Does an ultrasound hurt?

Ultrasound testing is painless and harmless.The procedure involves no radiation and studies have not revealed any adverse effects. It is safe for pets of all ages.

How do we ultrasound a pet?

For an abdominal ultrasound, we need to clip the hair on your pet's belly. For most procedures, we place your pet on its back with your pet being supported with a big cushion and our technicians. The majority of pets do not need sedation for an ultrasound. If needed, this will be discussed with you during your preliminary exam. One of our qualified veterinarians will perform the ultrasound and discuss all findings with you in detail when you pick up your pet.

For an Echocardiogram or a chest ultrasound, the pet is placed on its side with technicians supporting your pet. Most of the time, a board certified cardiologist will come to our clinic and perform the procedure and evaluate your pet's condition with your primary veterinarian.

Why ultrasound your pet?

Ultrasound enables us to examine the soft tissue structures of the chest or abdomen. It is a helpful way to follow-up on findings from a radiograph that may have been taken of your pet. An abdominal ultrasound helps us to evaluate size and structure of all the major abdominal organs (liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, bladder, prostate, intestines, pancreas, and reproductive organs).  A chest ultrasound helps us to determine causes of heart disease or to look at any abnormalities in the lung.  Ultrasound can also be used to detect fluid, tumors, cysts, stones that may not be identifiable with a radiograph. We also use this tool to assist with obtaining sterile samples from the different organs.