Reptiles as Pets

Water Dragon, Russian Tortoise, Crested Gecko, Ball Python, Rat Snake, Leopard Gecko, Bearded Dragon, and the good old Chameleon are gaining popularity in the veterinary field. Gecko's, snakes, and other reptiles are becoming more and more popular as pets. I've never had a reptile pet, so I wondered why are they so popular? It appears that they are easy to care for, hypo-allergenic, and of course unique; sounds like good criteria for the modern family. Some also account this rise in reptile pets to reptile conventions and expos happening almost every week.

Ultrasonography for Reptiles

So how does an ultrasound come into use for reptiles? Ultrasonography is a very useful tool for a whole range of animals and thankfully reptiles as well. How so? Ultrasound imaging can be used in the evaluation of soft tissue organs to detect tumor growth, assess blockages, and confirm pregnancies in reptiles, much the same as in other animals. It can produce high quality images that are both easy, non-invasive and safe. Breeders and veterinarians may find ultrasound technology is a good choice for them when dealing with reptiles on the rise. 

Ultrasound Technique 

Usually lizards and snakes just need manual restraint to perform an ultrasound on them, but general anesthesia can be used in necessary. Most 2-D ultrasound machines on the market today will work for use with reptiles. For small reptiles a high frequency 10-15MHz probe with a probe stand-off will provide suitable resolution, and for medium to larger reptiles a lower frequency probe of 5-8MHz will be needed. If scanning very large reptiles a 3.5MHz probe will be needed for the depth. A linear array probe or micro-convex probe is useful for snakes and lizards, and sector probe is recommended for turtles. The ventral approach provides exploration of the coelomic region of snakes, and lizards. In snakes the lateral approach is used to scan the liver, gall bladder, and ovaries. The prefemoral approach is used for turtles to explore the interior region, while examination of the heart can be done using cervico-brachial approach. 

A good knowledge of normal anatomy for reptiles is needed as well as familiarity and knowledge of an ultrasound machine. With these two factors covered, an ultrasound machine for use on reptiles is something that is a good choice for you. KeeboVet has a wide selection of portable ultrasound machines for sale. Check out our selection and contact us if you have an questions on making the right choice.