An echocardiogram can show if your pet's heart is working properly, and if not, what the problem is.
An echocardiogram, or “echo” as it’s most commonly referred to, is an ultrasound of the heart and the structures in and around the heart. This will reveal vital information about the size, shape, and function of the heart. Measurements and pressure values are taken to evaluate the function and efficiency of the heart.
An echo can show if the heart is working properly, and if not, what the problem is. It also can be used to determine how to adjust cardiac medications on patients with chronic heart disease.
If your veterinarian heard a heart murmur during their exam of your dog, an echocardiogram is the best diagnostic tool to determine the cause of the murmur, risks of future problems, and if any treatment is needed at this time. Some important tools we use prior to performing an echocardiogram are chest radiographs (X-Rays), blood pressure measurements, and bloodwork. All of these, including the echo, can be done here at Bright Vet.
Yes! We can do echocardiograms on dogs above age 2 on an outpatient basis. Your veterinarian will need to send us all of your pet’s records. They can be emailed to records@bright.vet. Once reviewed, we can schedule the echocardiogram and send the results back to your veterinarian to discuss with you.
Most of the time an echo can be done without sedation, unless your pet is too stressed or fractious. It is a painless procedure done in a quiet, dark room. It often takes anywhere from 30-90 minutes to complete the procedure and get all of the required images and videos. This is done on an “outpatient” basis, meaning they will not stay at the hospital overnight. You are welcome, as always, to stay with your pet the entire time or you can drop them off during their appointment time and feel free to run errands, return to work, or grab a bite to eat.
Here at Bright Vet, we collect the images and send them to a board certified cardiologist for further interpretation. This means it will often be 1-3 days before you will get your pet’s echo results back.
Your pet will lay on their side on a soft, ultrasound-specific table during the procedure. Your pet lays on its side during the procedure and the ultrasound probe is pressed up against the skin along the chest. Usually a small amount of fur is clipped around the area because hair interferes with the light waves of the ultrasound. Rubbing alcohol and ultrasound gel is used on the skin and ultrasound probe to allow for a better image. Still images and videos are recorded and evaluated.
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