Echocardiograms

Echocardiograms are a crucial diagnostic tool in identifying heart disease, and are a vital component in determining your pet's overall heart health. Echocardiogram procedures are low risk and painless for your pet, and enable our doctors to make life saving assessments of the heart and its surrounding structures. 

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound image of the heart that enables visualization of a patient's heart function and anatomy, including the cardiac silhouette. Performing an echocardiogram allows our doctors to assess blood flow throughout the heart, determine valve function or dysfunction, identify the presence of a mass, evaluate blood pressure and take measurements of the heart. Most pets may undergo an echocardiogram procedure without any anesthesia or sedation, making it especially low risk and pain free.

If your pet is scheduled for an echocardiogram, you can expect to leave your pet with our friendly team for one day, giving our doctors ample time to perform the procedure and review any findings. While your pet stays with us, he or she will rest comfortably in a kennel outfitted with soft bedding, and under the watchful eyes of our dedicated team of professionals. Once your pet's procedure is complete, you will meet with the doctor for a discharge appointment and review any findings. Together, you and your doctor can use this information to make decisions about your next steps in your pet's care.