Friendship Veterinary Imaging Center

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Vass, NC
Friendship Veterinary Imaging Center

Providing accurate, complete, and timely veterinary imaging and interventional procedures in consultation with your primary care veterinarian.

02/19/2026

Check out this action shot of Honeysuckle. Earlier this month she competed at the coursing and Fast CAT events at the Carolina Horse Park. Fast CAT is a timed 100 yard dash and she flew to win her division!

02/02/2026

Have you ever wondered what a CT of a pine cone looks like? We are lucky to live in the land of the Longleaf Pine so pine cones are abundant and we often use them for practice scans. Enjoy!

01/26/2026

Interesting Bone Scan Case!

Nuclear scintigraphy, commonly referred to as bone scan, is often selected as a diagnostic for a more global assessment of patients, particularly in cases with multiple limbs involved, suspected abnormalities of the spine or pelvis, or elusive injuries.

In these images the most significant finding is generalized uptake throughout the right tibia with intense focal uptake of the mid tibia. The most likely causes for the appearance of the right tibia were large enostosis-like lesion (also known as bone island) or stress fracture.

Enostosis-like lesions are regions of sclerotic or dense bone within the medullary cavities of long bones and are relatively common in equine patients. The exact etiology of these sclerotic regions is unknown but many believe they are the result of small stress fractures or, less likely, secondary to inflammation. The location of these lesions make them difficult to diagnose with palpation and diagnostic analgesia (blocking). Nuclear scintigraphy is the imaging modality of choice for diagnosis and for monitoring resolution. In a retrospective study of young racehorses with lameness referrable to enostosis-like lesions horses required 4-5 months off before returning to racing (Ahern, et al. JAVMA 2014)

Stress fractures of the proximal tibia are a common cause of hind end lameness in young racehorses. Most often, these injuries are correlated with a history of recent intense exercise and are also difficult to diagnose as they rarely respond to palpation and diagnostic analgesia, similar to enostosis-like lesions. Nuclear scintigraphy is the imaging modality of choice for diagnosing these injuries, as well. (Worden AAEP proceedings 2013).

Rest is indicated in these patients and repeat bone scan is recommended in 90-120 days to assess resolution of the increased uptake prior to return to work.

01/14/2026

Come with us as we delve into the history of our building and how it has evolved into a state of the art imaging center. We are honored to work in a space that has been committed to animal health since the 1950s and grateful we can continue to bring compassionate care to the community.

12/24/2025

Merry Christmas from Friendship Veterinary Imaging Center! Featuring Dr. Lustgarten’s dogs—Honeysuckle and Ms. Lilly Mae Violet—sending holiday cheer to all of our patients and their owners.

12/17/2025

Full-body bone scans at Friendship Imaging Center routinely include at least three views of the skull. While performance issues are often attributed to the neck, back, or limbs, it’s not uncommon to identify potential sources of discomfort within the skull.

In this case, the bone scan revealed increased radiopharmaceutical uptake in the lower mandibular incisors. Follow-up radiographs confirmed evidence of EOTRH, a degenerative and painful dental disease.

Additional findings on skull imaging may include fractures, cheek tooth dental disease, sinusitis, and TMJ pathology.

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Friendship Veterinary Imaging Center! This year we are especially grateful for our clients, referring veterinarians, and this wonderful community who support us in providing care to all creatures great and small.

Our office manager, Ellen, captured this lovely photo from our backyard. How lucky are we to be in this beautiful area!

11/12/2025

Have you ever wondered how an equine bone scan works? Check out this short video for a behind the scenes peek! We commonly use this to look for areas of bony inflammation that can cause discomfort or performance issues.

09/15/2025

On Saturday we were lucky enough to host a group of North Carolina State veterinary students for a fun day of radiology. Dr. Lustgarten presented a lecture on the acquisition and interpretation of images and then each student got hands-on practice with ultrasounding distal limbs and chests. We love what we do and we are even more excited to support the next generation of veterinarians!

09/08/2025

May your Monday be as chill as Baxter’s nap. Big or small, we love them all—and we’re here to serve every kind of critter! 🐾 🐴 🐈 💕

09/03/2025

🌟 It’s Five Points Horse Trials weekend! 🌟

Best of luck to all the incredible horses and riders competing—we’re cheering you on! At Friendship Veterinary Imaging Center, we’re honored to be part of the team behind the scenes, helping keep these athletes healthy and ready to perform their best. Wishing everyone a safe, fun, and successful weekend! 🏇💙

Photo credit: High Time Photography

08/26/2025

🌟 Get to Know Ellen! 🌟

Ellen is the Practice Manager here at Friendship Veterinary Imaging Center, where she keeps everything running smoothly—handling the scheduling of our patients and keeping our doctors on time (and trust us, that’s no easy task 😉). 💼🩺

She brings over 40 years of hands-on equine experience to her role, including work with international three-day event horses. Ellen has managed training, veterinary care, and competition logistics all over the world—from Australia to Europe—and has been part of Olympic, World Equestrian Games, and Pan Am Teams as both a groom and USET Stable Manager. 🐴✨

Here in Vass, Ellen runs a small farm with her two horses and two cats. She’s also a dedicated volunteer at the Carolina Horse Park, where she was inducted into their Volunteer Hall of Fame. When she’s not with the horses, you might find her traveling, painting, or tending her delightfully “chaotic” garden. 🌱🎨✈️

We’re so lucky and grateful to have Ellen’s organization, expertise, and good humor guiding the FVIC team every day! 💙

Address

104 Berylwood Lane
Vass, NC
28394

Website

https://friendshipimaging.com/

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