Merle F. Marks, DVM

Timberland Animal Clinic
 

MRI / WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR PET

I am constantly amazed at the progress made in technology almost daily, especially in the medical
field.  There are new treatments, new procedures, new medicines and new machines coming out
so fast that it is difficult to stay abreast of the latest trend.  So too in veterinary medicine.  The
latest benefit of new technology to hit the greater Portland area is the magnetic resonance imaging
or MRI.

Some background first is in order.  For many years, the medical fields have had and used extensively radiology as our way to get a view of what is going on in the body.  Images are produced on a radiation sensitive film by passing radiation waves through the body to form a “picture”.  The next generation diagnostic aid after the x-ray was the “cat-scan” which is  essentially x-ray images enhanced with computers.  This was ground breaking technology and is still considered a very useful tool.  But today, we are now daily on the cutting edge of medicine.  We now have the MRI which creates images by inducing an electrical or magnetic field and “taking pictures” of the body as it interacts with that field.  The images produced are so exact, that differences in tissue makeup as small as millimeters can be identified.  The scans are so clear and exact that you believe you are looking at photographs of dissected sections.  We can now for the first time diagnose brain tumors and lesions, spinal cord abnormalities and injuries, the spread
of abdominal/thoracic cancer and difficult orthopedic conditions which in the past we either had to make an educated assumption or blindly commit to surgery.

What does mean for you as a pet owner?  Did you realize that Portland has a cat-scanner for animals?  There has been here for over a year now.  As of April of next year, Portland will have a MRI machine  also.  It is my understanding that it will be only the third one dedicated to the private veterinary profession anywhere in the world.  We are truly extending our diagnostic
reach into diseases and medical conditions of our pets, which greatly increases our ability to make
better life choices and medical decisions on their behalf.

However, there is another point to consider.  This machine costs $900,000.  It will not be inexpensive to use.  It is my understanding that it will cost between $600-$800 to have your animal’s problem area scanned.  It is costing about $1100 in human medicine to have a similar
scan done.  How will pet owners be able to pay for such a procedure?  As I have been preaching for the last 2 years, pet insurance is a very smart and practical way to defray the costs.  It will pay for itself over the lifetime of a beloved pet if high quality medical care, quality of life and educated
choices are what you want.

Please feel free to stop by Timberland for additional information on the MRI and veterinary pet
insurance.  You can also call us at 255-9766, visit our website at www.timbervet.com or e-mail me at drmerle@timbervet.com.