Your veterinarian recommended an ultrasound. Here is what that means.

Many times, diagnostics such as blood work and radiography cannot provide all the answers when figuring out a complex internal medicine case. Ultrasound is the next step in obtaining a more detailed picture of your pet’s health. The information gained from an abdominal ultrasound can help your veterinarian come to a diagnosis and develop a more appropriate treatment plan.

Radiographs are a valuable initial diagnostic tool, but they do not always provide a clear diagnosis. A radiograph is a 2D picture, so organs overlap, which obscures borders and hides smaller organs such as the adrenal glands. Ultrasound is a 3D picture: the sonographer can examine each organ in detail, take accurate measurements of size, see the internal appearance of each organ, and watch real-time movement such as food moving through the intestinal tract or the heart beating.

No. Ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic tool. A probe is placed gently on your pet’s abdomen or chest. At AIM we take our patients’ comfort very seriously and do our best to make sure every patient has a comfortable, fear-free experience. Dr. Sikorski is passionate about stress-free veterinary medicine and is Fear Free certified. Some patients actually enjoy their ultrasound and fall asleep during it.

AIM is a mobile service that brings specialty diagnostics and procedures to your local veterinarian at a low cost. Your pet is likely more comfortable at your primary veterinarian’s office, and our goal is to make specialty care accessible, affordable and a better experience for you both. AIM works closely with your primary veterinarian to discuss your pet’s medical history, current problems and diagnostic results, and together we create the best path forward for your pet.

Most pets are very comfortable with no sedation. If you have an anxious or aggressive pet, or simply feel your pet would be more comfortable, we recommend sedation. If you suspect your pet will need it, discuss this with your primary veterinarian before the appointment; they can usually prescribe an oral medication for you to give beforehand.

If your veterinarian suspects a heart condition, they may recommend an echocardiogram. It provides an in-depth look at your pet’s heart, letting the sonographer see and measure the individual chambers, watch the pathway and speed of blood flow, and accurately judge the significance of a heart murmur. It is the best way to determine whether a pet has heart disease, the stage of the disease, and the best treatment options.

During an abdominal ultrasound your pet is comforted by an assistant and placed on their back on a comfortable cushion. If the fur is thick it is clipped first, and ultrasound gel is applied to the belly. The veterinarian then places the probe at the appropriate locations to visualize each organ individually, taking measurements and pictures for a visual record.

For an abdominal ultrasound, withhold food for 12 hours (or overnight). This lets us see the stomach and the organs behind it more clearly. Speak with your primary veterinarian if your pet has special needs. An echocardiogram requires no specific preparation.

We strongly recommend at-home and/or in-hospital sedation. The points of interest can be very small, often smaller than your pinky fingernail. Excessive movement makes the procedure take longer and leaves small structures poorly visualized or not seen at all. More importantly, sedating an anxious or aggressive pet makes the experience far less stressful for them.

Many people have questions about fasting. If you have a juvenile pet under 4 months old, or a pet that needs medication given with food (such as insulin), let your primary veterinarian know and we will work together on a plan. For most other conditions, including seizure disorders, no additional accommodations are necessary.

It depends on your pet’s condition. Echocardiography will generally provide a diagnosis; prognosis is largely based on repeat scans over time. In many surgical conditions, such as a large tumor or a gallbladder mucocele, abdominal ultrasound leads to a straightforward diagnosis and a pathway to surgery. With chronic internal medicine problems, ultrasound may suggest one disease process (a differential), but defining the process and treating it appropriately often requires tissue sampling. In general, we want to know whether your pet has inflammation, infection or cancer.