Ultrasonography.

Our hospital is fully equipped with an ultrasound scanner to assist evaluation of your pet’s condition if required.  Our veterinarians will discuss your pet’s case and conduct a thorough physical examination to determine if your pet requires an ultrasound examination. An ultrasound scan is a very important tool to help us diagnose diseases in animals, particularly for conditions involving soft tissues, such as those found in the abdomen, or the heart.

Quakers Hill Veterinary Hospital is fortunate to able to book the visiting specialist services of Veterinary Imaging Associates to perform complex and intricate ultrasounds.

What is an ultrasound scan?

Ultrasound scanning is a painless and safe procedure that uses high frequency sound waves (inaudible to humans) to produce images of structures within the body. When sound waves are directed into the body, some are absorbed by body tissues and others bounce back. The sound waves that bounce back are measured by the ultrasound machine and are transformed into an image on a screen. The images can be printed or recorded. Extensive training is required in order to correctly use this equipment and interpret these images.

Ultrasound scans are most useful for looking at soft or fluid-filled organs; like the liver, kidney, bladder and heart. It is less effective for examining bones or air-filled organs, like the lungs.

What happens to my pet when it is booked in for an ultrasound scan?

The area to be scanned will be shaved, so your pet may look different when they come home.  Sedatives may be necessary to help animals stay still or if they are uncomfortable. During the scan a water-soluble gel is applied over the clipped area to be examined and a transducer (probe) is placed on the skin.

Once the scan has been done we will give you a call or book an appointment for our veterinarians to show you the images and to discuss the diagnosis and treatment plan for your pet.

Radiography.

Our hospital is fully equipped to take radiographs (often called X-rays) of your pet.  Our veterinarians will discuss your pet’s case and conduct a thorough physical examination to determine if your pet requires radiographs. Radiographs are a very important tool to help us diagnose diseases in animals, particularly for conditions involving bones, the chest or abdomen.

Quakers Hill Veterinary Hospital uses state-of-the-art Digital Xrays. It allows us to enhance small features, perform accurate measurements, produce copies on CD for our clients, and attach images to emails for further evaluation by specialists.

How are radiographs made?

Taking a radiograph is very similar to taking a photo, except we use X-rays instead of light rays. The usefulness of radiography as a diagnostic tool is based upon the ability of X-rays to penetrate matter. Different tissues in the body absorb X-rays to differing degrees. Of all the tissues in the body, bone absorbs the most X-rays. This is the reason that bone appears white on a radiograph. Soft tissues, such as lungs or organs, absorb some but not all of the X-rays, so soft tissues appear on a radiograph in different shades of grey.

We will demonstrate and explain the radiographs when your pet goes home.

Endoscopy.

An endoscope is a rigid or flexible telescope used to look inside the body. It is inserted directly into the body part and is used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Endoscopy can involve:

  • the gastrointestinal tract (oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum)
  • the respiratory tract (nose, trachea, bronchi)
  • female reproductive tract (vagina, cervix, uterus)