Pet Ultrasound: Bringing Answers to Light

The knowledgeable and compassionate staff at VDIC strive to make you and your pets visit as comfortable as possible. We understand the diagnostic process can be an uncertain time for you and your beloved pet. Through individualized care and expertise, we hope to be the light that helps guide your pet’s ongoing care.

Scheduling A Pet Ultrasound Appointment

For urgent cases, same-day appointments may be available but do not appear online, call to inquire. We offer online scheduling for the following services:
  • Abdominal ultrasound: Liver, Spleen, Kidneys, Adrenal Glands, Urinary Tract, Reproductive Organs, Gastrointestinal System, and Internal Lymph Nodes
  • Thoracic (chest) ultrasound: Lungs, Mediastinum, Internal Lymph Nodes, and Associated Masses/Tumors; DOES NOT include an Echocardiogram (thorough study of the heart and its function).
  • Cervical (neck) ultrasound: Thyroid/Parathyroid, Salivary Glands, Lymph Nodes, and masses/tumors in the underside of the neck/lower jaw
  • Multiple cavity ultrasound: any two of the above areas
  • Follow-up fine needle aspirate: For patients that have had an ultrasound with VDIC (within 2 months) where a fine needle aspirate was recommended but not completed the same day. Note: additional bloodwork may be needed to safely complete this procedure. Please check with your referring veterinarian or VDIC prior to your appointment. 
Please call our office (877-751-8342) to schedule any services not listed above (e.g.: echocardiogram – ultrasound of the heart, musculoskeletal ultrasound, exotic/pocket pet ultrasound).

Once scheduled, you will receive confirmation and details for your appointment via text and email, including how to prepare your pet for their ultrasound, what to expect during the procedure, and pricing. We will contact your referring veterinarian to ensure our team is well prepared for your pet’s visit.

After your pet’s visit with us, a copy of our report is automatically sent to your veterinarian. All follow-up care and treatment will be managed by your referring veterinarian.

Our office is located in Tualatin, at the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Tualatin, and our dedicated team is available Monday through Saturday.

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Pet Owners FAQ

WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING MY PET’S ULTRASOUND TODAY?

On your pet’s arrival, a veterinary technician will check you in, review the consent form with you, and go over the ultrasound procedure. Your pet will then be brought into our ultrasound suite and placed in a soft, comfortable positioning device. In most cases we shave the hair at the location of the ultrasound exam in order to obtain better images and a more accurate diagnosis.

WHY DOES MY PET NEED TO BE FASTED?

Ultrasound allows thorough assessment of your pet’s internal organs for signs of disease or abnormalities. The presence of food and accumulated gas in the stomach and intestines makes it more difficult for the ultrasound beam to penetrate to all the organs. Your pet can have water until the morning of, but please take away their food 8-12 hours prior to their appointment to help obtain an optimal ultrasound exam. Medications can still be given with a minimal amount of food, if needed.

WILL I HAVE RESULTS FROM THE ULTRASOUND TODAY?

Ultrasound results will be emailed to your referring veterinarian within 24 – 48 hours (except weekends). Echocardiogram images are reviewed by a cardiologist and the results will be emailed to your referring veterinarian within 48 hours (except weekends). Our doctors will discuss their findings with you the day of your appointment after the ultrasound exam is completed.

WHY CAN’T I BE WITH MY PET DURING THE ULTRASOUND EXAM?

Many pet owners believe their pet will be less stressed and more cooperative if they are with them during the exam but it is often the opposite. It is also important to avoid interruptions and possible distractions to allow the radiologist to fully concentrate on the ultrasound exam. Therefore, an ultrasound exam can be performed more efficiently and more accurately when only trained staff is helping with your pet.

WHY MIGHT MY PET NEED SEDATION OR LIGHT ANESTHESIA? WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Ultrasound diagnosis often relies on subtle changes and when patients are tense, in pain, or panting, many lesions can be missed. In our experience mild sedation, and in some cases light intravenous (IV) anesthesia, often allows for a faster and more accurate exam. When performing biopsies and/or fluid drainages, using sedation or light IV anesthesia allows us to perform the procedure more safely and more comfortably for your pet. If your pet is sedated, they will likely be groggy for the remainder of the day. Their sense of balance may also be off. Occasionally patients have a life threatening reaction to sedation or anesthesia but this is extremely rare with modern anesthetics and we believe the more accurate diagnoses and safer procedure outweigh anesthetic risks. Please contact your veterinarian to discuss prescribing an oral sedative (given 2 hours before your appointment) to help reduce any stress or anxiety your pet may have for their ultrasound.

WHY WOULD MY PET NEED A BIOPSY?

Ultrasound is very good to look inside of the body but several diseases can have similar appearances (e.g. tumors and abscesses). Determining the type of cells present within a lesion by obtaining a very small sample allows us to make a final differentiation in most cases. We strongly recommend ultrasound guided needle biopsies when the type of cells present is needed to obtain a final diagnosis. If a biopsy is recommended, a veterinary technician or radiologist will discuss it with you. A biopsy is never performed without your consent.

WHAT IS THE BIOPSY PROCEDURE? ARE THERE ANY RISKS?

The skin is first cleaned with a surgical soap and then a small needle (smaller than those used for blood samples) is inserted, with ultrasound guidance, into the area of concern. An average of 3 samples is obtained to ensure the greatest diagnostic yield. The samples are transferred to a glass slide, prepared, and sent to the laboratory for interpretation by another specialist (cytopathologist). If a larger tru-cut biopsy is indicated, a sample will be obtained and placed in a special solution to be sent to a pathologist. The biggest risk of needle biopsies is internal bleeding, but it is rare. We conducted a retrospective study including over 3000 biopsies and severe internal bleeding occurred in less than 0.25% of the patients. If any significant bleeding is detected during the procedure, we will notify you and your referring veterinarian immediately.

WHEN WILL I HAVE RESULTS FROM THE BIOPSY?

Fine needle biopsy results will be sent to your referring veterinarian within 24-48 hours (except weekends). Tru-Cut biopsy results are not available before 48-72 hours and will also be sent to your referring veterinarian. Please contact your veterinarian to discuss the results.

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