Sonography

Ultrasounds for dogs, cats, horses and other animals

The ultrasound is an important diagnostic procedure used in veterinary medicine and can be used to confirm countless diseases. Because the examination method is painless, a veterinary ultrasound can often be done without complete narcosis.

Usually, the presence of the owner or a light sedative is enough for the exam to be carried out.

With an ultrasound, often referred to as a sonography, sound waves are emitted from the ultrasound machine and then collected again.

By means of the echogenicity (the strength of the reflection and dispersion of the emitted sound wave impulses), the veterinarian can recognise the various structures. In principle, the ultrasound machine represents the reflective strength with the help of gray tones.

Structures with a lower echogenicity (e.g. blood oder urine), appear black on the ultrasound machine monitor, whereas structures with higher echogenicity (e.g. bones or gases) appear white.

Ultrasound examination to represent animal organs

The veterinary ultrasound exam is often applied to represent the inner organs. The heart, kidneys and colon are very easy to view via ultrasound waves. Because the ultrasound transponder needs to be in direct contact with the animal's skin, it is necessary to first remove the fur from the respective area before performing the sonography. For many animals, the shearing of the fur is the most unpleasant part of the ultrasound exam, due to the vibration and uncommon sounds.

In order to prevent air pockets from reflecting between the ultrasound transponder and the skin surface, the veterinarian uses a high water concentration gel.

This is applied to the animal's skin and the ultrasound transponder is placed on it. Because cats, in particular, do not often have much patience, the veterinary ultrasound needs to go quite quickly; therefore during the exam, veterinarians tend not to clarify the procedure to the pet owner until afterward, once the exam results have been printed.

The ultrasound is not only used in the veterinary clinic purely for producing images, but it also makes it possible to take tissue samples from inner organs with the support of the ultrasound machine. The veterinary ultrasound probe Youkey Q7 Vet Linear Probe small is suitable, among other things, for ultrasound examinations in small animals. 

The position of the biopsy needle can be precisely monitored, in real time, with the ultrasound.

Important for the veterinary ultrasound exam: the proper transponder

Depending upon which structures are to be examined by ultrasound, various ultrasound transponders can come into use. Sometimes referred to as a probe, the transponder transmits ultrasound waves onto the animal's body. While linear ultrasound transponders are especially used for sonography of surface structures (e.g. the thyroid), convex transponders are more often used for overview exams (mostly in the abdomen). Special transponders include rectal and vaginal transponders.

The Youkey Q7 Vet veterinary ultrasound probe is suitable for ultrasound examinations in large animals, for example. The transducer is used in conjunction with the Youkey Q7 Wireless Flex Vet ultrasound system primarily for pregnancy examinations.

Depending on the tissue to be sonicated, which differs from animal species to animal species, the penetration depth differs and must be sonicated with an adapted frequency.

The ultrasound probes must be selected in such a way that they are suitable for the respective examination. Attention should be paid to the frequency or frequencies that the probe is capable of.

We offer a comprehensive selection of ultrasound probes for dogs, cats (such as the Youkey Q7 Vet Micro Convex veterinary ultrasound probe), horses and other small and large animals.

Ultrasound for animal pregnancy monitoring

Ultrasound machines are not only used for examining diseases in dogs and cats – they also come into use for diagnosing pregnancy.

For a dog, the sonography is done around the 25th day and for a cat, around the 20th day of pregnancy to determine if the animal really is expecting puppies or kittens, respectively. The number of babies can often not be accurately determined by an ultrasound, especially when there are more than four.

The ultrasound machine is also used in large animal medicine for pregnancy monitoring. Especially when it comes to cattle, the ultrasound machine is preferred for determining gestation, as this method offers a high level of certainty.

As an alternative to a common ultrasound machine, there are also special ultrasound pregnancy detectors available with which pregnancy can be determined via detection of amniotic fluid.

The devices recognises the large liquid build-up and confirms the pregnancy by means of a loud signal tone. Prior to the exam, however, it is important to ensure that the animal's bladder has been emptied, as a full bladder can produce a false positive. The rectal probe for large animals Youkey Vet Konvex Endo is used in conjunction with the Youkey Wireless Flex Vet ultrasound system. The probe is suitable for pregnancy examinations in horses and cows, for example.

Conveniently order veterinary ultrasound machines from Praxisdienst

In the Ultrasound category, we offer you a large selection of veterinary ultrasound machines. With us, you will not only find devices for ultrasound exams in dogs, cats and other small animals, but also ultrasound machines for large animal medicine. Of course, we also offer you a comprehensive assortment of ultrasound gel, ultrasound paper and the compatible ultrasound transponders for veterinary medicine.

The Youkey Q7 Vet Convex Cardio veterinary ultrasound probe is suitable for ultrasound examinations in large animals, for example. Our assortment is rounded out by ultrasound pregnancy detectors for cows, horses and sheep. You need a veterinary ultrasound machine and have questions? We will happily advise you! Simply contact us per telephone, email or via our practical live chat.

Editors: Elisa May, Sam Selzner