Ultrasound is a painless, safe, non-invasive, procedure used to visualize the internal organs of your pet. It works by using high frequency sound waves to produce a moving, real-time picture of your pet’s organs with more tissue detail than can be detected by X-rays. The procedure takes around 30-60 minutes, and a diagnosis based on what was seen is usually available immediately.  Typically, no sedation is needed.  

 

They are great a great tool to help us asses the shape, size, and thickness of abdominal organs. For this reason they are routinely used to diagnose and monitor response to treatment of liver and gall bladder disease, kidney and bladder disease, gastrointestinal disorders and obstructions, tumors and cancers, and bleeding disorders. They can also be used to visualize heart beats of puppies and kittens during pregnancy and to help provide safe and accurate biopsies. 

 

The quality of an ultrasound and the amount of information that can be gained is highly dependent on the operator. At Bedford Veterinary Medical Center ultrasound is performed by Dr. Jen McClellan, DVM, a board-certified Internal Medicine specialist. Not only does this ensure that a quality ultrasound will be performed on your pet, but provides an internal medicine consult in addition to an ultrasound.