State Line Animal Hospital is excited to announce the addition of our Ultrasound Diagnostic Unit. It is the aim of our practice to offer state-of-the-art medicine and diagnostic testing. We are pleased to offer ultrasound services as a means of providing a higher level of quality care to our patients. Ultrasonography is a type of diagnostic technique that uses ultrasound waves to produce an image. This means that when we perform an ultrasound, we can see internal images of the patient’s body. Unlike other imaging techniques, like with x-rays, ultrasonography does not use radiation. Instead, it uses high-frequency sound waves to create a picture of what is inside your pet’s body. Ultrasonography is a completely non-invasive, painless way to diagnose and evaluate many common diseases. The ultrasound is done with a small probe that is held gently against your pet’s skin. The probe sends out painless ultrasound waves that bounce off of structures, such as organs or bones, in your pet’s body and then returns it to a sensor inside the machine. The unit collects these reflected “echoes” and uses them to generate images that are viewable on a screen. Ultrasound waves can generate excellent images of abdominal organs, including the liver, spleen, gallbladder, and kidneys. It is also useful for assessing fetal health and monitoring pregnancy in breeding animals, and it can help us diagnose and stage (determine the severity of) some forms of cancer. Because ultrasound images are produced in real time, this technology can be used to evaluate the heart as it beats. This can help us detect abnormalities in the motion of heart valves, blood flow through the heart, and contractions of the heart muscle. It can also be used to assess the heart for defects. As we strive to provide our patients with the highest quality medicine and diagnostic testing, we are very pleased to offer ultrasound as one of our diagnostic capabilities.
