Catherine Stowell/Getting Started With Small Animal Echocardiography - Guided Course

  • $3,550 or 24 monthly payments of $150

Confidence with Small Animal Echocardiography

  • Course
  • 98 Lessons

This programme is designed to build your confidence in echocardiography so that you can start obtaining diagnostic information immediately, right from your very first view.

Comes with lifelong access to expert mentors, providing feedback or a second opinion, whenever you need it.

Our core modules are RACE®–approved for 11 CE credits.

If you would prefer to pay in GBP, please click here.

Now with Doppler walkthroughs

Finally understand the 'why' behind your Doppler studies, and how to interpret your results to make more confident diagnoses.

Annie Seager

Moorong Veterinary Clinic

"I am really enjoying the course. It is achieving its title; giving me confidence in echocardiography!"

Sherif Elsherif

The City Vet

"It was a turning point for me. Meeting Catherine through Zoom meetings, discussing cases with her and going through the course step-by-step made a huge difference."

Lifelong access, even as we grow

Once you're in, you're in!

We are always adding more resources into the training portal, as well as keeping content up-to-date with the latest guidelines, best practice and research findings.

By enrolling into the Confidence in Echocardiography programme, you will have access to all new modules that we add, supported with lifelong expert mentorship via email or Zoom, as well as membership of the Veterinary Echocardiography community (currently hosted on Facebook).

Our core syllabus is detailed below; however, it is important to understand that this is more than a course - it is a support and mentorship programme. By breaking echocardiography down into its component parts and equipping you with a clear method to follow, you will be able to obtain and interpret your images with confidence - backed by the support of your community and mentors. A second opinion, whenever you need it.

Upcoming Live Webinars

Live webinar: 1st November 2025

Catherine Stowell

Catherine's live session will be on grading the severity of mitral valve disease on echo, and how this fits with the current guidelines on staging.

Live webinar: 28th November

Joshua Hannabuss

Joshua is an RCVS & American Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology, and Co-Head of Cardiology at the RVC. He will be talking to our group about echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary hypertension.

Contents

Module 1

Introduction
The Right Parasternal Inflow View
The Right Parasternal Outflow View
Preparation for scanning: Image Optimisation & Tissue Harmonic Imaging
Booking one-on-one mentoring

Supplementary Information - Module 1

If your machine has colour Doppler and you would like to use it on this course, here is some further information about its use.
Colour Doppler in Echocardiography

Module 2

Visual assessment of chamber sizes, wall thickness and left ventricular systolic function.
Visual assessment from the right parasternal long axis approach
Visual assessment continued
Colour Box Placement
Roundup
Roundup Quiz

Module 3

This module focuses on three of the short axis views, used primarily to examine the left ventricle and wall thickness:

  • The papillary muscle level or "mushroom view"
  • The mitral valve level or "fish mouth view"
  • The apical short axis view
Introducing the short axis
Obtaining B and M mode short axis images
Performing your measurements: IVS, LVIDd, PW and LVIDs
Left Ventricular Systolic Function
Summary

Supplementary Information - Module 3

For those who want more detail, a closer look at how we quantify left ventricular systolic function in echocardiography.
LV systolic function quantification: Fractional Shortening & Ejection Fraction

Module 4

In this module, we will look at the semilunar valves: aortic and pulmonary.

The Aortic Valve in Long Axis
The Aortic Valve in Short Axis
Visualising the Pulmonary Valve
The Left Atrium
Inspirion Exercise

Supplementary Information - Module 4

  • An in-depth look at the history and evolution of the LA:Ao ratio measurement, and how to perform it.
  • Familiarisation with pulmonary regurgitation.

Calculating an LA:Ao ratio
Left Atrial Diameter
Slice Thickness Artifact

Module 5

In this module, we look at the atrioventricular valves. As the name suggests, the atrioventricular valves are situated between the atria and the ventricles. This is where echocardiography begins to get even more exciting!

The Tricuspid Valve
The Mitral Valve
Mitral Stenosis
Mitral Regurgitation
Primary mitral regurgitation: myxomatous mitral valve disease
Secondary mitral regurgitation: Functional mitral valve disease
Colour Doppler in patients with mitral regurgitation
Case walkthrough
Inspirion exercise: mitral regurgitation

Module 6

Looking more closely at the right heart, and pulmonary hypertension.

What is pulmonary hypertension?
Assessing the right heart
Pressure overload
Volume overload
Septal flattening
Feline patients
Summary

Supplementary Information - Module 6

For those who are ready to incorporate the first left-sided views into their examination.

Introduction to the apical probe position
Obtaining your apical 4 and 5 chamber views
Quantifying RV longitudinal function with TAPSE
Choosing an ultrasound machine for echocardiography

Module 7

A detailed examination of the two most common cardiomyopathies in small animals: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We will look at:

  • Primary and secondary signs of cardiomyopathy on echocardiography

  • How to screen for cardiomyopathy with cardiac ultrasound

Introduction to cardiomyopathies
Hypertropic Cardiomyopathy
Papillary Muscles
Measuring wall thickness
Obstructive HCM
Diastolic Function & HCM
Dilated Cardiomyopathy
EPSS

Supplementary Information - Module 7

Extra cardiomyopathies for reference.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Calculating Ejection Fraction from the apical and right parasternal views

Module 8

In this module, we will examine:

  • Pericardial effusions - what are they, and how can we identify them on echo?

  • Emergency echo and tamponade

  • Pleural effusions - differentiating pleural and pericardial effusions

Pericardial effusions
Reporting pericardial effusions
Differentiating pericardial and pleural effusions
Effusion examples

Getting started with spectral Doppler

In this section, you will be introduced to pulsed wave and continuous wave Doppler; what they are, what they do, and how to use them most effectively.

What are PW and CW Doppler?
Using PW Doppler to pinpoint the site of narrowing or obstruction
When only continuous wave will do!
Summary
Doppler quiz

Doppler Module 1

How can spectral Doppler help in one of our most common findings in veterinary echocardiography: patients with suspected dynamic outflow tract obstruction?

Introduction to Doppler and Apical Views
HCM: Taking a closer look
How can Doppler help?
Dynamic outflow tract obstruction and CW Doppler
Investigating a referred cat

Supplementary Information - Doppler Module 1

A walkthrough of your most important controls when using spectral Doppler.

Your most important spectral Doppler controls

Doppler Module 2

Pulsed wave Doppler can be used to look at mitral inflow patterns. In this module, we learn about what this can tell you about your patient's filling pressures. We also take our first look at Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) and how this can be combined with mitral inflow for a more complete understanding of diastolic function.

Using Doppler for diastolic function assessment
Diastolic dysfunction
Diastolic function assessment walkthrough

Supplementary Information - Doppler Module 2

Obtaining a trace for isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT)
Understanding Pulmonary Vein Doppler

Doppler Module 3

Doppler techniques for right heart assessment, and estimating the probability of pulmonary hypertension.

Understanding right ventricular systolic pressure and pulmonary artery systolic pressure
Estimating Pulmonary Pressures
TAPSE
Obtaining S'
Examining the right heart in a patient with mitral valve disease
Putting it altogether: feline case walkthrough

Supplementary Information - Doppler Module 3

Fractional Area Change vs TAPSE

Echo Case Walkthroughs

From April 2025, I will be uploading new cases each month to support you in your continued learning in echocardiography. You will always find them in this section, and they will remain archived here for you to rewatch whenever you wish.

I will email you every time a new case is uploaded.

Cat with a VSD
VSD Quiz
Feline Full Echo Walkthrough
Dog referred for possible pulmonic stenosis
Dog referred for pulmonic stenosis - Quiz
Canine Patient with Aortic Valve Disease
A cat with a dilated left atrium. HCM or HOCM?

Recorded Webinars

Replays of monthly echo webinars.

Global Longitudinal Strain
Using artificial intelligence in echocardiography reporting
HCM Cases with Prof Luis Fuentes: Case 1
HCM Cases with Prof Luis Fuentes: Cases 2 & 3
HCM Cases with Prof Luis Fuentes: Case 4
HCM Cases with Prof Luis Fuentes: Case 5
Lessons from human valve disease, with Dr Nilesh Sutaria
Using PISA for mitral regurgitation, with Matthew Travis
Pulmonary Hypertension with Dr Joshua Hannabuss

Confidence in Echocardiography review & testimonial

We travel worldwide to find the most interesting echo cases for our members to learn from in our core content and monthly case walkthroughs.

In 2025, we were lucky enough to be able to fly home to London via the UAE, and meet up with one of the very first people to join our programme: Dr Sherif Elsherif, a small animal veterinarian working at The City Vet in Abu Dhabi. Watch the video above to see how joining the programme has helped Dr Elsherif and his patients.