This week, the spotlight is turned on Jennie Lill, an experienced midwife with a penchant for breeding Miniature Schanuzers! Jennie decided to try her hand at veterinary ultrasound after she felt that rather than be dependent on vets to carry out scanning she would do it herself instead. After discovering Vet Image Solutions, Jennie purchased the TH80v scanner and took the Level One training course that we offer and started to gain practical scanning experience thanks to her own dogs, not to mention the dogs of friends and family.

Fast forward a few months and Jennie completed the Level Two training course and took up scanning cats and dogs for pregnancies and/or anomalies as a hobby, although her findings have also helped in certain respects when scanning in her capacity as a midwife. Jennie’s training and experience has helped in diagnosing a bladder condition in one patient that was subsequently successfully treated by the vets, whilst also detecting the presence of ‘water pups’ in another. Sadly this story didn’t have such a happy ending, as the affected pup didn’t make it due to gross hydrops. Nevertheless, the detection prior to the birth meant both the owner and vet had advanced warning of the condition, and the scan pictures that were taken were used as an example of how to ascertain water pups through scanning on the Vet Image Solutions website. Finally, Jennie explained that carrying out veterinary ultrasonography can result in some fairly interesting experiences. She describes the time she was asked to scan for a suspected pregnancy where it transpired the owner hadn’t actually witnessed a mating, whilst another scanning job resulted in the client ‘taking cover’ behind her settee rather than answering the door! I think it would be fair to say that a simple no would have sufficed!

In the future, Jennie would like to ideally purchase a VIS Scan Pad (which is currently on offer) and hopes that her veterinary ultrasound experience could become more than a hobby, progressing into a post-retirement job. She explains that since embarking on her veterinary ultrasound journey she has met lots of people that share the same attitudes and sentiments as her, not to mention some great dogs. It is fair to say that Jennie has an abundance of enthusiasm for veterinary ultrasound that will ensure her clients will be in the best of hands. If you would like to know more about the TH80v, please click here or feel free to contact us. This scanner is also currently on offer, so if you are thinking of purchasing it make sure not to miss out!