Ultrasound Scans for Dogs – Cost, Use Cases, Procedure & More

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There may come a time in your life when your dog gets sick or pregnant and your vet says that your dog needs an ultrasound. While it may seem scary because you do not know how ultrasounds work on a dog, this article will run down what an ultrasound does, some causes that warrant an ultrasound, what you can do before hand to help prepare for the scan and more.

What is an ultrasound?

An ultrasound, also known as ultrasonography or just a sonogram, is a scan that is easy to use, pain-free and does not penetrate the skin to get a look inside the body. It is used in humans and animals that can detect internal body structures. It utilizes sound waves by emitting and projecting the waves, their high frequency are able to bounce off of the structure inside the dog’s body. Pictures will show up because of the reflection of the echoes from the targeted objected are so fast that it creates a majority clear image.

You can see the ultrasound on a machine that depicts the ultrasonic waves. These are able to appear on the screen because the whole machine is involved in scanning the body. The object that emits the waves is a probe.The body needs to be scanned using the probe, or wand, that is linked to the screen that displays the image being created. It moves with ease because of the ultrasound gel paired with a shaved area, to create a clear picture of the inner structures. The waves are submitted through the gel into the body to directly go back into the machine and show the vet the insides of the dog for diagnosis.

With the image being created on the machine, it allows veterinarians to diagnose conditions that they could not previously see, such a diagnosing ailments and confirming pregnancies in dogs.

Why use an ultrasound?

An ultrasound is a useful tool that creates a live video feed, essentially, as compared to an x-ray, that creates a black and white not-moving picture. Vets can move around as the please with the wand and see new areas inside the structures of the dog to give a clear and accurate diagnosis on the spot and go in for a double check or triple check because as long as the image is clear the first time, there is not need to reboot the machine or wait for diagnosis because the new information is right at their fingertips.

What will an ultrasound show in a dog?

There may be a number of causes that a veterinarian to ask to perform an ultrasound, some of them include:

Pregnancy: You may have heard of ultrasounds first from hearing about them being used on humans to help monitor pregnancy from the inside. The same can be done in dogs, and it can also pick up the heartbeats of the new puppies even when they are very little. While it is not always accurate in determining how many puppies there are, it is still a useful tool to use to take a look if the vet has a suspicion of pregnancy.

Organ-Specific Sans: Detecting the conditions of other organs is also another use that the vet may need to request an ultrasound for. Usually there is a diagnosis before hand and the vet will ask to go in to confirm suspicions. Areas that can be viewed with an ultrasound are a dog’s abdominal organs such as the kidney, liver, gallbladder, lymph nodes and bladder. It can also be useful for investigating the parathyroid and thyroid. These two organs can show veterinarians issues such as developing cysts, tumors, bladder or kidney stones, fluid issues, organ abnormalities, etc.

Echocardiography: Echocardiography is an examination of the heart with the ultrasound machine. This scan can help determine and measure the thickness of the heart’s walls, the motion of the other heart structures, and the size of the chambers. With this scan, vets can properly diagnose a developing or already prominent heart condition as well as determine if the heart is functioning properly.

How to prepare your dog for an ultrasound

There is no need to worry about your dog being hurt when it comes to ultrasounds, the scan is safe, fast and simple since the veterinarian has to do these quite often. Your veterinarian will ask you to make an appointment for the ultrasound, you can ask for a pamphlet that details what an ultrasound is and what you can do. But if those are not available, there is one sure thing that all pet owners ought to know before going into a scan: do not let your dog eat or drink before the scan.

Stopping your dog from eating or drinking before the scan may seem cruel, but a few hours without food or water allows the veterinarian to get a clear picture of the stomach and other areas.

What if an abnormality is found during an ultrasound?

Many things can happen if an abnormal structure is found during an ultrasound scan, such as a nodule, mass, or fluid, the vet will possibly recommend an immediate treatment and fine needle aspirate will be inserted. This procedure involves guiding a fine needle into the area for concern utilizing the ultrasound to extract a small sample of fluid to diagnose in the lab. Fluids can also be extracted through use of an ultrasound and a fine needle, which is practically painless for most dogs.

Do dogs need to be sedated for an ultrasound?

Since an ultrasound procedure is called a procedure and you have to schedule a special appointment for it, some may think that the veterinarian may need to sedate your dog before the ultrasound.

This answer will depend on the demeanor of the dog and what the vet suggests. Some frantic dogs may act out to the shaving and the gel, while others will lay down acting calm and almost sleepy. It is beneficial for the dogs to be sedated only if they are acting out because the results of the procedure will not show up correctly, or it may take longer because of the dog’s attitude.

In order to make things go as smoothly as possible, it would help if you know your vet well and so does your pet in order to keep them as relaxed as possible during the procedure, or they might need to be sedated.
This is one of the better parts about the ultrasound procedure, it does not require sedation or anesthesia with typical cases. If either of these are needed, the vet will discuss with you how this will happen and ask if you are okay with this occurring.

Do I get to stay with my pet during the procedure?

Most veterinarian staffs should let you stay in the room as the procedure is going on. This is because they want the dog to be calm as well as you because this can be a stressful time, as you do not know what results may come out.Communication with your vet and any specialists is crucial because this may help calm your nerves about what may happen and what to do afterwards. Just know during the procedure, there should be nothing wrong happening because ultrasounds have been used for a very long time in general but also by most vets. They do these very often and know how to shave the sensitive areas, the probe does not hurt the dog, it gently glides using the gel as a lubricant on the skin as well as a window into the insides of the dog.

You should be able to leave at any time and go to the waiting room, this is something most owners choose to do because of how long the procedure is, 30 to 60 minutes may seem like a long time to sit, but the staff is taking their time. It is all necessary to get a proper diagnosis on your precious pup.

What if nothing shows up on the scan?

Sometimes there will be little on the scan that is visible to diagnose. This is not the end all be all of the ultrasound. When this occurs, they have a liquid that the dog can take to help display the organs better through the ultrasound. This liquid is metallic and shows up very brightly on x-rays and does not harm the dog in any way. Abdominal x-rays are then taken at 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours, and 4 hours to track the progress of the liquid. This may take some time at the vet’s office, but it is the best thing to do if the vet asks for it to be done. Cases that warrant this are if the dog has not eaten before the scan and nothing shows up, or if the condition that warranted the scan seems serious enough to address immediately and more.

Do not worry about if this is the next step that needs to be taken, it is similar to just boarding your dog. They will be in good care and x-rays done while you wait for the results.

What will the follow-up x-rays do?

The x-rays will make sure that the metallic liquid is properly coursing through the dog’s system to allow for a better ultrasound next time. The staff will do increments of certain hours to track how far the liquid has gone into the insides, and any stoppage of flow of the liquid would indicate an obstruction, which could be another underlying problem.

After hours have passed or the liquid has coated the system, the veterinary staff will perform another ultrasound procedure in the same area, or different if something appears on the x-ray scans. Following this, results should be ready to some degree and your dog, after a long stressful day deserves some love.

What do you do after the scan?

After the scan, the vet should be talking to you about what happened during the scan, what needs to be done following the procedure, such as at home care, medicine or exercise routines. Listen carefully during the conversation and ask for a packet or pamphlet on care, because most of the time the diagnosis has been given before and they will have information prepared for you to have if you forget anything from it. From specifics to generalizations, it is important to follow the instructions precisely and if they explain anything in a way that is not clear to you, ask questions. You want your pet to get back to feeling better as soon as possible, it’s never fun being sick in the first place. Just trust the vet and listen to what they have to say and things should turn out okay.

Generally, the dog will be able to go home with you after the ultrasound. When going home, be gentle and kind to your dog, they have not eaten for quite some time so they may be weak and tired. Make sure to provide them with their normal food and water routine, unless your vet says otherwise. You can continue activity as normal, unless instructed otherwise, just be sure to love on and give attention to your dog. The anxiety inducing scan took a lot out of them.

How much do the ultrasound procedure cost?

Generally, the ultrasound will cost from $300 to $500, according to breedingbuisness.com, depending on your clinic and the area you live in. It may be higher if you go to a specialist instead of a clinic. The cost for an ultrasound is relatively in the middle in comparison to other examination process; for example, the x-rays used on dogs usually are in the low hundreds per scan while MRIs for dogs can possibly cost up to a few thousand dollars per scan because of the more advanced and more tedious process MRIs can be.

Why is the scan so expensive?

The scan is a bit pricey but it shows the vet a lot of information in little time. It is a full live video feed into the organs of the dogs that can be moved in any which way to show different angles and areas of the areas probed. It takes a lot of training to properly know how to use the ultrasound machine and the machine itself needs to be paid for to be used already warrants a high cost, not to mention that the time it valuable time that you are buying from the veterinarian team. They could be treating other patients but the high cost is a good enough pay off for the procedure as a whole as well as their precious time.

Ultrasound for dogs near me

The person who should tell you that your dog needs an ultrasound (or an X Ray) is someone certified in animal care, which is often a vet. A friend, who does not have full training but has been through the procedure with their own dog may recommend that you consider a scan, but it is always best to take the dog to be examined by a veterinarian to see if that is useful advice. This diagnosis should be available to you through any vet, as they are certified in describing and finding many conditions that would warrant an ultrasound. Usually there is an ultrasound machine and the equipment at almost every animal clinic as it is a common procedure that needs to be done often, for pregnancy, organ-specific scans, or echocardiography. Some of these causes are more common than others, but still fulfill the need for majority of clinics to have a ultrasound machine. Do not worry about not receiving proper treatment for your dog because a number of clinics have certified vets who are able to diagnose and perform an ultrasound with their staff to suit all of your dog’s needs.

Types of ultrasounds

There are different areas that are scanned in an ultrasound, then they are categorized into the different types of ultrasounds depending on where they are a few types include:

Abdominal ultrasounds: These are needed when the dog has symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, urine in blood or straining to urinate. Other tests such as x-rays, urine samples or a physical examination usually are the cause for this specific area’s scan: unusual test results in any of those can indicate anything from a small infection to a parasite in the abdominal area.

Pregnancy ultrasounds: These are needed to diagnose pregnancy early on and keep track of the puppies inside the mother to ensure proper growth and prepare for how many is to be expected.

Echocardiography: These are needed to ensure the dog is as healthy as can be, showing blood flow and blood vessels.
Eye examinations: Believe it or not eye problems are a sign that might warrant an ultrasound on the eye. No gel is necessary for the eye area typically as it can be harmful to the dog, but images are taken with the same equipment to show up close and personal to the vet what underlying problem may be causing specific irritations of the eye.

Bowel examination: This can be connected to abdominal ultrasounds but here the bowl is focused on for obstructions or other indications of fluid build up that prevents the direct issues that are associated with troubles in the bathroom for the dog. It is often times used if the problem causing the vomiting, diarrhea or strain to urinate is not showing up in the scan of the abdominal area since it is more specific and clear where the problem should be considering the nature of the area.

Are there any negatives to ultrasounds?

The only complaint people have about ultrasounds in general are the fact that the scans can only work on organs that do not contain air. The ultrasound waves will not pass through air or bone, so the lungs, brain, spinal cord and other bones cannot be examined with an ultrasound scan. Veterinarians will suggest other procedures if these areas are affected.

Good things about ultrasounds

One could argue there is a downside to everything, but ultrasounds have little. In terms of examination, there is no need for sedation for most dogs, simply just need to be restrained to ensure little to no movement. The dog does need to be shaved in a certain area, but the hair grows back and the dog will not be hurt in the process because the clinic staff know how to properly groom dogs, majority of the time, because ultrasounds are done quite often in the veterinary business. Plus the cost is relatively decent for the work it does, especially when it comes to examining serious conditions. The cheaper option, x-rays, ($100 to $300 compared to $300 to $500) could get the job done but not as well as an ultrasound, you truly pay for what you get for. Bones can only show so much, while organs are more telling of the crucial bodily functions in dogs.

Also do not get the ultrasounds waves confused with radiation. Radiation can be harmful to the dog if exposed to too much of it, rather ultrasounds use ultrasound waves which echo an image back to the monitor immediately to allow for diagnosis. So you get immediate images of the insides of the dog and your dog is completely safe at the same time. Not to mention the procedure does take some time but you get feedback quickly, especially if you are sitting in the room with the dog, which in other procedures it is not allowed.

Ultrasounds are often used before invasive measures such as surgeries are taken to prevent them or show early on that they are needed, preventing further harm. If the illness is not that serious, more harm than good will come of you and your dog with surgeries but ultrasounds are quick and painless with quick diagnosis, taking away the stress from you and your dog when it comes to any healing process because there is none.