Anchor Animal Hospital is proud to offer ultrasound exams as part of the diagnostic tools available to our patients. While commonly used in human medicine, many veterinary hospitals do not have the equipment or staff to perform ultrasound.

Dr. Greg Pietsch performs abdominal ultrasound on an almost daily basis at Anchor Animal Hospital. Abdominal ultrasound is an extremely useful tool for diagnosing a variety of diseases including (but not limited to) bladder stones, kidney disease, gastrointestinal obstructions, liver and splenic disease, pancreatitis, bleeding, and tumors. Many diagnoses that we can make by a non-invasive ultrasound exam previously required exploratory surgeries. Ultrasound is a great way to check for pregnancy in dogs and can usually be performed about 4 weeks after breeding.

Dr. Gerald Pietsch first brought ultrasound into Anchor Animal Hospital to expand his cardiology practice. He routinely performs echocardiograms (ultrasound of the heart) on pets with heart disease. This is an invaluable tool in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in dogs and cats. Ultrasound allows us to examine the internal structure and patterns of blood flow within the heart itself. Ultrasound can determine if it is just a mild leaking valve or a life threatening heart dilation.

Anchor Animal Hospital operates a Philips HDI 4000 ultrasound. This powerful machine provides high quality images of the internal organs of our patients. It is equipped with color and power Doppler technology which allows our doctors the ability to better visualize vascular structures as well as the internal blood flow within the heart or even tumors. We can also use the Doppler capabilities to measure pressures within vessels and the heart.

Anchor Animal Hospital has a dedicated ultrasonography room to allow quiet and comfortable ultrasound exams. For most pets an ultrasound exam is an easy procedure. We have several comfortable “couches” and beds for our patients to lie on during an ultrasound exam. These are so comfortable that it is not uncommon for some of our canine patients to fall asleep and start snoring during an exam! In most cases we must shave the area of the body that we are planning to ultrasound. This is necessary because hair tends to decrease image quality, making it more difficult to get accurate results.

Please ask us about our ultrasound capabilities the next time you are at Anchor Animal Hospital; if you think your pet needs an ultrasound feel free to call and ask questions or schedule an exam with one of our doctors. We can frequently perform ultrasounds the same day as the exam.