About Us

WHY I’M DOING THIS

Veterinarians, especially general practitioners, are feeling more and more pressure to be experts on everything – internal medicine, radiology, surgery, dentistry, cardiology, ophthalmology, animal behavior, business management, and client communication - as new standard-of-care guidelines are published year after year. When our clients cannot seek a specialist due to finances, availability, or proximity, or if they are simply unwilling to put their faith in the hands of someone new, we feel compelled to be everything and do everything.  The practice of ultrasonography takes some time – time that is merely a luxury for many general practitioners. There’s hardly time to invest in a completely new skillset that require years of training and experience when our caseload (especially since the pandemic) is already overwhelming.  Yet, with ultrasound becoming a more integral part of diagnosis and management in veterinary medicine, it’s yet another standard of care.  This is where I want to help by providing my ultrasound services – abdominal and cardiac - to the small animal veterinarians in Monroe County.  Veterinarians should be able to work up their cases thoroughly without having to tell their clients to drive 3 hours away and/or wait a month for more answers. I want to help veterinarians get answers quickly so they can help their beloved patients

MY EXPERIENCE

Ultrasound has always been a special interest of mine.  My mother is a retired sonographer (for humans) and when she was going to school to learn her trade, I used to flip through her textbooks like they were a  Sweet Valley Twins novel – to be clear, I was in sixth and seventh grade when Sweet Valley Twins was  a hot read.  In veterinary school at The Ohio State University, I took every ultrasound elective offered.  Every overnight emergency shift during my internship at California Animal Hospital, I practiced ultrasound, abdominal and cardiac, on all of the stable inpatients.  And, since my veterinary career in private practice began in 2009, I can’t think of a day I didn’t use an ultrasound in some capacity multiple times a day. 

Between abdominal ultrasound and cardiac echos, I’ve racked up close to ten courses over the years through NCSU, OSU, Universal Imaging, and Texas A&M as well as performing multiple ultrasounds on a daily basis for my patients, my fellow employees’ patients, and for neighboring practices who have referred patients to me during my time at Hilton Vet Hospital.  I’ve seen a ton of interesting cases, and what I love about this modality so much is that I’m still discovering new things.  This is why I love what I do.  Any hospital that works with me will quickly learn that my biggest three principles are: humility, thoroughness, and honesty. 

CONSIDER ABDOMINAL ULTRASOUND:

·       Weight loss

·       Chronic vomit or diarrhea

·       Chronic urinary issues (hematuria, pollakiuria, stranguria)

·       Screening for PKD

·       PUPD

·       Hypercalcemia (check parathyroid glands or scan for lymphoma)

·       Anemia, elevated liver values

·       Fever of unknown origin

·       ADR but normal bloodwork

·       Ascites

·       Adult onset seizures

·       Rule out foreign body

·       Rule out internal bleeding

CONSIDER ECHO:

·       Heart murmurs in puppies and kittens

·       New murmurs in adult pets

·       Management of chronic heart disease

·       Arrhythmias

·       Persistent cough

·       Muffled heart sounds

·       Pleural effusion

·       Screening for DCM (selected breeds or from boutique or grain-free diet)

·       Heartworm positive pets

·       Syncopy

WHO NEEDS AN ULTRASOUND RIGHT AWAY?

·       Acute vomiting

·       Suspect internal bleeding

·       Rule out CHF vs pneumonia or other

ADDITIONAL SERVICES:

·       Liver biopsy (coag panel required)

·       Internal organ or tumor FNA (depending on location)

·       Palliative internal organ cyst drainage (depending on location)

·       Thoracocentesis, Abdominocentesis, Pericardiocentesis

BUSINESS MODEL:

Ideally I would be stationed in one hospital for the day.  If other hospitals need an ultrasound right away, patients can be sent to my location for a squeeze-in appointment.  I am always willing to do an emergency scan. 

If the schedule is full, Dr. Shemanski will see your patient at the hospital where she is working at for the day. She will make sure you and your patients are taken care of because some medical conditions cannot wait.

My location will be posted on my website and my hours of operation are from 9:30am to 2:30pm. 

My fees and my business model are carefully crafted to benefit everyone: the practice owner, the attending veterinarian, the client, and the patient.