We are excited to introduce our new ultrasound machine! Here at Main Street Animal Hospital we are looking forward to be able to offer your pets another point of care service. Here are a few tips and tricks to learn about ultrasound.
Some facts about how the ultrasound machine works:
Ultrasound is a way for us to non-invasively look inside the abdomen or chest of an animal to figure out an array of health issues. Also called sonograms, ultrasounds use high-frequency sound waves to form images of tissues within the body. This technology is similar to the sonar used by bats and ships at sea! The sound waves are reflected by the patient’s tissues and these reflected sound waves are recorded and displayed as a visual image. This is our way of seeing a “live” image inside of your pet and events such as blood flow, heart beats, and gastrointestinal movement can be observed as they occur.
Some Tips for your pet’s ultrasound:
#1 Fasting 12 hours before makes it easier for us to be able see everything inside, when the stomach is full it can push everything out of the way and obscure the image!
#2 If your cat or dog is cooperative and doesn’t mind laying on their back for a little while, we can do this procedure without having to sedate! If they are painful or are not willing to lay still for the process, sometimes we need to give them a light sedative to keep them happy.
#3 Having a furry pet can be extremely cute and cuddly, but sometimes we need to shave the abdomen or area that we are ultrasounding so the probe can make better contact with the skin to produce a better quality image. Don’t worry, the fur will more than likely grow back just the way in was before, in no time at all!
#4 You may wonder why the area we shaved is a little sticky afterwards even after we wipe it down. Dr. Wood has to use a combination of ultrasound gel and alcohol to be able to get the best image possible with the probe!
Click below to learn more!
