Ultrasound Imaging now Available at Renton West!

Renton West Veterinary Hospital is excited to now offer in house ultrasound as a diagnostic option to all our patients.

Dr. Wohlwend has been performing basic ultrasound for several years now and is currently enrolled in a two year, high level, training program that will award her a certificate in ultrasonography upon completion.

What is Ultrasound? An ultrasound examination is a way of looking inside your pet’s body without having to perform surgery. The ultrasound machine sends sound waves into the body and then listens for the echoes. The machine then uses theses echoes to form a picture of the inside of your pet! These sound waves are too high in pitch for us, or any of our patients to hear and produce no harmful effects. Ultrasound allows us to examine internal organs for location, size, shape, and blood supply.

An Ultrasound May be performed for the following reasons:

• Abnormal bloodwork
• Vomiting or diarrhea that has lasted for a long time
• Weight loss with no change in eating habits
• Chronic infections
• Change in urinary habits
• Baseline ultrasound in geriatric patients
• Recheck on a previous problem
• Cancer staging
• Fluid in chest or abdomen
• Pregnancy
• To permit biopsy
• To evaluate the heart

What happens during an exam? To obtain the best possible ultrasound images your pet’s abdomen must be shaved. Sound waves don’t like to travel through hair! After the area to be imaged is prepped the pet is placed in a padded V-trough in a dimly lit room for approximately 20-30 minutes. For the majority of the exam, minimal pressure is applied as the transducer is gently moved along your pet’s skin. Sometimes they may experience a pushing or tickling sensation, but most pets will relax during the exam and enjoy the undivided attention and ear rubs!

Special Offer!

In addition to our normal abdominal ultrasounds we are offering a special health-screening package to any of our healthy patients.  This package includes a comprehensive blood panel (Chemistry, CBC, and urine) AND an abdominal ultrasound to look for any changes to the liver, kidney, spleen or bladder.  This is a good base line to have for comparison as your pet ages, but more importantly, if we find problems earlier, we are better able to address them.  The cost for this value package is  $277, a savings of $100!  Please call to schedule this important screening.  Cardiac screenings are also available.