PAPER Journal of Small Animal Practice © 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association 1 Journal of Small Animal Practice (2014) DOI: 10.1111/jsap.12281 Accepted: 3 September 2014 may be inconvenient and even unsafe for some patients, particu- larly diabetic patients and those patients having to travel a long distance to the ultrasound department (Sinan et al. 2003). The usefulness of diagnostic imaging in dogs with acute abdominal signs is well known, yet these cases are not fasted for either US or computed tomography (CT) examinations (Boysen & Lisciandro 2013, Shanaman et al. 2013). The question of whether or not fasting effectively reduces intraluminal gas and improves US image quality in dogs remains unanswered. The aim of this pro- spective study was to quantify the influence of fasting on image quality and gastrointestinal content and organ visibility. MATERIALS AND METHODS The protocol was approved by the Animal Use Committee of Federal University of Paraná. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed in 150 client-owned dogs between August 2012 and January 2013 in two separate veterinary hospitals, Veterinary Hospital of Federal University of Parana and Garra Veterinary Hospital. All abdominal sonograms were performed by two experienced ultrasonographers, board-certified by the Brazilian College of Radiologists. INTRODUCTION Several authors have insisted on the importance of fasting in dogs in preparation for ultrasonographic (US) examination and believe that it is essential to create the optimum condi- tions for that examination (Penninck 2008, Ohlerth 2011). Most ultrasonography departments instruct owners to limit their dogs’ access to solid food for 6 to 12 hours before the US procedure in order to reduce gas in the gastrointestinal tract; thereby decreasing artefacts and improving visualisation of organs. Vogel et al. (1990) reported positive results with a 2-day low calorie diet, laxatives, and fasting for preparing human patients. Other investigators have found gas-reducing agents to be of no value (Heldwein et al. 1987, Pinto et al. 2011). Some studies in paediatric medicine have shown that fasting is unnecessary and failure to fast does not affect the quality of the examination (Sinan et al. 2003, Rabelo et al. 2009). In veterinary medicine, Barberet et al. (2008) reported that air or food in the gastrointestinal tract impairs the visibil- ity of the pancreas and duodenal papilla. Additional factors known to influence US image quality include obesity, poor restraint and thoracic conformation in dogs (Grooters et al. 1994, Barberet et al. 2008). In humans, fasting Importance of fasting in preparing dogs for abdominal ultrasound examination of specific organs D. A. A. Garcia and T. R. Froes Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil OBJECTIVE: To describe the effect of fasting on the technical success of abdominal ultrasonography specifically in respect of examination of the gall bladder, duodenum, pancreas, adrenal glands and portal vein in dogs. METHODS: Randomised, prospective study of 150 dogs with a variety of physical characteristics. Animals were divided into two groups of 75 dogs each. Dogs in Group 1 were fasted for 8 to 12 hours before ultrasonographic evaluation and those in Group 2 were not but received food anytime between 10 minutes and 2 hours before the procedure. RESULTS: Intraluminal gas can influence the visibility of organs, but intraluminal gas accumulation occurred independently of fasting status. The assessment of abdominal organs was not affected by whether or not an animal was fasted. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Routine fasting of dogs before abdominal ultrasonography is not essential. http://www.bsava.com/