Ultrasound

The ultrasound service available at Halifax provides great benefits for your pet. Ultrasound is non-invasive and painless, just like the pregnancy scan in humans.

It enables us to see the inner detail of organs like kidneys and liver which would be just a grey blob on an Xray. It shows movement in real time too, so the contraction of the heart muscle and the opening and closing of heart valves can be studied. A tool called ‘colour flow Doppler’ means that even the speed and direction of blood flow can be assessed.

Dr Todd Halsey has gained excellent skills in ultrasonography and has been involved in this field for 20 years. We have updated our machine and expanded the range of probes. Ultrasound is used routinely at Halifax Veterinary Centre to do full abdominal checks including liver, kidney, spleen, prostate, and bladder problems. It is invaluable in assessing fluid in the abdomen and to find internal cancers. Without ultrasound it is often necessary to do exploratory surgery. At Halifax unnecessary exploratory abdominal surgery is truly minimised.

Our fabulous new ultrasound is fully mobile, meaning we can even wheel it into the consult room and perform and ultrasound right in front of you.

Echocardiography is the name given to the use of ultrasound to investigate heart problems. This is a specialist area in its own right, but an invaluable diagnostic aid in all cases where heart disease is suspected. If you would like to know more about the risks of heart disease in cats then click on the following article link (HyperHearts) to read more.

It is impossible to properly evaluate heart disease without ultrasound, and this is especially true in cats. Heart disease is very common in cats, especially disease of the heart muscle but is under recognised.

Hear what our customers have to say

We choose to travel from Mapua to the Halifax Vet Clinic, Nelson with our pets because we find the vet team to be highly skilled and extremely professional. Their diagnostic skills are excellent, and their verbal explanations and written documentation ensure the pet owners are fully informed of the problems, subsequent treatment and aftercare.

Halifax has extremely sophisticated diagnostic equipment which enables fast, on the spot diagnosis, and hence quicker and more targeted treatment. The veterinary nurses also have a wide knowledge base and are extremely helpful, especially with phone queries.

In view of the above we are totally satisfied our loved pets will get the best care and attention possible.

Jill and Peter Smillie, Mapua

A big thank you to Josie’s extended family at Halifax Veterinary Centre. I wish to thank you all for making Josie feel special not just to me but also to yourselves as well. Your care for her over the years is something that I will always treasure and respect. She was my special friend for nine years and I feel we were all lucky to have a share in her friendship.

Wayne Greig