We understand our furry companions are family and fill our lives with lots of love. Caring for your pet requires regular veterinary care to ensure they thrive and remain healthy throughout all life stages. Fortunately, veterinary medicine advances have provided tools and medications that allow our pets to live longer, healthier lives, and have extended the time pets remain by our side. One of these advances is ultrasound, a safe, non-invasive imaging technique and a diagnostic tool your veterinarian uses to examine your pet’s organs and structures pain-free. Like a video, an ultrasound machine records echoes or sound reflections of high frequency sound waves to create a live image on a computer screen. Unlike an X-ray, an ultrasound provides a two-dimensional, more detailed view of your pet’s internal organs, ligaments, tendons, and their eyes. An ultrasound exam does have some limitations—because ultrasound waves cannot pass through air or bone, this technique cannot be used to examine healthy lungs, brain, spinal cord, or other bone structures—but an ultrasound examination on your pet still has numerous benefits, including:

• Allowing a real-time diagnosis of a medical problem
• Lack of anesthesia for most pets
• The need for only minimal restraint
• Low stress for pets

Our Ultrasound Technicians have undergone intensive training and we have since helped countless pets with this advanced medical care. Our veterinarians may recommend an ultrasound exam for many reasons, including the following, which are three of the most common: 

• Your pet has abnormal lab work — Annual or more frequent blood work provides your veterinarian with information on your pet’s overall organ function, presence of infection, and red blood cell health, and abnormalities fill in one piece of your pet’s overall health puzzle. For example, if your pet has an elevated liver or kidney value, your veterinarian may recommend an ultrasound of their abdomen to examine their liver or kidney function, size, and shape. Elevated blood values may indicate a mass, or a type of cancer that cannot be diagnosed solely through a blood test. Ultrasound can also serve as a guide when collecting abnormal cell samples, or biopsying organs to further diagnose and treat disease. 
• Your pet was hit by a car — Pets who experience trauma, such as being hit by a car or attacked by another animal, are at risk for internal bleeding and organ damage. During these emergency situations, our veterinary team will perform a focused assessment with sonography for trauma exam (i.e., FAST ultrasound). This fast method allows your veterinarian to evaluate your pet for the presence of blood, free fluid, organ trauma, or heart complications usually in less than two minutes. Quickly identifying these serious medical conditions helps determine the next steps and gives your pet a better chance.   
• Your pet has a lump or pain in their abdomen — An ultrasound examination can help identify the exact location, size, and shape of an internal mass, swelling, or pain. Proper identification will allow your veterinarian to determine the next treatment steps, such as biopsy, surgery, or continued monitoring. During your pet’s physical examination your veterinarian may recommend an ultrasound if they find the following:
  • Swelling in or near the abdomen
  • Pain when touching the abdomen or other internal location
  • Mass or lump in the abdomen, or near an organ such as the kidney or liver

Our team is proud to offer this important diagnostic tool to help ensure your pet receives the most advanced quality medical care. Call our office at 915-351-1910 if you have any questions about the benefits of an ultrasound exam for your pet.