MRI

How an MRI examination is done

During the examination, it is important that the animal is still so that the images are clear. As such, we give sedatives for MRI examinations for small animals. Horses do not need to be sedated for an MRI examination as this is done in an awake state. The examination is painless and does not feel uncomfortable for the animal. There is a ticking sound from the MRI machine itself when it is working. In most cases, the animal can go home shortly after the examination is complete.

During the examination, a strong magnetic field is generated. Therefore, it is important to tell the doctor if the animal has metal parts in its body, such as a hip prosthesis, screws in its skeleton, surgical staples, a pacemaker, or similar. 

Small animals are examined in a high field magnet MRI scanner, whilst for horses, an open low field magnet is used to examine lameness.

During an MRI scan in a high field magnet, the patient is exposed to a pulsating magnetic field that is 10,000-30,000 times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. In a low fieldmagnet, the magnetic field is only a fraction as strong. The magnetic field causes the body's atomic nuclei to be aligned parallel to each other. Radio waves are then used to nudge the atomic nuclei, which in turn send back radio waves. It is these radio waves that our MRI machine records and then converts into images. Tissue that has a low water content, such as the skeleton, appears dark on an MRI image, whilst tissue such as fat appears in lighter colours.

For small animals

Before an MRI scan, your pet will be put to sleep through sedatives. This is done because it is very important that the animal lies completely still throughout the scan. The scan can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half.

Payment is made at our Small Animal Clinic's reception before you leave the animal hospital. 

For any questions about the visit, please contact our Small Animal Clinic. 

For horses

We examine horses from all over the country to help our referring veterinarians give you a diagnosis and treatment plan for lameness.

Horses do not need to be sedated for the MRI examination. If the horse has shoes, they must be removed before the examination. This can be done when the horse has arrived at the animal hospital's farriery. If the horse is lame on one limb, the shoe on the other leg is routinely removed. This is done so that comparative images can be easily taken. At times, it is doubtful whether a change is an injury or whether it is simply the horse's normal anatomy. As such, this is the easiest way to find out whether this is the case or not.

If you want the shoes to be put back on before going home, you can contact our farriery to make an appointment.

Payment is made at our Horse Clinic's reception before you leave the animal hospital. 

For any questions about the visit, please contact our Horse Clinic.

Book an appointment 

In order to book an appointment for an MRI scan, we need a referral from your veterinarian that tells us how long your animal has had problems, what was found during the clinical examination, what type of examination is needed, and what the examining veterinarian has questions about. A radiologist reviews the referral before we contact you to book an appointment. We have direct contact with your veterinarian to discuss the case, so referrals must be sent to us via your veterinarian.

You are also welcome to contact us directly and book an appointment via phone or e-mail. Payment is made at our Small Animal Clinic's reception or our Horse Clinic's reception before you leave the animal hospital.