Ultrasound uses sound waves to examine soft tissues and moving structures in real time. It can identify or help characterize many abnormalities, but findings must be interpreted with the examination and other tests, and some patients need sedation, sampling, or referral.
Written or medically reviewed by Dr. Susset Diaz Castillo, DVM, PhD. Last reviewed: 2026-08-27.
Quick Summary: Ultrasound uses sound waves to examine soft tissues and moving structures in real time. It can identify or help characterize many abnormalities, but findings must be interpreted with the examination and other tests, and some patients need sedation, sampling, or referral.
Veterinary ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves rather than ionizing radiation to produce real-time images. It is especially useful for evaluating soft tissues, fluid, organ structure, and movement. The examination itself is noninvasive, although fur usually needs to be clipped and the pet must be positioned so the area can be scanned.
Ultrasound is one part of a diagnostic evaluation. The value of a scan depends on the clinical question, the patient's condition, preparation, image quality, equipment, and the training and experience of the person acquiring and interpreting the images.
Depending on the patient and the quality of the study, abdominal ultrasound may help assess:
Normal-looking images do not exclude every disease, and an abnormal appearance does not always identify the cause.
An echocardiogram is a specialized ultrasound examination of the heart. It can assess chamber dimensions, wall thickness, valve motion, pumping function, blood flow, and fluid around the heart. It may help characterize the cause and significance of a murmur or suspected heart disease.
A brief abdominal or point-of-care scan is not a substitute for a complete echocardiogram. Some cardiac questions require a veterinarian with advanced ultrasound training or a veterinary cardiologist.
Many calm, cooperative pets can be scanned without sedation. Sedation may be recommended when pain, anxiety, breathing pattern, movement, or the need for precise needle placement makes restraint unsafe or images inadequate. The decision depends on the patient and procedure; sedation is not guaranteed to be unnecessary.
Preparation instructions also vary. Fasting may improve some abdominal studies, while access to water or a comfortably full bladder may be helpful for particular questions. Do not withhold food, water, insulin, or other medication unless the veterinary team gives instructions for that individual pet.
Ultrasound cannot reliably see through bone or gas, so radiographs, CT, MRI, endoscopy, or other tests may be more appropriate for some body regions and diseases. Body size, intestinal gas, patient motion, pain, obesity, and prior surgery can limit the study.
An ultrasound appearance may increase or decrease concern for inflammation, obstruction, or cancer, but it often cannot determine the exact disease or whether a mass is benign or malignant. Cytology, biopsy, culture, laboratory testing, follow-up imaging, or surgery may be required. Sampling also carries risks and is not appropriate for every lesion or patient.
Portable equipment makes selected ultrasound examinations possible in some homes, but in-home ultrasound is not universally available and is not appropriate for every patient. Same-day scheduling, a complete study of every organ, cardiac ultrasound, image-guided sampling, and immediate specialist interpretation are not guaranteed.
An emergency hospital or referral center may be needed when a pet is unstable, needs oxygen, sedation with advanced monitoring, hospitalization, surgery, CT or MRI, specialist-performed echocardiography, or urgent intervention based on the scan.
VestaSoul — My Vet At Home® is a mobile veterinary house-call practice serving select areas of Miami-Dade County and select areas of Broward County. When an appointment is available and an in-home examination is clinically appropriate, the team may be able to perform selected imaging at home. The veterinarian will discuss whether the available study can answer the clinical question and whether referral or additional testing is recommended.
Collapse, severe breathing difficulty, uncontrolled bleeding, a painful or rapidly enlarging abdomen, repeated unproductive retching, inability to urinate, suspected obstruction, or other severe and rapidly worsening signs require emergency care rather than waiting for an in-home scan.
Many pets can be scanned without sedation, but some need it because of pain, anxiety, movement, breathing concerns, or a procedure such as image-guided sampling. The veterinarian should assess the individual patient's risks and the quality of images needed.
Usually not by itself. Ultrasound can locate and characterize a mass and may help guide sampling, but cytology, biopsy, surgery, laboratory testing, or follow-up imaging may be needed. Some lesions cannot be sampled safely.
No. Availability, equipment, the clinical question, and the patient's stability all matter. Pets needing oxygen, advanced sedation monitoring, hospitalization, urgent surgery, CT or MRI, or specialist cardiac imaging should be referred to an appropriate facility.
Dr. Susset Diaz Castillo, DVM, PhD is the veterinarian behind VestaSoul — My Vet At Home®. VestaSoul — My Vet At Home® is a mobile veterinary house-call practice serving select areas of Miami-Dade County and select areas of Broward County. Learn more at Meet the Vet.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person examination, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. If your pet is showing severe or rapidly worsening symptoms — such as collapse, difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, seizures, suspected poisoning, or an inability to urinate — go to the nearest emergency animal hospital immediately. VestaSoul — My Vet At Home® is an appointment-based, non-emergency practice and does not provide emergency or after-hours care.
VestaSoul — My Vet At Home® is a mobile veterinary house-call practice serving select areas of Miami-Dade County and select areas of Broward County.