surrounding tissues. Black areas on x-rays are often pockets of gas, which may be normal. I would recommend asking your vet what you are seeing on the x-rays.

Without seeing the x-ray it is hard to say. On x-rays all black areas are air, white areas are bone/metal and gray areas are soft tissue structures or non-radiopaque objects. A tumor, hair or grass would all look similar. Dogs almost never have hairballs. A lump of grass would not make it all the way to the colon as it would be digested before it got there. If there is a lump inside the colon or around the outside of the colon then it is most likely cancer however, it could be a hernia, an enlarged lymph node or other soft tissue structure. I cannot tell you without seeing the x-ray. If you do not trust the vet's interpretation then I suggest you get a second opinion from another vet. You can take the x-rays with you for them to review. Also, most vets have a board certified radiologist they can x-rays to for review. You can always ask your vet to do that for you as a second opinion.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like your veterinarian is suspecting that Delilah has a liver mass, or tumor, and that the liver overall is larger than normal. This causes the stomach to be displaced, or pushed backward farther than normal. The GB is the gallbladder (an organ near the liver that stores bile), and a cholelith is a stone in the gallbladder, or a gallstone. A round heart can be seen on chest x-rays when there is underlying heart disease. Older small breed dogs such as Chihuahuas are at increased risk of mitral valve disease, which is a degenerative disease of one of the heart valves. This can result in blood leaking backwards in the heart, causing dilation of some of the heart chambers. Often a heart murmur is heard with this disease. An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) is needed to definitively diagnose this. I hope this interpretation is helpful!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is difficult to make the diagnosis from the picture you posted but the rounded, egg-shaped area in the central part of the abdomen looks abnormal. Also, a part of the kidney is surprisingly dense, which could be a sign of a disease. I would not be able to make a diagnosis without having Coco fully examined and receiving full clinical history. However, I am concerned about the large shadow in the abdomen and the dense part of the kidney. The chest looks normal for a cat of her age. If you have more x-rays of Coco (ideally a view called dorso-ventral) that would be very helpful if post them on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.