Endoscopy

A minimally invasive imaging technique.

If your pet is struggling with digestive or respiratory issues, an endoscopy may be able to identify the problem. An endoscopy is a minimally invasive imaging technique that allows us to examine the inside of the body without the need for surgery.

What are the benefits of utilizing pet endoscopy?

Perhaps the biggest draw of an endoscopy is that it’s minimally invasive and requires very little recovery time. The entire procedure is performed with an endoscope, a thin, flexible tube that’s equipped with a tiny camera attachment. The endoscope is passed through either a small incision or a natural body cavity, such as the mouth, and can be used to examine the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, and the urogenital tract. 

In situations where tumors are present, your veterinarian may want to complete a biopsy to test for cancer. Luckily, this can be done during the procedure since the endoscope also acts as a cell retrieval tool.

We are equipped with both flexible and rigid endoscopy. At Best Friends Animal Hospital, the most common use of our rigid endoscope is removing foreign objects (often grass awns) from the nasal cavity. Our flexible endoscope is most commonly used to look down the esophagus and stomach for abnormalities, to remove foreign objects, or to take biopsies. We also use the flexible endoscopy for colonoscopies. The best thing about the endoscope is that it allows us to visualize, sample, and manipulate areas with the least amount of invasiveness.

Below is the picture of a large stick removed from deep in this patient’s esophagus with the aid of our flexible endoscope:

Call us at (406) 255-0500 to learn more about our endoscopy services.