With the recent proliferation of ultrasound machines all over the internet all claiming to be the best solution, knowing which one to choose is far from easy.

1. By far the most important thing to consider beside image quality (something which cannot be assessed over the internet) is probe/transducer type. If you are focusing purely on dogs or cats, then the probe type you should be looking for is a microconvex.

A microconvex probe has a curved head but its smaller size makes it easy to use on even the smallest of dogs where a full-sized convex probe would simply be inappropriate.

Microconvex probes will also tend to emit higher frequencies, being that they are designed for use on smaller bodies.

Of course, no probe is perfect, and a microconvex probe will tend to struggle on very large or overweight dogs where its higher frequencies will not penetrate as well. For this reason, it is worth asking how much additional probes will cost, because a second probe may be something you decide to invest in later down the line, if not immediately.

2. Leading on from the first point, a second feature to look out for is the number of probe connectors. An ultrasound machine with two or more probe connectors is always preferable. When you become proficient at ultrasound, you may want to be switching between two different probes, and having to detach and reattach can be a pain.

3. While image quality cannot be assessed over the internet, a large, clear screen is always preferable. Make sure you find out the size of the imaging area, as out of two scanners with the same screen size, one might have a much smaller area in which your ultrasound image is actually displayed. It is also worth asking the seller which veterinary practices are using their machines – this will quickly sort out the “retail” brands from the serious and proven brands in the veterinary ultrasound industry.

If you are scanning your own animals, the general rule is a 7.5MHz frequency probe for cats or small-medium sized dogs (preferably a multifrequency probe which may range from 6-9MHz), and 5MHz (or preferably 3-5.5MHz) for large dogs.

If you are scanning commercially and will be scanning a range of dogs, there is no one perfect probe, and there will be a degree of compromise. If you can afford it, consider (at least later down the line) buying a second probe, one for large dogs one for small. If your budget only allows one probe, a multifrequency microconvex probe is always the best choice.