HT Vista
In Manhattan & Brooklyn, NY
What Is It?
At Pure Paws Veterinary Care, we are excited to introduce the HT Vista, an innovative artificial intelligence-based skin cancer screening device for dogs! With nearly half of dogs over 10 developing cancer, and one-third of those being skin-related, early detection is key to better outcomes. That’s why we are proud to offer this cutting-edge technology to our dog owners.
The HT Vista is a safe, non-invasive, and highly accurate device that requires no needles and provides instant results, making it an affordable option for pet owners. This AI-powered technology allows veterinarians and /technicians/nurses to perform a quick 40-second scan, and in just two minutes, you’ll have the results.
The HT Vista works by using heat diffusion imaging (HDI) to assess whether a skin mass is benign or requires further investigation. The lump is gently heated by 6C/42F, then allowed to cool, while the device monitors the thermal response and tissue characteristics. This data is analyzed by the AI to give an accurate result based on how different types of skin react to heat – healthy skin retains heat differently from unhealthy skin due to variations in structure, metabolism, and blood supply.
Your dog’s mass will receive an HDI score between 1 and 10, along with a percentage indicating the likelihood that it’s benign. For instance, a score of 10 means there’s a 99% chance the mass is benign, while a score of 4 suggests an 89% chance. Based on the results, we can discuss whether further steps, like lab testing, may be needed for lower-score masses.
If you notice a lump on your dog, book an appointment with our team today. We’ll discuss your options, perform the quick scan, and create a personalized plan for your pet’s care!
FAQs
How does the appointment work?
Give us a call and request a skin cancer screening appointment. We will book you in for a technician consultation where a full body physical exam will be performed and discuss the location of the lumps you are concerned about. Your dog will then be admitted for a few hours, and we will perform the scans. We must clip fur from the skin so that the device can scan properly! So let us know if this is a problem. If a lump is given a low score on the device we can discuss sampling through fine needle aspirate, wedge biopsy, or removal under general anaesthetic and sending the mass for laboratory histology.
Will the device hurt my dog or affect the lump if it is cancer?
No, the device is non-invasive and heats the skin gently by 6C/42F with an LED light, which is safe for everyone involved.
What if a mass gets a score between 5 and 10?
The device is 90% or over (average of 98%) certain that the mass is benign, therefore no further investigation is needed. However, if you want to investigate further, we can. Either way we advise you keep an eye on the mass for any changes.
What if a mass gets a score between 1 and 4?
It does not mean that the mass is malignant! It only means that the device couldn’t guarantee at a high (higher than 90%) level of confidence that the mass is benign. The mass might have shown some suspicious thermal features, therefore, we would highly recommend further investigating this mass. By not sampling the mass, we are taking a risk that a malignant mass might get missed. Early detection of malignant masses offers better prognosis and treatment options. The result might still return as benign, however, it is better to be safe than sorry.
My dog has a lump on his eye and foot pad. Can we scan it?
Unfortunately, not. The light is too close to the eye, therefore, might damage the eye and won’t be tolerated. Also, the footpad cannot be scanned with healthy tissue which is needed to complete the scan.
My dog has a lump on his testicle. Can we scan it?
We cannot scan testicles, mammary tissue, or lymph nodes as they are different type of tissues and present differently to dermal masses.
My dog’s lump is ulcerated, can it be scanned?
Unfortunately, due to the biological nature of the disease process, these kinds of masses are excluded from our algorithm.
Does the size of the mass matter?
The mass can be a minimum 0.5cm.
