At Lighthouse Pet Clinic, our skilled doctors use echocardiograms (cardiac ultrasound) to diagnose heart disease in animals. Echoes are the gold standard for non-invasive diagnosis without surgery or radiation exposure.
With an echocardiogram, high-frequency sound waves create real-time images of the heart, evaluating structure, motion, and function of the heart chambers, valves, vessels, and surrounding structures. And, when Doppler is included, an echo also assesses blood flow direction, velocity, and pressure estimates.
Echocardiograms are useful for diagnosing congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, arterial blockages, valve malformation, and more. And, preparing for an echocardiogram is simple. Your pet may require light sedation to keep them still, and they will need to be shaved at the site of the exam. No more preparation is required.