We now have a regular visit from the Burgess mobile MRI scanner, which visits our Canine Care Centre at Hangersley, on the outskirts of Ringwood.

All scans are performed by a combination of their experienced radiographers, and one of our vets and Veterinary Nurses. The scanner truck is kitted out with Isoflurane anaesthesia and scavenging and full climate control.

Dogs and cats are given a full anaesthetic by our team, and are then placed into the magnetic area for their scan. This usually takes 20-45 minutes depending on which areas of the body we are looking at. As your pet needs to stay completely still, a full anaesthetic is necessary. After scanning , the pet will be ready to go home that afternoon.

MRI is an imaging technique which provides detailed images of tissues which are usually difficult to visualise because they are adjacent to bone (which will affect ultrasound and xrays). Typical sites are the spinal column and the brain, but tissues in the limbs can also be scanned.

Images can be read by our Orthopaedic specialists, or sent to an external specialist for their interpretation. In either case, results will usually take a few days.

For referral cases, we are happy to see cases for an appointment with one of our specialists before scanning. Alternately, you may want to send pets to us purely for scanning and report, with no input from us. Please ensure a full history reaches us before the scan date.

In either case, please phone our Referrals manager, Emily, on 01425 485615.