What is Ultrasound?
Ultrasound is a tool that emits sound waves in order to see things inside your pet’s body. You may be familiar with ultrasound to “see” infants before they are born, inside an expectant mother. In the same way, ultrasounds are used in veterinary medicine to “see” inside your pet in order to diagnose problems.
The great thing about ultrasound is that it is completely painless and harmless to your pet. In fact, your pet may be completely unaware that this advanced diagnostic tool is being used.
The ultrasound tool itself is a handheld device that is slowly moved across the surface of your pet’s body. Using a combination of the handheld device and a computer, our specialists can “see” inside your pet.
How Do Ultrasounds and X-Rays Differ?
There is a big difference between ultrasounds and x-rays. The biggest difference is the quality of the image. Ultrasounds are great at seeing tissues, whereas x-rays are better at seeing solid structures, such as bone.
What Conditions Make Ultrasound Useful?
There are many different health issues where the use of ultrasound for pets can be very useful. These include:
- Situations where blood or urine tests are abnormal
- Situations where blood or urine tests are inconclusive
- Suspicion of internal damage, such as from vehicular impact
- Presence of diseases, such as cancer or thyroid issues
- Problematic pregnancies in pets
- Foreign objects swallowed
Thankfully, your veterinary team here at Rock Creek Veterinary Hospital have established relationships with several traveling radiologists and ultrasonographers and can schedule this procedure at our hospital.