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Veterinary Ultrasound

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Ultrasound procedure for your pet

An ultrasound is a safe, non-invasive diagnostic procedure that gives your vet a two-dimensional ‘picture’ of your pet’s organs. In the procedure, a hand-held probe uses sound waves to create an image that’s displayed on a monitor.
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Ultrasound veterinary practice

Ultrasounds are a gentle, non-invasive way to help your vet quickly and accurately diagnose or evaluate issues with your dog or cat’s internal organs, corelated with blood results and other diagnostic tools to give you the most accurate diagnosis possible of your pet’s medical issues and provide your pet with the most effective treatment possible.
Ultrasound scans allow us to more easily distinguish soft tissue masses from foreign bodies or fluid – a task we might find challenging or impossible to accomplish with a digital x-ray. The sound waves the ultrasound generates are not harmful or painful to your cat or dog.

When do we do a pet ultrasound?

It can be used to investigate issues such as:

  • a heart murmur
  • irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
  • laboured breathing
  • birth problems
  • organ diseases (e.g. liver, gall bladder, spleen tumors and kidney problems)
  • vomiting and diarrhoea
  • foreign objects in the body
  • pregnancy
  • urinary problems
  • and many others.

What does a pet ultrasound involve?

It’s sometimes not necessary to anaesthetise or sedate your pet for ultrasound examinations as the technique is completely painless. Many pets will simply lie comfortably while the scan is being performed. If your pet is particularly sensitive or anxious, a sedative may be needed.

Your pet’s hair will generally need to be clipped over the area being examined to allow for a clear image. Your vet will then place gel on the area and methodically move the ultrasound probe around to record images of the area of interest.

Ultrasound is perfectly safe, and unlike an x-ray doesn’t expose your pet to any radiation.

If you have any questions about pet ultrasounds, contact us for more details.

People trust our veterinary practice

“We’ve been coming here for many years. Always great advice with no pressure to get any of the recommended tests or procedures. Friendly vets who obviously care about their patients and are carrying on the legacy of the practice founders.”

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want to know more?

We are ready to help you

Contact us