Using ultrasound to achieve a diagnosis sooner than later can increase the efficiency in your practice!

• A 5-year-old mixed breed dog was presented for having urinary accidents in the house.
• Physical exam was unremarkable.
• Abnormalities found on a free catch urine sample were hematuria, bacteria, and the presence of white blood cells.
• Abdominal radiographs appeared normal with no apparent urinary calculi seen.

Using ultrasound to achieve a diagnosis sooner than later can increase the efficiency in your practice!

• The patient was sent home with antibiotics to treat the UTI which was diagnosed.  One week after finishing antibiotics the patient was presented again for recheck urinalysis +/- a urine culture.

• During an ultrasound while locating the bladder to facilitate a cystocentesis I instead found a big bladder stone tucked inside a very small bladder.

• Recheck radiographs confirmed my suspicion.

• The patient was sent home with a prescription stone diet in an effort to dissolve the calculi and a 3 week course of antibiotics.  We shall see in 4 weeks if the special diet does it’s job or if a cystotomy is in order.

Had we thrown a probe on this gal the day she presented we could have had some answers sooner, avoided some minor frustration for the client, and put our patient on the path to healing faster.  Getting a quicker, more efficient diagnosis will only increase the level of care we can provide for our patient’s and their families.