Manitoba horses now have fast, local access to MRI and CT scans

A Manitoba veterinary clinic has two new ways of figuring out what’s causing a horse to be lame.

Dr. Chris Bell, owner of Elder’s Equine west of Winnipeg, installed an MRI and a CT scanner a few weeks ago. Both are designed to image a horse’s lower leg, the most common spot for injury.

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“The whole, ‘Horse broke its leg, I have to put it down,’ is really a very antiquated idea around what we can do in equine medicine,” he said.

“Now, we have horses that we repair fractures on, and they go on to live very healthy and fruitful lives.”

Bell said the demand is growing for MRI and CT scanning in equine medicine because it takes out the guesswork. It also helps the owner by saving time and money on ineffective treatments.

"We are able to offer, rapid access to very high quality, advanced imaging," he said.

The wait to get a horse in for an MRI is a few days to a week, Bell said.Veterinary technologist Brynn Dosko and veterinarian Dr. Chris Bell wait for images inside the new equine MRI on Sept. 19, 2024 (Michelle Gerwing/CTV News Winnipeg)

Getting answers quickly is a relief for owners said Brynn Dosko, a registered veterinary technologist. She is trained to operate both the MRI and the CT scanner.

“We've had a few clients that came with unknown lameness issues with their horses, and we've put them in and done a scan, and it's like, ‘Wow, there's an answer,’” she said.

It’s also comforting to staff caring for the horses. Veterinary assistant Rachael Van Wyk said the patients so far have been predominantly horses working on farms or performing in rodeos or shows.

“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," said Van Wyk.

Bell said a horse is put under partial sedation, so it can walk in, get scanned, and walk back out.

A scan, depending on the case, takes about 45 minutes to an hour. An MRI costs about $3,000 and a CT scan is about $1,500.

The machines are housed in climate-controlled containers that can operate even on Manitoba’s coldest winter days.

A mare named Destiny was booked in for an MRI on Wednesday. She has a front left foot injury, but Bell said her X-rays came back normal.

A mare's front left foot is carefully placed inside an equine MRI so it can be imaged and properly diagnosed on Sept. 19, 2024. (Michelle Gerwing/CTV News Winnipeg)

“After we've identified that it is for sure the foot that is the problem, we'll get them into the MRI and then we are going to have a look at their tendons and ligaments," he said.

Once images started popping up Bell and his technologists could tell right away there was fluid around one of her tendons. Bell said there's likely a tear, but he will know for sure what the treatment is once the radiology report comes back in 24 hours.

Theoretically, Bell said the CT and MRI machines could be used on more than just horses.

“They're a little bit different in the way they function because they are looking mainly at the limb of a standing horse,” said Bell. “But theoretically you could do a human leg in there.”

Bell plans on sticking to scanning ponies, mares, and stallions because that’s what’s in his scope of practice.

He said the next closest equine MRIs are in Saskatoon and Calgary.