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A report by veterinary specialist Peter S. Chapman describes how advanced imaging can help guide decisions, including when to investigate a finding and when to avoid a risky procedure. He argues that PET/CT and AI can support veterinary care, but clinical judgment and conversations with pet owners remain central.
Advanced imaging and artificial intelligence are giving veterinary teams more information to guide care, but a report by specialist Peter S. Chapman argues that technology should support—not make—treatment decisions. Using two cases at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey, Chapman describes PET/CT helping identify a tumor in one dog and supporting a decision to avoid a high-risk biopsy and surgery in another.
PET/CT combines two kinds of information: computed tomography shows the anatomy and location of an abnormality, while positron emission tomography uses a radiopharmaceutical tracer to show metabolic activity. Chapman says the combination may help clinicians assess and stage cancer and may also be used in cases such as unexplained fever or lameness. Imaging findings, however, do not by themselves establish a diagnosis in every case.
In the first case, a dog received PET/CT for an unrelated reason. The scan revealed a small, previously unrecognized lesion under the skin. An excisional biopsy identified a mast cell tumor, and the team was able to treat it before it progressed or caused clinical signs, Chapman reported. The second dog had an atypical cystic liver lesion. The scan showed no radiopharmaceutical uptake, which Chapman said suggested a lower likelihood of aggressive disease. The dog avoided a high-risk liver biopsy and surgery; later ultrasound examinations found the lesion stable.
Chapman also discusses AI tools used for diagnostic support, medical documentation, client communication and administrative work. He says these tools can assist with information handling, but their outputs can be incomplete, biased or wrong. Veterinary professionals must check them against the patient’s full clinical picture, and practices need policies for privacy, oversight and verification.
How Scan Results Shape Care
The cases illustrate that better diagnostics do not always mean more intervention. A finding can prompt timely treatment, while other results may support monitoring instead of a procedure with substantial risk. The practical value of a test depends on whether it changes care, not simply on how much information it produces.
That judgment matters to pet owners as well as clinicians. Chapman says choices can depend on a pet’s age, temperament and expected quality of life, alongside the family’s goals and the financial, travel and anesthesia burdens of testing. The report frames shared decision-making as part of care: the veterinary team explains what a test can and cannot show, and owners weigh options with that guidance.
The report also points to a workforce challenge around AI. It cites a 2026 study of 673 veterinary workers: 72.3% said AI would change the profession, while 90.5% reported little or no formal AI training. Those figures describe respondents to that study; they do not by themselves establish how prepared every practice is.
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From Detection to Decisions
Chapman’s report places the examples within wider changes in veterinary medicine over the past two decades, including more advanced diagnostics, AI and minimally invasive technologies. It says roughly one in four dogs will develop cancer during their lifetime, giving earlier and more precise diagnosis particular relevance to oncology. The report does not claim that early screening with PET/CT is appropriate for every dog.
It also stresses limits: an imaging abnormality may need additional testing to determine what it is, and incidental findings can lead to tests that may not benefit the patient. Chapman’s central question is whether the result will meaningfully change the plan. The examples come from two patients at one hospital and illustrate possible uses; they are not comparative research establishing how well PET/CT performs across patients.
Limits of Scans and AI
The report does not provide the dogs’ full clinical histories, detailed scan findings, costs, or long-term outcomes beyond the stable ultrasound examinations described for the liver lesion. It also does not establish PET/CT’s accuracy or cost-effectiveness across a wider group of patients. The cases are examples, not a trial.
More broadly, a scan may identify an abnormality without determining its cause, and a lack of tracer uptake is not presented as a definitive diagnosis. Chapman also says AI outputs may be inaccurate or biased. The degree of human oversight, privacy protection and formal AI training will depend on individual practices; the report’s cited survey does not explain those conditions for every workplace.
Questions Before the Next Test
For each proposed advanced test, Chapman recommends that veterinary teams discuss whether the result could change treatment, clarify prognosis or quality of life, and justify burdens such as cost, anesthesia or travel. They should also explain the test’s limitations and what different results might mean. Those conversations help owners and clinicians choose a plan suited to the individual pet.
For AI, the report points to responsible-use policies, staff training, privacy safeguards and human verification as practical needs. It does not announce a new policy or a specific implementation timetable. How veterinary practices will adopt such standards—and how wider evidence will shape use of PET/CT—remains open.
Key Questions
What does PET/CT show in veterinary care?
CT shows anatomy, including an abnormality’s location and size, while PET shows metabolic activity through a tracer. Together, they can give clinicians additional information, but may not establish a diagnosis without further testing.
Did PET/CT lead to the same kind of decision in both cases?
No. In the case Chapman describes, a scan revealed a lesion that biopsy identified as a mast cell tumor, prompting treatment. In the other, no tracer uptake in a liver lesion supported avoiding a high-risk biopsy and surgery while the lesion was monitored.
Does the report recommend PET/CT for every dog?
No. It describes two cases and says testing should be considered based on whether results may change care, alongside risks, costs and the pet’s circumstances. It does not set out a general screening recommendation.
Can AI make veterinary decisions on its own?
Chapman describes AI as an assistive tool, not a replacement for veterinary judgment. Its output needs professional review because it may be incomplete, biased or incorrect.
What remains uncertain about the technology?
The report does not establish PET/CT’s performance or cost-effectiveness across a broad population, and it offers no universal measure of AI readiness in veterinary practices. The examples show potential uses, not proof that either technology is suitable for every patient.
Source: rss
