Questions to ask your vet before MRI or advanced imaging for IVDD

Questions before MRI or CT

Your vet or a veterinary neurologist has said your dog may need an MRI or a CT scan of the spine. That can feel like a big step. It usually means anesthesia, a referral hospital, a real bill, and sometimes the chance that surgery happens right after. Many caregivers say yes or no in a hurry, then wish they had asked a few more things first.

This page is a questions checklist for that conversation. It helps you understand why imaging is being suggested, what it can and cannot answer for your dog, and what happens on the day and after. It does not explain how each scan works. For that, see how veterinarians diagnose IVDD. It does not tell you whether to image, and it does not replace an exam.

Do not let scheduling slow down an emergency

If your dog cannot walk, is getting weaker over hours, has pain you cannot settle, or cannot pee, call your vet or go to an emergency hospital now. Ask on that call whether imaging should happen urgently rather than waiting for a routine slot. See IVDD emergency signs.

Questions about why imaging is suggested

• What are you hoping the scan will tell us?
• Is the main goal to plan surgery, to confirm it is a disc, or to look for something else?
• How sure are you, from the exam alone, that this is IVDD?
• How would the result change what we do next?
• If we do not image, what would the plan be instead, and how would we know it is not working?

Imaging is most useful when the answer could change the plan. Asking how the result would change treatment is the single most useful question on this page.

Questions about MRI or CT

• Are you recommending MRI or CT for my dog, and why that one?
• Which part of the spine will you scan? Could the problem be somewhere you are not scanning?
• Is anything else being checked at the same time, such as a spinal fluid sample?
• What can this scan not tell us?

Background on what each scan shows: how veterinarians diagnose IVDD.

Questions about anesthesia and safety

Both scans usually need general anesthesia so your dog stays perfectly still. Ask:

• What checks will you do before anesthesia, such as bloodwork, a heart check, or chest images?
• Does my dog's age, breed, weight, or any other health problem change the risk?
• Who watches my dog under anesthesia, and how is the back protected while my dog is moved?
• How long will my dog be under, and how long until we can go home?
• Should my dog skip food or water beforehand, and what about current medicines?

Do not stop or change any medicine before the scan unless your vet tells you to. For brachycephalic breeds such as French bulldogs and pugs, ask what extra airway precautions the team uses.

Questions about the same-day surgery decision

Many referral hospitals can go straight from the scan to surgery under the same anesthesia if they find a disc that needs it. That can save time and a second anesthetic, but it means you may have to decide before the scan, not after.

• If you find a disc that needs surgery, would you want to operate right away?
• Will you call me with the results before you start surgery, or do I need to decide now?
• If I am not ready to agree to surgery today, can we still do the scan?
• If the scan does not show a surgical problem, what happens next?

Thinking through surgery ahead of time: IVDD surgery: decisions and questions to ask and surgery or conservative care?

Questions about cost and logistics

It is okay to ask about money. Your vet team would rather plan with you than surprise you.

• Can I get a written estimate for the scan alone, and for scan plus surgery?
• Is the estimate a range? What could make it go higher?
• Is a deposit needed, and are payment plans available?
• How soon can the scan happen, and is waiting a few days a problem for my dog?
• How far is the imaging hospital, and how should I get my dog there safely?

If imaging is not possible right now, ask what a careful non-surgical plan looks like. See surgery or conservative care? and regular vet or veterinary neurologist? For the drive: getting an IVDD dog to the vet safely.

Questions about results and after

• When and how will I get the results? Can you walk me through the images?
• If the scan shows more than one disc, which one is causing today's signs?
• What if the scan shows something other than IVDD?
• What is the plan for the first few days after, with or without surgery?
• Can I get a copy of the report and images for my regular vet?

After surgery: crate rest after IVDD surgery. Without surgery: crate rest that is safe and workable.

Screenshot this checklist

• What will the scan answer, and how would it change the plan?
• MRI or CT, and why?
• What if we do not image?
• Pre-anesthesia checks, and my dog's specific risks?
• Surgery same day: decide now, or call me first?
• Written estimate for scan alone and scan plus surgery?
• How soon, and is waiting safe?
• When do I get results and a copy of the report?

Before you decide

This page is purely informational and is not perfect advice. Follow your vet's plan, and always check with your vet before changing, altering, or supplementing anything. If your dog cannot walk, is getting weaker, is in pain you cannot settle, or cannot pee, go to your vet or an emergency hospital now.