Ultrasounds - for Pets, Too?

Ultrasound tests are very common in helping to treat various human illnesses and conditions and are used regularly to monitor pregnancies.  They are essential tools in helping doctors see inside the human body to help determine what’s causing a particular disease.  Like a lot of other human medical tools, this one, too, can be useful for pets. 
 
The best thing about ultrasounds is that they give doctors and veterinarians “live” information – what’s happening right now with you or your pet.  They work by sending ultrasound waves through a pet’s organs using a hand-held probe.  The sound waves reflected back create an on-screen image.  Ultrasounds are painless for your pet and pet owners concerned about radiation can relax knowing ultrasounds do not use it.
 
Ultrasounds are the best way to see a cat’s soft tissues, like ligaments, tendons, kidneys, and hearts.  While X-rays can only show the size and shape of an organ, an ultrasound can see the organ's structure and tissue and what’s around it.  While they can’t see all a pet’s organs – for example, lungs are filled with air and so cannot be seen in an ultrasound, as is also true for the brain and a pet’s skeleton.
 
For organs that are visible with ultrasounds, veterinarians can look for specific features that go along with certain diseases or conditions.  They are most useful for heart ailments in pets.  When used to see a heart, they are called echocardiograms and help a vet see the thickness of the heart wall and the size of the chambers in it.  Most amazingly, it can also see motion, which helps to determine if the heart is really working like it should. 
 
A secondary benefit of ultrasounds is giving a vet the information they need to proceed with more specific tests or treatment.  If a cat’s organ shows something abnormal in shape or size in an ultrasound, a vet will probably follow up with a biopsy of that area. They are also very important in an emergency situation when a pet has a gastrointestinal problem that may be related to them swallowing something they shouldn’t have.  In these situations, figuring out the problem and getting treatment quickly are critical.
 
Pets, just like people, react differently in medical situations so there might be some preparation needed if your cat needs an ultrasound.  If he’s getting an abdominal ultrasound, no food or water for 8-12 hours before it might be required.  If your cat is usually pretty calm at the vet and likely to stay still during the procedure, the only thing they may need is to have the vet shave the area of the body to be examined.  To work, ultrasound wands have to make contact with the skin so having as little fur as possible in the area to be checked is best.  If your pet is super stressed at the vet, then a short-acting anesthesia might be necessary. 
 
Once the procedure is done, you’ll know right away what’s going on and your vet will be able to take action to help your cat!
 
CLICK HERE for more information on ultrasounds for pets.