Pet Ultrasound in your Practice provides services to veterinarians in their offices. We do not schedule with pet owners directly.
What should I tell the client before the appointment?
Please advise the client that the patient will be shaved for the best image quality.
Unless medically contraindicated, please withhold food on the day of the appointment. Water is fine.
Medications can be given as needed in a small amount of food. If possible, the patient should not be allowed to void their bladder immediately before the procedure.
Sedation is rarely required for ultrasound, but may be recommended for fractious or anxious patients, or for some aspirates. If you suspect the patient will benefit from sedation, it will facilitate the examination to obtain owner consent prior to the scheduled time.
I do not recommend sedation prior to echocardiography for most patients.
What will you need from our staff during the appointment?
Please shave the patient in the appropriate area prior to the scheduled appointment time.
A dark room (usually an examination room) with a table is required for ultrasound.
A veterinary assistant from your staff will be needed to hold the patient for the length of the examination. This is usually about 20 to 30 minutes per patient for a single cavity ultrasound. If sedation is used, a technician may need to monitor the patient until he or she is completely recovered.
Please fill out the basic history form and have any laboratory data and radiographs available at the time of the appointment, if you would like me to include this information in my assessment.
When will I have the results of the ultrasound?
The ultrasound findings and recommendations can be discussed directly with you at the time of the appointment and a report will be provided before I leave the facility.
I will provide the images from the examination and the report on a USB flash drive. Please download the information prior to the next scheduled visit and provide the same flash drive for subsequent examinations at your clinic.
If a full, written Internal Medicine consultation is requested, I will review the findings with you at the time of the visit. However, a full written report will be sent to you within 24 hours.
Can a fine needle aspirate be performed on the same day?
Fine needle aspiration can generally be performed at the same time as a scheduled ultrasound. A CBC showing adequate platelet numbers if necessary to perform this procedure safely. In some patients, additional coagulation testing may be needed. If you are not sure, please call me to discuss.
Fine needle aspirate samples will be given to your staff and should be submitted for cytological evaluation through your reference laboratory.
Fine needle aspirates are generally quite safe, although rare complications, such as bleeding can occur. The samples obtained are small, but can be high yield for many disease processes, especially round cell neoplasia. If the aspirate cytology does not provide a diagnosis, a biopsy may be recommended.
Sedation may be recommended, depending on the patient compliance and anticipated difficulty of aspiration.
How are appointments scheduled?
Pet Ultrasound in your Practice is open Tuesday through Friday; weekend or after hours appointments may be available for an additional fee.
Appointment will be scheduled in a two hour arrival window. I will call in the morning to confirm all appointments, including the number of patients. I will also call with an estimated time of arrival when I am on my way to your clinic to help you plan your day.
Adding patients to a scheduled appointment is generally not a problem, but please call to let me know.
Can a biopsy be performed at the time of the ultrasound
Ultrasound-guided biopsy of organs can be performed if indicated. Since these patients require general anesthesia and coagulation testing, I recommend they be scheduled as a separate appointment from the initial evaluation.
Ideally, these procedures should be scheduled in the morning, so the patient can be monitored through the day by the hospital staff for bleeding or other complications
How do we pay for services?
Pet Ultrasound in your Practice invoices veterinarians directly. We do not accept payment from owners or other third parties.
Unless other arrangements have been made, payment is due at the time of the appointment.