Horse owners in Manitoba now have access to state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, thanks to the arrival of new MRI and CT machines. Elder’s Equine Clinic in Winnipeg, owned by veterinarian Chris Bell, purchased the equipment to service the area’s clients. As seen on this video on CTV.news, the machines live in climate-controlled containers that will function in any weather, including the deep freeze that can happen during the winter in Manitoba.
Prior to the machine’s arrival in Winnipeg, horse owners had to ship horses as far as Saskatoon or Calgary to get an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computed tomography) scan. That length of trip, especially with an injured horse, is often impractical or too expensive. A local clinic that can yield fast, accurate results is much-needed in the province.
And unlike humans waiting for months for similar scans, the wait list for horses at Elder’s is just a few days to a week. While it’s not inexpensive – the going rate is $3,000 for an MRI and $1,000 for a CT scan – many owners are willing to pay the fees to get a proper diagnosis for lameness.
As for how it works, horses are lightly sedated and then led into the scanner, with their leg placed in the specially designed platform. The scans take on average 45 minutes to one hour and are performed with the animal standing. The results are then sent to a radiologist who sends a report within a day.
“Our goal is to get these horses in here and figure out what’s wrong with them so that we can help them the best we can so they can get back to being comfortable and being happy and healthy,” veterinary assistant Rachael Van Wyk told CTV News.
And it’s a goal all horse owners share when it comes to the comfort and soundness of our equine partners.