Ultrasound Services: Non-invasive

Diagnostics for Your Cat

Abdominal ultrasound simplifies the diagnoses of internal disease by providing veterinarians with a clear view inside the patient's stomach, liver, kidneys, and other internal organs.

Ultrasound is a safe, non-invasive diagnostic procedure, which, unlike X-rays, does not result in your pet's exposure to radiation. An ultrasound machine uses sound waves to penetrate the internal organs and creates an image that is displayed on a monitor. The procedure involves using a hand-held probe on the skin above the area being studied.

Bladder ultrasound can be very useful in helping to determine the cause of inappropriate urination. Some bladder stones may not be visible on x-ray, but will be visible via ultrasound study. Ultrasound can also help identify blood clots, tumors or urinary crystals that can cause discomfort when urinating.

An ultrasound of the heart, or echocardiogram, is the most useful test for evaluating a heart murmur in a pet. With ultrasound, a veterinarian can look inside the heart, in the chambers, and visualize the valves. This non-surgical test can rule out or confirm a diagnosis and aid in determining the amount of leakage and the severity of an abnormality. While many subtle cardiac issues should be evaluated by a cardiologist, our doctors can evaluate the thoracic cavity for a variety of concerns. Our state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment can be a tremendous help when obtaining a biopsy or aspirate of an organ so the diagnoses can be made with minimal invasiveness and much less stress on your pet.

Abdominal ultrasound simplifies the diagnoses of internal disease by providing veterinarians with a clear view inside the patient's stomach, liver, kidneys, and other internal organs.

Some of the common reasons to ultrasound a heart are:

• Heart murmur
• Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
• Labored breathing
• Birth defects

Some of the common reasons to ultrasound the abdomen are:

• Liver disease
• Kidney disease
• Pregnancy
• Urinary bladder disease
• Screening for cancer