Ultrasound examinations have long been used to diagnose diseases affecting pets - dogs and cats. This technique allows you to obtain objective data on the state of their internal organs, which is especially important when patients do not have the opportunity to explain the causes of ailments in words. Ultrasound is used to diagnose pathological changes in the organs of the abdominal cavity, heart, eyes and organs of the genitourinary system.
In what cases will you need to do an ultrasound for a cat?
An ultrasound scan will be ordered for your cat when he has symptoms such as persistent vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss due to lack of appetite. It will need to be done if the cat is experiencing problems with urination or there is blood in its urine, as well as when you observe the general picture of the animal's health disorders: it has a fever, it weakens, loses interest in life and in what it has always enjoyed.
Ultrasound examination will allow monitoring the course of the disease and the process of treatment.
An ultrasound scan can also be prescribed to an animal based on the results of blood tests or X-ray studies in the case when they show the presence of pathological processes in the kidneys, liver, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, prostate gland and bladder. The cat will have to undergo an examination and in the event that he has been found to have tumors, there is an increase in the abdominal cavity or pain in it.
How to prepare your cat for an ultrasound examination
As in the case of a person, the animal also needs to be prepared for the upcoming procedure. Before you come to the veterinary clinic for examination, the cat must not be fed for 12 hours. One day, then 12 hours and again 2-3 hours before the examination, he needs to be given tablets of activated carbon - 1 tablet for every 5 kg of the cat's weight. If the bladder is to be examined, the animal must be given water to drink, and in the case when the intestines are to be examined, the cat will need to do an enema a couple of hours before the procedure.
If your pet has flatulence, give him espumisan for 2-3 days and exclude foods that provoke gas from his diet. And remember that the extent to which you and your cat can comply with these recommendations depends on how accurately the diagnosis will be made, and therefore, how correct the prescribed treatment will be.
The ultrasound method is completely safe for the animal, and it can be used as often as you like during the treatment.
The procedure is completely painless and, if your cat is not aggressive, he will not have to endure any inconveniences, the only thing that will be unusual for him is the hair removal on the belly. After that, a special gel will be applied to the animal's bare skin and it will have to lie on its back or side for some time, but this "torment" will last only 15-20 minutes.
