First the portable X-ray, then the digital X-ray (also portable) and now the world’s first portable CT scanner for horses is now available.

The scanner was developed at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa., the large-animal facility of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine.

EQUUS One, as the CT scanner is called, is small enough to be used in a mobile practice and allows veterinarians to see areas of the horse’s leg and hoof with more clarity than an X-ray. Midge Leitch, VMD, the clinician in Radiology at New Bolton Center, explained that, "Now, we can bring the CT to the horse. And, in this particular case, the scan of the hoof took us about 90 seconds."

Such technology makes diagnosing lameness and other issues much faster and safer for the horse.