![]() Will I Receive the Results of the Echocardiogram the Same Day? Examples of other tests that may be necessary include chest X-rays to examine the lungs for evidence of congestive heart failure (fluid in the lungs), an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) to examine your pet’s heart rhythm, blood pressure, or bloodwork. If any other tests need to be done to help diagnose your pet’s heart condition, the cardiologist or technician will discuss this recommendation with you prior to performing these tests. Will any Other Tests Need to be Done to Help Diagnose my Pet? One of the staff members will update you if more time is necessary on the day of your appointment. This appointment time also includes the time for the doctor to explain your pet’s test results, treatment plan, and follow-up plan with you at the end of your visit. This includes the time during which the technician will discuss your pet’s history and plan for diagnostic testing, as well as the time for the echocardiogram and any other necessary tests to be performed. It is especially important not to withhold water from animals that are receiving heart medications.Ī cardiology appointment is typically completed in 1½ to 2 hours. Your pet can eat and drink normally prior to their appointment. Your pet will lie on a padded table for the echocardiogram to provide additional comfort.ĭo I Need to Withhold Food and Water Before my Pet’s Cardiology Appointment? The generation of an ultrasound image requires that the ultrasound probe gently contact the body wall, however, there is no sensation associated with the actual ultrasound. Echocardiography is a painless procedure. Please tell the cardiologist if your pet should not have their hair shaved. Occasionally, dogs or cats may need to have a small section of hair shaved to provide optimal imaging of their heart if their coat is very thick. A small amount of alcohol is used to separate the hair on the chest wall and water-soluble ultrasound gel is used to provide contact with the ultrasound probe. Most animals do not need to be shaved for an echocardiogram. Will my Pet be Shaved for the Echocardiogram? If sedation is necessary, the cardiologist will discuss this with you. Veterinary technicians gently restrain pets for about 20 minutes during the examination. Dogs and cats getting an echocardiogram lie on a padded table with a cutout that allows the ultrasound probe to contact their chest wall. The majority of animals do not need to be sedated or anesthetized for an echocardiogram. Will my Pet be Sedated or Anesthetized for the Echocardiogram? Although echocardiography is the best test to evaluate the heart’s structure and function, the cardiologist may also need to examine chest X-rays (to look for fluid in the lungs = congestive heart failure), an electrocardiogram (to determine if the heart’s electrical rhythm is normal), a blood pressure, or bloodwork.įrequently asked questions about echocardiograms in dogs and cats. It is considered the best test for the diagnosis of heart disease because it gives the cardiologist an image of the inside of the heart to determine how well the heart muscle is pumping, how well the valves are working and whether any defects are present inside the heart. How Does Echocardiography Help in the Diagnosis of a Heart Problem?Įchocardiography uses ultrasound waves to construct a real time image of the heart. If you are concerned that your pet may have heart disease, please discuss this with your veterinarian to determine if your pet should be examined by a veterinary cardiologist and have an echocardiogram. Routine screening for breeds at risk for heart disease or for pre-breeding purposes is also sometimes performed. Other pets may not have symptoms but may have a heart murmur or irregular heart rhythm detected by your family veterinarian. Some pets with heart disease have symptoms, including cough, difficulty breathing, exercise intolerance, or fainting. How Can I Tell if My Pet Has Heart Disease? A variety of types of echocardiography are used to show the structure of the heart walls, chambers and valves (2 or 3-dimensional echocardiography), blood flow direction and velocity (Doppler echocardiography, including color, pulsed and continuous wave) and heart wall motion velocity (Tissue Doppler echocardiography). This ultrasound beam is reflected from the tissues in the chest and heart and returns to the ultrasound probe to construct an image of the heart in motion. This technique uses high frequency sound waves emitted from a hand-held probe to produce an ultrasound beam. Ultrasound is a highly informative, non-invasive, and safe diagnostic test in both human and veterinary medicine. Echocardiography is the art of using ultrasound to view the structure and function of the heart in real time.
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