A Dog Ultrasound: Price Guide and What To Know

An ultrasound is a medical imaging technique that utilizes high-frequency sound waves to capture real-time images inside the body. This technique is also known as sonography. The technology behind ultrasound can be likened to that used by radars which aid the military in detecting planes and ships.

With an ultrasound, the veterinary doctor can visually discover the problems in your dog’s organs, vessels, and tissues without any cuts. This technique is particularly outstanding because it doesn’t use radiation. As a result, it is the most preferred technique for viewing a fetus during pregnancy or any internal issues without any surgery.

When performing an ultrasound, the veterinarian guides a handheld probe through your dog as they view the scan on a computer. As a dog owner, you might be inquisitive about the procedure and probably have doubts. But worry not, in this article you’ll learn some of the essential things you need to know about dog ultrasound.

Who Can Administer an Ultrasound?

Not every veterinarian can perform an ultrasound because they’re not specialists in the field.  At times, some general-practice veterinarians are trained in ultrasonography. Ultrasounds are mainly carried out by specialists who have undergone professional training in ultrasonography.

This means that not all veterinary clinics can perform an ultrasound.  If your veterinarian isn’t a specialist in the field of ultrasonography, they may refer you to another veterinarian who’s a specialist in the field.

What Are The Uses Of Ultrasound Examinations? 

Ultrasound examinations come in handy in a lot of medical cases. Your veterinarian might request an ultrasound to help diagnose and determine what the most effective treatment for your dog is.  Here are some instances where ultrasounds are helpful:

Scanning Internal Organs

Ultrasound is one of the few methods to view real-time images in your dog’s body. Ultrasound scans allow the veterinarian to view your dog’s internal organs to ascertain what might be happening abnormally. Ultrasounds can visualize virtually all the internal organs as well as lymph nodes, blood vessels, and glands, like the thyroid gland.

Getting a clear picture of these organs via ultrasound scanning enables the veterinarian to identify abnormalities such as tumors, cysts, degenerations, ruptures, kidney stones, blockages, etc.

Pregnancy

Just as with humans, ultrasounds are also the safest and most preferred pregnancy monitoring tool.  X-rays and other visualization methods that emit radiation can harm the developing fetus. Fetuses that are exposed to radiation tend to come down with congenital anomalies.

With the aid of an ultrasound scan, a veterinarian can deduce if the dog is pregnant, the week of the pregnancy, and the well-being of the developing fetus.

Heart Functions

The heart functions of a dog can be monitored by an ultrasound technique called echocardiography.  Echocardiography can provide accurate measurements of the thickness of heart walls, the size of each compartment, heartbeat, and other heart functions.

Dogs with heart conditions should be taken to specialists in echocardiography to assess the general state of your dog’s heart and monitor any abnormalities.

Examining Soft Tissue

Ultrasound scans also come in handy when it comes to assessing the integrity of soft tissue in the dog’s body.  Soft tissue such as the eyes, tendons, ligaments, and thyroid gland, to name a few, can be examined.

It is necessary to know any abnormalities through ultrasound viewing to most accurately prescribe treatment.

How Does It Work?

The process of the ultrasound examination is safe, harmless, and painless.  The ultrasound procedure utilizes a transducer connected to a computer screen. The transducer produces the ultrasound sound waves, and the computer screen displays the images.

The high-frequency sound waves emitted by the ultrasound probe allow the veterinarian to view your dog’s internal structures. The ultrasound probe is used with an ultrasound gel. The ultrasound gel is applied to the dog’s skin, which the veterinarian intends to view through the ultrasound.

The importance of the ultrasound gel is that it improves the quality of the image that the ultrasound will produce. This is because ultrasound sound waves don’t travel through the air easily, so the gel reduces the amount of air between the dog’s skin and the transducer and thereby producing a clearer image.

When the transducer produces the ultrasound sound waves, the dog’s body reflects most of these waves. The probe receives the reflected ultrasound sound waves and returns them as echos. These echos will then be converted into an image seen on the screen. The displayed image is the internal body structure of the dog that’s being examined.

Based on whatever the veterinarians deduce from the image, they can diagnose your dog of any ailment or confirm pregnancies.

Preparing Your Dog For An Ultrasound Scan

Prior to the procedure, ensure that your dog hasn’t eaten or drunk anything for a reasonable number of hours. An empty stomach will enable your veterinarian to obtain the best results. At the time of the appointment, the clinic staff will take your dog to the procedure room. The staff will shave the areas where the veterinarian intends to put the transducer.

The purpose of shaving is to allow the transducer to be in direct contact with the dog’s skin. This provides a more accurate image. After shaving the area, the veterinarian will apply the ultrasound gel to the area. The transducer will then be used to scan the dog’s internal organs.

Your veterinarian will use the images on the computer screen to diagnose the health condition of your dog. The ultrasound procedure doesn’t take any more than an hour. When the procedure is done, your veterinarian will inform you of the results, the prognosis (the things that may occur in the future due to the current findings), and what you can expect moving forward.

Also, based on the ultrasound scan results, your veterinarian will inform you of the diagnosis (what they deduce is wrong with your dog), and any next steps, including possible treatment options. Your veterinarian might refer you to another specialist if need be. If required, your veterinarian might also tell you when to come back for follow-ups to monitor the condition or pregnancy.

When you get home, you can feed your dog any dog food and water and engage them in any activity if the veterinarian doesn’t say otherwise.

When is an Ultrasound Scan Not Required?

Ultrasound scans can’t be used in all cases. Organs like lungs are filled with air, so they can’t be studied by ultrasonography. Bones also impede ultrasound waves, so they can’t be studied with ultrasonography.

Likewise, the brain and the spinal cord can’t be visualized with the ultrasound technique. 

Types Of Ultrasound

Ultrasounds are classified based on the type of image produced. The common types of ultrasound are the B-mode Ultrasound, the M-mode Ultrasound, and the Doppler Ultrasound.

B-mode Ultrasound 

Usually, veterinarians adopt the B-mode ultrasound or two-dimensional imaging ultrasound. As its name implies, the images produced by this type of ultrasound produce 2-D images. The B-mode ultrasound can be used to visualize pregnancy and other internal conditions, as mentioned.

M-mode Ultrasound

The M-mode ultrasound is used to trace the motion of the organs seen on the screen. When it comes to heart studies, both the M-mode ultrasound and B-mode ultrasound are used simultaneously.

Doppler Ultrasound 

The Doppler ultrasound is used to study the heart. Doppler ultrasound helps measure the direction and flow of blood in blood vessels.

Is There Anything To Be Worried About?

Ultrasound does not confer any health issues to your dog. Since the procedure doesn’t use radiation, there’s no risk attached. This is its main advantage.

The only thing you should consider is if your dog is nervous. In this case, the veterinarian might decide to sedate your dog.

Ultrasounds Vs. Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiations such as X-rays can also be used to view internal structures. However, the ionizing radiation technique is not entirely safe for dogs.

X-rays shouldn’t be used on pregnant dogs; they can harm the developing fetus. This is why veterinarians use ultrasound technologies, instead.

Nevertheless, X-rays still come in handy in certain situations, such as viewing a broken bone. Ultrasound scans can’t be used to view bones.

Price of Ultrasound Scans

The price of ultrasound scans may vary with the condition at hand. 

Pregnancy

Since an ultrasound is the ideal method of monitoring pregnancies in dogs, it means there must be several sessions with the veterinarian. The price of carrying out ultrasound scans for pregnant dogs is about $300 – $500.

The gestation period of dogs is between 52-72 days. 

Ultrasound can be used to assess the state of the pregnancy and the well-being of the developing fetus. However, ultrasound scans can not tell the number of pups your dog is about to deliver. 

Heart Issues

If your dog exhibits symptoms of heart problems, your veterinarian may recommend an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound).  Since this is a particular type of ultrasound, the cost is higher. A dog echocardiogram costs about $500-$600.

Generally, the price of ultrasound scans for dogs is contingent upon many factors. However, the range is always between $300 and $500. Your veterinarian should provide you with an exact figure.

Conclusion

Ultrasounds have always been a safe way of viewing internal conditions in dogs; It comes with no risk.

Interested in knowing more about your dog’s health? Read up on our articles on some of the topics below:

• Everything you Need to Know About Sepsis in Dogs
• How Long Are Dogs Pregnant For
• Dog Teeth: Everything You Need To Know

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