BATON ROUGE, La., June 22, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Baton Rouge veterinarian Dr. Sam Haase, of Jefferson Animal Hospital, recently announced that his clinic has added pet ultrasound imaging technology to their veterinary laboratory. According to Dr. Haase, the ultrasound enables veterinarians to diagnose internal soft tissue abnormalities in a pet's organs much faster and more accurately. He says that this significantly improves the level of patient care because the ultrasound drastically reduces the need for more invasive exploratory surgeries that require anesthesia, incisions, and recovery time. Dr. Haase adds that an ultrasound session can easily detect and measure problems like nodules, tumors, cysts, abscesses and blockages.
The Baton Rouge veterinarian says the ultrasound has already made a difference for many of his patients. "The pet ultrasound is great because it saves us critical time -- and time is so important when it comes to treating diseases or catching abnormalities early. We can make a more accurate diagnosis faster, and without cutting a pet open just to look inside. Also, X-rays work well for orthopedic issues, but they do not detect soft tissue and organ problems very well; and the pet needs to be under anesthesia and stay still for one of those. With an ultrasound, the pet can stay awake and we can see what's going on, even if he or she is moving around a little."
According to Dr. Haase, ultrasound enables a non-invasive, non-radioactive internal examination of the organs by using sound waves. Because hair creates interference, he explains, they usually have to shave some of a pet's coat in order to apply the gel that enables the probe to send and receive sound waves through the skin. Once the ultrasound has a good connection, it can safely and painlessly provide digital images of a pet's intestines, kidneys, liver, urinary tract, colon, lymph nodes, heart, reproductive organs, pancreas, etc. Dr. Haase says he then uses these images to detect tumors, cysts, gall stones, intestinal blockages and other abnormalities.
According to the Baton Rouge veterinarian, ultrasound improves the accuracy of many different procedures, including surgeries. If a needle biopsy is needed, he says, the ultrasound improves the accuracy of where the needle is placed. He also says that they are using it for prevention and early detection for pets that may be at risk for certain problems.
"The ultrasound is especially helpful for our senior pets because it helps us diagnose and treat any problems much faster, which can give pets a longer, healthier life span. Before the ultrasound, it took more time to figure out some of these problems; faster treatment means better outcomes for our patients -- and that's exciting."
Jefferson Animal Hospital in Baton Rouge is a full-service veterinary hospital that provides pet wellness services, pet surgery, pet dental, boarding, microchipping and pet acupuncture services.