Ultrasound
Pet Ultrasound
Pet Ultrasound in Houston, TX 77063
Ultrasound
If your pet displays symptoms of illness or injury, an ultrasound might be in order to help our veterinarian diagnose and treat your pet’s condition.
What Is Ultrasound?
An ultrasound uses extremely high-pitched sound waves to produce a moving image of your pet’s internal structures. As the sound waves penetrate your pet, echoes are returned. These echoes are sorted out to create a visual picture. The ultrasonic sound waves are so high that neither humans nor pets can hear them.
When is Ultrasound Useful?
We use ultrasound to view your pet’s internal structures as they operate. An ultrasound is sometimes used in place of x-rays, as it produces a movie-like image of your pet’s soft tissues and bones. An ultrasound can be used to determine the cause of:
Unexplained weight loss
Chronic infections
Ultrasounds can be used to evaluate and diagnose a variety of health concerns in pets, such as:
Circulatory problems
Heart disease and conditions
Gastrointestinal diseases
Ultrasound can sometimes provide a final diagnosis. It’s also often used in conjunction with other diagnostic tests, such as blood work, biopsy, and urinalysis.
What to Expect During Your Pet’s Appointment
An ultrasound is a non-invasive and painless procedure that requires no anesthesia and usually zero sedation. To minimize your pet’s stress and help him or her stay still during the appointment, we usually ask that pet parents remain outside of the exam room.
As ultrasound waves do not travel well through fur, we’ll first shave a small area on your pet at the ultrasound location to ensure a high-quality image is captured. After applying a thin layer of a special gel to your pet’s skin, our veterinarian will then move the ultrasound wand around on top of the gel, recording the image that is captured.