ULTRASOUNDS VS RADIOGRAPHS

Ultrasound vs. Radiographs

​

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to help us better understand what is going on with your pet, by allowing us to look inside their internal organs in real time. It is an excellent tool to evaluate soft tissue organs and areas where fluid shouldn’t accumulate in the body. This method is safe, and you may be familiar with it since it is routinely used in human medicine to evaluate babies when they are still in their mom’s womb. Ultrasounds can be very beneficial in diagnosing certain conditions that involve the bladder, stomach, intestines, liver, spleen, certain types of cancer, heart defects and of course pregnancies. This is a procedure that is commonly performed without any sort of sedation, but if needed, your veterinarian will have that discussion with you beforehand.

​

You may ask how ultrasound differs from radiographs. Well, radiographic technology uses a safe amount of radiation to take a picture of the internal organs of your pet. They are good at evaluating solid tissues, such as bone and the external contour of the main organs. Both ultrasound and radiographs are excellent diagnostic imaging tools; they are just focused on different types of tissues. Depending on what’s going on with your pet, our doctors may recommend one type of imaging over the other, but in some cases, where it is necessary, both may be recommended to complement each other.

​

We are happy to announce that at TVH we are now offering both services, so feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about the topic or if you think your pet may need one.