The role of fur or hair is to trap air near the skin in order to regulate body temperature. Unfortunately, ultrasound waves cannot pass through air. The fur must be clipped in order to obtain a clear picture.

Most pets require no sedation and lay quietly for the procedure.

Especially nervous or wiggly patients may need sedation to enable a thorough examination. Sedation or brief anesthesia is usually employed if a biopsy or needle aspirate procedure is performed.

A fine needle aspirate (FNA) provides a sample of cells taken with a small gauge needle. This procedure may or may not require sedation.

A core biopsy (commonly referred to as a Tru-Cut biopsy) provides a tissue sample requiring a specialized large bore needle. This procedure is performed under general anesthesia to allow for accurate sampling and to reduce the risk of bleeding.  We require a current coagulation profile prior to the procedure to ensure that the patient is able to clot appropriately.

A thoracic ultrasound is used to assess structures within the chest cavity. We may also evaluate blood flow to the chest organs.

An echocardiogram uses live ultrasound images to assess the function and structure of the heart for the specific purpose of assessing heart disease. While we usually briefly evaluate the heart during a thoracic ultrasound, it does not take the place of an echocardiogram.

See “How to submit a consult in Timeless” on our Resources page. If you need additional help, please call our office at (425) 771-8100.

Traffic, weather, and emergency requests for ultrasounds are just some of the variables that prevent us from being able to provide you with a specific ETA. We may be able to provide a window for an estimated arrival time on the morning of your scheduled mobile ultrasound appointment.  However, we are not able to guarantee a specific time of arrival.  If a patient requires sedation, please advise us of this at the time you make the appointment so that we can coordinate timing for the administration of sedation.

Our geographical range spans from Everett to Olympia, therefore, while we would love to be able to give firm times of arrival, we are unable to do so.  Generally, our schedule is finalized by 6pm the night before, but we often need to make last minute changes if a sick patient needs to be seen or if an ultrasound unexpectedly cancels.  The reason we request that patients be dropped off early is so that they are ready in case your clinic is the first on the schedule.

Please call our office and we can reset it for you.