How much does a dog MRI cost from my Veterinarian?

That depends on several factors. On average veterinary MRI costs about $2,300 per study region. A study region is ordered by the referring veterinarian and is identified based upon your pet’s veterinary consultation. MRI on dogs, cats, and other animals is more expensive than in human medicine because our patients cannot be told to hold still throughout the scan. They must undergo general anesthesia.

Factors which can affect the cost of a veterinary dog MRI:

Location of the veterinary practice
Number of MRI studies
Quality and strength of the MRI equipment
Who is operating the MRI equipment

Location of the Veterinary Practice

Generally speaking, the cost of a companion animal MRI can be affected by its cost of operation. For instance; a scan in San Francisco, CA is going to cost more than an MRI in Pittsburgh, PA. Factors of the increased cost include cost of living and real estate.

Number of MRI Studies

The number of studies ordered can double the cost of the procedure. Identifying the region of study can also be more complex. Veterinary patients cannot tell owners or veterinarians where it hurts. For this reason veterinarians must sometimes scan multiple regions of the body in order to rule out or identify the problem.

Quality of the MRI Equipment

The strength of the magnet or system is also a big factor. More advanced systems can reduce the amount of time a patient is under general anesthesia. More advanced machines may also have more advanced sequencing options which give the radiologist a better understanding of the overall medical picture. Better imaging gives your veterinarian more information from which to plan out your pet’s treatment.

Level of Education of MRI Operator

Some practices employ a registered technologist. This person is highly trained to operate the MRI equipment at an advanced https://animalscan.com/wp-admin/edit.phplevel. A registered tech can tweek and change protocol if a referring veterinarian needs more information than the standard protocol offers. Technologists are often paid a higher salary than a veterinary technician and this can result in a more expensive overall MRI cost. AnimalScan Outpatient locations employ A.R.R.T. licensed technologists.

When asking how much a dog MRI costs from a veterinaian consider researching the facility and asking the above questions. A quality facility will not hesitate to boast about their top notch equipment and employees. Get a quote from a nearby AnimalScan MRI Facility.