For those specialised within the veterinary field, the limitations of working with animal species are all too clear. Human research has adopted the role of the ‘benchmark’ by which veterinary research is compared, despite the importance of the latter in its own right. Nevertheless, ultrasound imaging has been carried out on a number of animal species, including those that could be considered more ‘unconventional’: ranging from snakes, to hyenas and even elephants.

When preparing to carry out animal ultrasonography, the practitioner must take into consideration a number of factors. These include the most appropriate ultrasound equipment to use; different machines are suitable for use on different species and are also dependent on the needs of the individual. For example, the Sonoscape A6v can be used for pregnancy, cardiac and general abdominal diagnosis and can be used for canine, feline, equine, bovine and ovine scanning, returning high quality images. Similarly, the Landwind C30 can perform reproductive, abdominal and cardiac examinations on these animal species. In contrast, the KX5200v scanner is perfect for cattle fertility work, allowing identification of gestational age and estimation of the expected due date.

Furthermore, information regarding certain animal species is somewhat lacking. As a result, identification of a particular organ by ultrasound can be challenging. In particular, one website discusses the difficulties one doctor had when trying to detect intra-abdominal testicles in Australian echidnas. Consequently, the current knowledge regarding the practitioner’s animal of choice should be assessed prior to scanning. The size of the patient is also a concern when attempting to carry out animal ultrasonography. It is easy to appreciate the difficulty of scanning a small animal such as a rat, compared to larger animals including horses and elephants. Consequently, a suitable probe should be chosen prior to scanning.

In conclusion, our knowledge and research concerning the veterinary species is somewhat hindered when compared to humans. The advances in technology have greatly increased the availability of ultrasound equipment available to the practitioner. This equipment has the ability to perform a number of functions, and provide the client with clear, high quality scanning images. However, increasing our knowledge to that which is currently available for humans is undisputedly desirable, and in this day and age, should be easily achievable.