Pet Echocardiography
Images of a pet's functioning heart.
Tritt Animal Hospital offers echocardiograms through a traveling veterinarian. On select days, the specialist is available for appointment at our Marietta location.
When pets experience heart issues, ultrasounds and x-rays are often used to make a definitive diagnosis. Echocardiography, put simply, refers to an ultrasound utilized for the heart.
When an ultrasound is performed, it shows us an image of the heart in real time, referred to as an echocardiogram. From there, our veterinarians can evaluate the heart’s size and shape as well as the way it functions. Specifically, they’ll be able to measure wall thickness, examine the heart valves, and assess blood flow.
Echocardiograms can be used to detect the following conditions:
- Birth defects
- Heart disease
- Cardiac tumors
- Some heartworm infections
Like other ultrasounds, echocardiograms are painless, non-invasive, and usually don’t require any form of anesthesia. The most your furry friend will need to worry about is getting a patch of their hair shaved prior to the procedure.
If you have an ultrasound scheduled with us
You will receive a phone call from us the day before to confirm the exact timing of the ultrasound. *PLEASE disregard emails or text you receive with a different time it is for our office use only.
**Please call us if you wish to cancel or reschedule this appointment. There is a $50 no show fee because Dr. Fernandez is coming solely for you and your pet.
DROP OFF - You have the option to drop off your pet between 8:30-9am the morning of the ultrasound and we can call you when your pet is available for pick up.
CALL AHEAD - Another option is we can call you when Dr. Fernandez is 15 minutes away and you can head over to the clinic and wait for the ultrasound to take place. You will know the night before the window of time to be by your phone.
As a reminder: Withhold all food and treats the morning of the ultrasound. Water is okay.
If your pet has been diagnosed with heart murmurs or irregular heartbeats, call us at (770) 992-8787 to discuss whether an echocardiogram would be beneficial.
