TulsaPets Magazine September 2021

34 TulsaPets • September/October 2021 Mountain dogs, to name a few — could benefit from ultrasound screen- ing for early detection and treatment. Grogan also uses ultrasound to track dogs with heart murmurs because the technology offers a detailed image of changes taking place within the heart. This is just a small overview of the many benefits available to pet owners through ultrasound technology, but the message is simple. If your veteri- narian recommends that an ultrasound is warranted, it can save you time and money in the long run, get you a quicker diagnosis, and either save your pet from unnecessary surgery or, more important, get him lifesaving surgery more quickly. The latter scenario has come into play for my pets on more than one occasion. In one instance several years ago, my partner Jim and I noticed that our cattle dog, Boog, was acting odd. Our normally raring-to-go boy seemed extremely lethar- gic and not interested in food at all. We also noticed that his gums were pale, and his abdomen seemed to be a bit tight and distended. Rather than play the wait-and- see game, Jim and I decided to be proac- tive. Boog was a nine-year-old dog, and his symptoms suggested that something serious could be brewing. The emergency veterinarian agreed that an immediate ultrasound was required. Within moments, a splenic tumor was re- vealed, and our boy was whisked away for lifesaving surgery. If we had waited even a few hours, the tumor would likely have completely ruptured, and Boog would not have survived. Those types of tumors can be asymptomatic, often not making their presence known until the pet’s condi- tion is critical. All too often, they are discovered too late to save the animal. Because of this experience, routine ultrasounds have become part of our senior dogs’ health routines. It’s an easy process, relatively inexpensive, and requires no sedation. Within minutes, you have a live window into your dog’s vital organs. The only inconvenience is that the hair on your dog’s stomach does need to be shaved for the proce- dure. But watching a bad haircut grow out for a couple of months is a small price to pay for a little peace of mind. As for Bruce, I don’t want to waste valu- able time trying to guess what might be causing his “ain’t doing right” condition. He will head for his ultrasound-inspired bad haircut next week — I think he’ll wear it well. And we’ll get a valuable insight that will hopefully help turn Bruce’s ADR into more years of “DJF”— doing just fine. Dr. Patrick Grogan