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.

09/02/2026

They did it! Congratulations Dr. Patterson and Iron Colony on a successful weekend in Kentucky 🎉🎉

08/26/2026

Wishing our very own, Dr. Patterson and her horse Iron Colony the very best of luck as they head to Kentucky to compete at the AECs.

We are so proud to cheer you both on and can’t wait to see all your hard work pay off.

Good luck Dr. Patterson, we will be cheering you on every step of the way!

08/20/2026

We’re excited to support our local equestrian community and wish all of the horses, riders, teams, and organizers a fun, successful, and safe event. Best of luck to everyone competing, and most importantly—have a great ride! 💚

08/17/2026

Registration is still open for the Equine Sports Medicine Symposium! 🐴

Can’t join us in person? No problem — virtual registration is also available, so you can attend from wherever you are.

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn, connect, and be part of this year’s symposium. We hope you’ll join us — in person or online!

https://equinesportsmedicinesymposium.com

08/14/2026

Just one week away from the 2026 Equine Sports Medicine symposium and we would like to introduce another highly anticipated speaker.

Tony Sandoval, MS, Exercise Science, Certified Strength and Conditioning

Coach Tony Sandoval is a strength and conditioning coach with more than 15 years of experience helping equestrian athletes improve their health, resilience, and riding performance. He holds a graduate degree in Exercise Science and is the creator of the EqueStrength Development Program, a training system built specifically for riders who want to perform at a higher level in and out of the saddle.

Coach Sandoval specializes in working with equestrians across all levels of the sport, using a performance-based approach to help riders build strength, move better, and stay healthier for the long term. His work focuses on improving rider fitness, addressing common injuries and pain patterns, and helping athletes create a stronger, more effective partnership with their horse.

He is also known for using advanced technology to lead rider athletic performance assessment clinics, giving equestrians clear, data-driven insight into how their bodies affect their riding. In addition, Tony developed the Return to Ride Program, which helps injured riders safely and confidently get back in the saddle.

08/07/2026

As August 21–22 quickly approaches, we are excited to continue introducing the exceptional professionals who will be sharing their knowledge and experience with us this year at the 2026 Equine Sports Medicine Symposium.

Dr. Katie Sheats is a Professor of Equine Medicine and Primary Care and is board certified in Large Animal Internal Medicine. She currently serves as the Associate Dean of Professional Education and Admissions at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Sheats is the PI of the Equine Health Innovations laboratory and her research focus is on neutrophil-mediated diseases including sepsis and asthma in horses. Her research seeks to better understand mechanisms of neutrophil mediated tissue injury in order to identify novel diagnostic or therapeutic targets. Dr Sheats is also passionate about education and has three teaching certifications, is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a recognized Distinguished Expert by the Academy of Veterinary Educators. She is currently pursuing her masters in veterinary education. Dr Sheats grew up riding Hunter Jumper in Winston-Salem, NC and is an NC State CVM Class of 2005 graduate. She currently lives in New Hill, NC.

Click the link below to register

https://equinesportsmedicinesymposium.com

08/05/2026

Less than three weeks until the 2026 Equine Sports Medicine Symposium. Registration is still open and we hope to see you there.

https://equinesportsmedicinesymposium.com

Let us introduce you to another highly anticipated speaker, Pete Healey, APF-1

Pete Healey started his professional shoeing career in 1988. In 2002 he began a working relationship with Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos, California. Pete is a graduate of Dr. Reddens’ Advanced Equine Podiatry course and holds an APF – 1 certification with the International Association of Professional Farriers. He has been a contributing author for the American Farrier‘s Journal, The Cowboy Way, and Ranch and Reata magazines. He holds three patents for measuring systems for the equine foot. Pete is a cofounder of the now dissolved nonprofit, Podiatry Education Foundation. Pete published ‘Evaluating radiographs for equine foot management’ in 2018 and co-authored a paper for a AAEP in 2022 titled ‘How to evaluate and balance the distal limb using specific anatomical and radiographic parameters’. Pete’s current publication is ‘Pete Healey’s foot of the week, 100 equine podiatry case studies’.

07/31/2026

We are thrilled Dr. Beth Cooper, DVM, PhD, will be joining us as a keynote speaker for this year’s Equine Sports Medicine Symposium. From equine emergency medicine to cutting-edge research on equine asthma, Dr. Cooper brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for education. Please join us in August, all equine professionals and owners are welcome! Click the link below to register and for more information.

https://equinesportsmedicinesymposium.com

Dr. Cooper graduated from vet school in 2021 and completed a PhD in the Sheats laboratory at the CVM studying novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for equine asthma. Dr. Cooper is an equine emergency field service veterinarian at NC State, researches equine asthma, and is passionate about teaching students. Outside of work, you will find Beth outdoors with her wild 2-year old daughter and husband, at the barn riding, or wrangling her two golden retrievers.

07/20/2026

We are happy to support the local community!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BQysH2NC2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/27/2026

Bone Scan and The Thoracic Spine

Nuclear scintigraphy (commonly referred to as bone scan) has great utility for evaluation of bony abnormalities throughout the spine in horses. These images show moderate radiopharmaceutical uptake in the regions of both the left and right articular processes of T18-L1 of a middle age warmblood gelding. Differentials for this degree of uptake include stress fracture or osteoarthritis.

Stress fractures of the vertebral column are relatively common in racehorses and patients can present with surprisingly mild clinical signs including poor performance and non-specific lameness issues. A study consisting of post-mortem evaluation of racing thoroughbreds revealed 50% of examined vertebral columns had evidence of previous stress fracture.

The location of uptake in the images of our patient was consistent with the articular process joint rather than the vertebral body itself. In horses, the lumbar spine is the least mobile segment of the spine. It is believed by some that the morphology of the joints in this segment of the spine allows absorption of excessive rotational torque which results in more pathology to the joints rather than vertebral bodies themselves. These forces can also cause formation of osteoarthropathy with or without a stress fracture and primary osteoarthropathy is another differential for the patient in our case.

Radiographs and/or ultrasonography are recommended for further assessment with treatment guided by the referring veterinarian. Repeat nuclear scintigraphy can be valuable to assess resolution or improvement.

Bonus fact: Can you guess what structure the blue arrow is pointing too? It is a kidney!

Address

104 Berylwood Lane
Vass, NC
28394

Website

https://friendshipimaging.com/

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