Our Hospital routinely performs electrocardiography (ECG or EKG) recordings as part of our veterinary cardiology services. An ECG is a readout of the electrical activity of the animal's heart and gives our cardiologist information on your pet's heart rate, heart rhythm and potential irregularities called arrhythmias. Although the ECG procedure requires that your pet hold very still for a few minutes to obtain the electrical data, it generally does not require sedation. Several clips (called leads) are placed onto your pet's skin at various body points in order to accurately record the information. Our veterinary cardiologist will use this information, together with other testing to determine the nature and severity of your pet's heart disease and create the best possible treatment plan for an arrhythmia.