Who Is Qualified to Give a Pet an Ultrasound?
Not all veterinarians are trained in ultrasound.
General practice veterinarians can become trained in ultrasonography, and there are also specialists who have undergone board-certified training for ultrasonography. This means that not all veterinary clinics will have the ability to perform an ultrasound.
If an ultrasound is recommended by your regular veterinarian, they may refer you to a specialty practice to have the ultrasound performed. Another option is to have a mobile veterinarian come to the practice to perform the ultrasound exam.
Abnormal Blood or Urine Test Results
If your veterinarian finds abnormalities in your pet’s blood or urine tests, they may recommend an abdominal ultrasound.
Abdominal ultrasounds allow for the visualization of the internal organs, such as the liver, kidneys, spleen, lymph nodes, urinary bladder, etc., to determine the cause for the abnormalities.
The cost for an abdominal ultrasound is approximately $300-$350 with a general practice veterinarian and $400-$500 with a specialist.
An ultrasound can be performed on almost all soft tissues of the body.
Ultrasounds can be used to evaluate:
If abnormal tissue is found during an ultrasound, the veterinarian may be able to collect samples of the tissue using the ultrasound.
Common methods for sample collection are:
These methods of sample collection are typically performed with the cat or dog under sedation. Biopsies collected with ultrasound guidance are less invasive than those collected surgically.
In an emergency setting, valuable information can be gained from focused ultrasound evaluation of the thorax (chest) and abdomen.
Veterinarians can quickly determine if a dog or cat has internal hemorrhage or pneumothorax, for example. This allows for quick development of a treatment plan.
Ultrasound is very useful for looking for gastrointestinal (GI) foreign material that may not be detected on x-rays.
Sometimes objects like cloth, paper, plant material, or thin plastic may not be seen on x-rays but can be found using ultrasound.
Ultrasound can also provide information as to whether a dog or cat with a GI foreign body needs to be immediately taken to surgery or if he/she can be managed medically.
Reasons Your Pet May Need An Ultrasound
An ultrasound can help our South Wilton vets examine the structure of your pet’s organs so we can discover and identify blockages, tumors, or other problems.
At South Wilton Veterinary Group, ultrasounds are done in our in-house veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Our team of veterinary specialists uses ultrasounds and other diagnostic tools to provide an accurate diagnosis of your pet’s medical issues, so we can provide your pet with the most effective treatment possible.
Why i don’t ultrasound my Bullys to confirm breedings‼️ (Breeders Hacks‼️)
So youve just discovered that your cat or dog requires an ultrasound procedure. What exactly does that even mean? And how can it help your pet? Here, our South Wilton vets describe how we perform ultrasound procedures on pets, how to prepare your pet for the procedure and what kinds of conditions can be detected with this testing.
Our pets can develop all sorts of illnesses and conditions like tumors or cysts and get into things they shouldnt that may get lodged inside them. Ultrasounds are a kind of diagnostic imaging technology that transmits sound waves into your pets body to produce a picture in real-time of an area of their body.
Veterinary ultrasounds are non-invasive and can be used to diagnose or evaluate problems with your pets internal organs or check on your pets pregnancy.