Ultrasound is the second most common type of diagnostic imaging tool veterinarians use to diagnose a dog's medical condition. Ultrasounds use soundwaves to examine and photograph internal tissues in real-time. An ultrasound allows a veterinarian to see into a dog's body in real-time, allowing for easy viewing of organs from different angles that are not easily achieved through x-rays. The functioning of various organs and blood flow can be observed to determine if they are malfunctioning.
All of our doctors are trained in ultrasound to help manage their cases.
Dr Cali Cunningham is out most experienced doctor with ultrasound. Dr Cunningham completed a 1 year Don Low Fellowship in ultrasound at UC Davis and is able to provide a very comprehensive ultrasound exam and report, close to that by a boarded radiologist.
An ultrasound procedure usually proceeds as follows:
- An ultrasound technician gently presses a small probe against the dog's body that emits digital sound waves
- The sound waves are directed to various parts of the dog's abdominal area by manually shifting the probe's position
- The sound beam changes velocity while passing through varying body tissue density, which causes echoes
- Our ultrasound equipment converts these echoes into electrical impulses that are then further transformed into a digital image that represents the appearance of the tissues
- These images can be viewed in real-time by a veterinarian, as well as stored for further review at any time
In modern scanning systems like the ones Oakdale Veterinary Group has on-site and uses on our canine and feline patients, the sound beam sweeps through the body many times per second. This produces a dynamic, real-time image that changes as the dog ultrasound device moves across a dog's body. We can use the results of an ultrasound to determine what is ailing your dog and to devise the most effective treatment protocol.
Common symptoms that may cause a veterinary to use ultrasound include vomiting, weight loss, kidney impairment or blockage and heart disease.