I’m trying to reduce repeats without bumping dose, especially on anxious cats; last night we used a V-trough, foam wedges, tight collimation, and went gridless at 60 kVp/4 mAs on a DR panel, but motion still blurred one view. What positioning or exposure tweaks have helped you keep ALARA while getting diagnostic thorax images?
ISO 11784/11785 define the 15‑digit FDX‑B chips; that consistency means any universal reader can map an ID to the right registries across jurisdictions, cutting the “who owns this pup?” relay. Practical step: verify all field scanners are ISO‑compliant and have staff use the AAHA lookup (https://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/) — small caveat, some legacy 9/10‑digit or unregistered chips still create the odd lost‑phone‑charger moment. Are you standardizing procurement on ISO‑compliant FDX‑B readers across partner agencies?
3‑0 PTFE for posterior grafts; 4‑0 Monocryl if thin tissue — ‘no swishing today, 0.12% CHX tomorrow’ cuts calls.
I’d bump to 70–75 kVp (still gridless) and drop to about 2 mAs, using the highest mA/shortest time your tube allows to catch the inspiratory pause — “shortest time wins.” A snug towel burrito with radiolucent tape on forelimbs cuts wiggle without dose; like photographing a toddler, you just need the blink… If your DR has an exposure-delay beep, time it to the whisker-still moment.