A 2025 Veterinary Ultrasound Buyer’s Guide
Choosing the Right Veterinary Ultrasound in 2025
For veterinary practices in 2025, investing in the right ultrasound system is more than just buying a machine — it’s about choosing a tool that fits your patients, workflow, and budget.
Below is your guide to making smart, confident decisions when selecting the best ultrasound for your hospital.
1. Key Factors When Purchasing a Veterinary Ultrasound
Imaging Performance and Probes
The types of patients you serve — small animals, equine, or exotics — will determine your probe requirements. Look for technologies such as Doppler flow imaging, speckle reduction, and image clarity enhancements, and make sure probe switching is simple and efficient.
Workflow Integration and Veterinary-Specific Features
Ease of use is crucial, especially in a busy practice. Look for intuitive controls, veterinary presets, reporting tools, and connectivity to PACS or practice management software. If your practice includes mobile or fieldwork, portability should be a top priority.
Service, Warranty, and Support
The best technology is only as strong as the support behind it. Check for service plan options, local support, parts availability, and software upgrade pathways to ensure long-term reliability.
Cost and ROI
Purchase price is just the beginning. Include maintenance, training, probes, and consumables when evaluating cost. Estimate how many scans you’ll perform weekly or monthly, and your revenue per scan, to calculate your break-even point and expected ROI.
2. Value-Focused Option for Small or General Animal Practices
For practices seeking high capability without a premium price, the Mindray Vetus E5 is an excellent choice — priced at $17,995.
Key Features
- Touch-sensitive gain adjustment for fingertip precision
- Intuitive control panel designed for veterinary use
- Advanced imaging: one-click optimization (iTouch), speckle-reduction (iClear), HR Flow, natural-touch elastography, and contrast imaging
- Lightweight and portable for in-clinic or mobile use
Why It Matters
At around $18,000, it offers strong value and a fast ROI. Its versatility across small and mixed animal applications — abdominal, soft tissue, cardiac, and reproductive — makes it a solid all-around investment for general practices.
3. Specialized Option for Equine and Large-Animal Practices
For equine or mixed-animal veterinarians, the Mindray Vetus EQ is a purpose-built system that delivers premium performance and portability.
Key Features
- Includes two transducers from options such as C5-1s convex, L13-3Ns linear, P4-2s phased array, or 6LE5Vs probes
- Extremely portable: weighs only 6.5 lbs and just 1.73″ thick
- 15.6″ LED monitor plus 12.3″ anti-glare touchscreen for barn or field use
- Preloaded equine presets: musculoskeletal, cardiac, abdomen, and reproduction
- Powered by ZST+ Zone Imaging technology for excellent image clarity and penetration
Why It Matters
Large animals require deeper imaging, a wider field of view, and durable equipment that performs well in challenging environments. The Vetus EQ is designed for these conditions — offering the portability, clarity, and ruggedness needed for on-farm or mobile work.
4. Key Questions to Ask Your Equipment Distributor
- What is included in the base price (probes, software, warranty)?
- What upgrade options are available (additional probes, software modules, reporting tools)?
- What service and support plans are offered (onsite vs. remote, response time, preventive maintenance)?
- How is training handled for your team?
- What are the consumable costs, warranty terms, and what happens if a probe fails?
- How compatible is the system with your current digital workflow (DICOM, PACS, practice management software)?
- What ROI timeline can you expect based on your case volume and patient mix?
5. Smart Decisions Made Easy
Ultrasound remains one of the most versatile and profitable diagnostic tools in veterinary medicine. Choosing the right system helps you improve patient care, expand diagnostic capabilities, and grow revenue.
Partner with a trusted distributor who provides not only the hardware, but also training, support, and integration guidance. That’s how your new ultrasound becomes more than just another machine — it becomes a vital tool for better diagnostics and sustainable practice growth.
