FAQs for Pet Owners

Below, you’ll find answers to the questions we hear the most after many years in veterinary service. We’re happy to answer any questions, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for, let us know. Thank you for allowing us to serve your pets!

General

  • Put simply, it’s our 3T difference: Team, Technology, and Training. SVI is a national center of excellence in veterinary diagnostic imaging, and a teaching hospital that is dedicated to training the next generation of veterinary radiologists with a specialization in the most advanced cross sectional imaging technology available today. As in human medicine, this powerful mix of cutting-edge technology, academic training, and a dedicated support team work seamlessly together, to find answers and create the best possible outcomes for patients.

    When you evaluate other options for your pet’s diagnostic imaging, make sure you answer these key questions:

    1. Is the facility using human-quality imaging technology, especially 3T MRI?

    2. Does the facility have a board-certified radiologist on staff? If not, what is their turnaround time on reports?

    3. Who is performing the scan? If they are not using an experienced, dedicated MRI or CT technologist (very common in veterinary), the images they obtain may not provide clear answers. In fact, many veterinary imaging facilities simply assign a vet tech to handle the scanning along with their other medical duties. Our MRI/CT techs have over 10 years of full-time scanning experience, meaning they know how to reliably obtain high quality images that the radiologist can clearly read and which lead to a confident diagnosis.

    4. What additional charges will be added to the MRI, CT, or Ultrasound cost? Most veterinary imaging today is still done in a hospital setting, at a veterinary specialty center. For many patients, this is the best place to be, especially if they are critical, or require immediate surgery. However, specialty centers will typically quote one price for imaging and later will ask you to approve a range of other fees for IV fluids, hospitalization, etc. At SVI you get one up-front price that is almost always lower in total cost than what you will be charged in a specialty hospital.

  • You can view a comprehensive video here that will explain the entire process of working with SVI, from scheduling to results. CLICK HERE: What to expect at your pet's imaging appointment.

  • Like other vet clinics, we closed our lobby in 2020 and reopened in 2021. During that time we found that scheduling groups of drop-offs and pick-ups together allowed us to serve roughly 25% more urgently needed ultrasounds daily. To continue serving a growing need for imaging services, we have decided to continue with this drop-off model. You are welcome to use our restroom or sit in our lobby if you need to get out of the heat/cold, but we often have too many clients and pets to fit in the space. Our drop-off and pick-up process will be fully explained when you call to set your appointment.

  • Yes. Food in the stomach will interfere with our ability to obtain good images and make a diagnosis. Please have your animal fast for 12 hours before your visit. If they don’t fast:

    • We sometimes have to repeat the exam later because we can’t get good images.

    • The patient could aspirate or vomit and inhale the contents of their stomach, leading to possible pneumonia.

    • If you have concerns about this, please discuss them with our scheduling team; we may be able to make modifications on a case-by-case basis.

  • To ensure your safety and provide the best possible care, our team may suggest lab screenings or cytology exams before imaging or treatment. We'll discuss this with you beforehand so there are no surprises down the line. You are informed every step of the way.

  • Veterinary diagnostic imaging carries higher costs than its human counterpart due to factors such as specialized staffing requirements, the medical needs of the patients, expensive equipment, and the rising costs of supplies. However, by understanding these underlying factors, pet owners can understand why these expenses are incurred. Read more here.

  • We understand that many pet owners expect to stay with their pet during exams and that many veterinary clinics are allowing pet parents full access. However, this is not possible in an imaging facility with strong magnets and radiation-producing equipment. For your safety, and to allow our staff to serve the maximum number of patients per day without interruption, we ask that you drop off your pet for a few hours and trust us to care for them just as we would our own pets.

Logistics

  • Fasting: It is ideal for the pet to fast for 12 hours before an imaging appointment unless your pet is diabetic. Please do not feed your pet on the morning of your appointment or we will have to reschedule. Water does not need to be restricted. Morning medication is okay to give.

    To reduce your pet’s anxiety: Please give Gabapentin or Trazodone the night before the appointment, followed by giving Gabapentin or Trazodone 2 hours before your scheduled appointment time. If your pet doesn’t already have a prescription for one of these drugs, or if you are unsure of the dosage, please ask your primary veterinarian for advice before your appointment at Sage Veterinary Imaging.

    If you cannot administer these medications before the visit, we will likely do so during the appointment. Depending on how wiggly or nervous your pet is during the exam, we may need to administer additional drugs, which is an additional charge.

  • Whether you are visiting our Texas or Utah locations, please do not use your car’s built-in GPS. Only Google Maps or Apple Maps will show our location correctly.

  • You can read the details below or watch this comprehensive video. CLICK HERE: What to expect

    Our reception team will greet you at the door at your scheduled drop-off time.

    A member of our clinical team will discuss your pet’s visit, confirm some information with you, and obtain any necessary consent forms. You can speed up your arrival by reviewing our consent form before your visit. We will have you sign this form when you arrive. We will take your pet to the back where they will wait for their exam.

    Your pet will typically stay with us for around three hours. You can leave and return for pickup at your scheduled time or as late as 5 pm. This drop-off process allows us to serve the maximum number of patients each day and ensure that they are prioritized according to their medical needs.

    We understand that many owners are used to accompanying their pets to the exam room where their vet does the examination or treatment. However, we have designed our treatment areas to provide the fastest possible flow of patients through our imaging services. This means we don’t have the dedicated exam rooms seen in other vet clinics, and we can’t allow owners to accompany their pets to the treatment areas. Please note that for all standard appointments, your pet will need to be dropped off for about three hours to have the necessary time to complete the scan.

  • If your pet is scheduled for a STAT appointment, you will receive more tailored drop-off and pickup instructions, but you should still expect a STAT appointment to take 1.5 to 2 hours to complete.

  • You can read the details below or watch this comprehensive video. CLICK HERE: What to expect

    Our reception team will greet you when you arrive at your assigned pick-up time. A member of our clinical team will discuss your pet’s case and our findings. Our reception team will collect payment from you by credit, debit card, or Care Credit.

    We do not accept cash or checks.

    If you are seeking reimbursement from your pet insurance company, we will provide you an itemized receipt upon request that you can submit to them.

  • If our findings show something needing urgent care, our doctor will call your veterinarian. They will also receive our formal radiology report within 24 hours. The radiology report will be available to you through your veterinarian.

    Otherwise, the images from your pet’s exam are available to your veterinarian at their request. Your vet will help you plan the next treatment steps, including any surgical options or referrals to other specialists. If ER services are recommended after the ultrasound, and your veterinarian cannot facilitate a transfer, we will provide you with contact information for the closest ER facility.

MRI

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves (instead of radiation!) to create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body. Most MRI machines are large, tube-shaped magnets. While lying inside an MRI, the magnetic field temporarily realigns water molecules in the body. Radio waves cause these aligned atoms to produce faint signals, which are used to create cross-sectional MRI images — like slices in a loaf of bread.

    The MRI machine can also produce 3D images that can be viewed from different angles. MRI’s main advantage is a detailed evaluation of soft tissue structures that are less easily evaluated on radiographs or CT. This is especially useful for the evaluation of muscle, tendons, and ligaments, as well as the eyes, brain, and spinal cord.

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a large magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures inside your body. Healthcare professionals use MRI scans to diagnose various conditions, from torn ligaments to tumors. MRIs are especially useful at identifying more subtle or chronic musculoskeletal injuries (such as injured knees or torn muscles) that may not show up on other imaging modalities.

    MRI is especially useful for evaluating the nervous system (brain and spine) because it gives the most detail about the anatomical structure of the brain, spine, spinal nerves, and intervertebral disks. This detailed evaluation of these structures is incredibly useful when managing chronic conditions such as seizures, pain, weakness, and other more nebulous symptoms. Specific malformations identified during MRI may also influence breeding programs when identified soon enough.

  • MRI takes 30 minutes to 1.5 hours to complete depending on the complexity of the disease being evaluated. For this reason, patients must undergo full generalized anesthesia to stay completely still during the process. Patients will stay with us during the day, have an IV catheter placed, have an anesthesia protocol tailored to their needs, and undergo MRI with close anesthetic monitoring while in the MRI by one of our licensed veterinary technicians. They will then be returned to their family once they have had time to fully recover.

  • While your pet is under our care, they will be given a personalized dose of anti-anxiety and sedation medication before the procedure, and then the pet will be under full anesthesia during the MRI scan. Most patients do very well during the day and will be returned to you as soon as they are fully awake and can regulate their own body temperature.

  • Normally results are given to owners and their primary veterinary hospitals within 24 hours of the scan. Our radiologist will examine all of the images and type up a report that will be emailed to the primary veterinarian. A copy can be sent to the owner upon request.

  • If a patient is consulting with our neurologist that day, then often results can be delivered same-day, in addition to immediate recommendations for treatment and expected outcome. Neurosurgery, if necessary, would be scheduled for a future time according to availability.

  • Here are some common reasons we see patients coming to us for an MRI:

    Unusual changes in behavior like circling, persistent head tilt, or depression, pre-surgical check for metastatic disease, defining the margins of a tumor, lameness of shoulder or knee, cancer surgery planning, chronic nasal discharge, unsteady gait, seizures, foot dragging, back pain, oral tumors

  • Please call our team as pricing will vary according to several factors.

    When comparing prices for an MRI, you will find that we are generally in the middle of the range. In addition, we offer superior human-quality 3 Tesla technology, which provides significantly improved resolution over “low field” or “veterinary-specific” MRI technology that is often seen at other veterinary facilities. We give your pet the same imaging quality that you would personally receive at an advanced outpatient human imaging facility.

  • CT and MRI are used for two very different purposes. CT is better for imaging bone structures, while MRI is superior for evaluating brain or spinal abnormalities, cancer staging, soft tissue imaging of muscle, and locating the cause of certain orthopedic diseases.

    Some facilities only have a CT, so understandably that becomes their main diagnostic tool, even though in many cases, an MRI would give a significantly clearer diagnostic result.

  • MRI scanners have been safely used in animals and people for years. MRI uses strong magnetic fields to form images and does not involve X-rays or the use of ionizing radiation, which distinguishes it from radiographs, CT, and PET scans. Magnetic fields can interrupt the function of pacemakers but are otherwise harmless.

  • Anesthesia is usually necessary for CT and MR imaging procedures, as the patient must stay perfectly still for several minutes to acquire a good-quality scan. The risks of anesthesia are generally low but vary with the age and individual medical state of the patient. We minimize anesthesia risks by choosing the safest methods possible and providing state-of-the-art anesthesia and monitoring equipment monitored by experienced personnel.

CT

  • The term “computed tomography,” or CT, refers to a computerized X-ray imaging procedure in which a narrow beam of X-rays is aimed at a patient and quickly rotated around the body, producing signals that are processed by the machine’s computer to generate cross-sectional images, or “slices.” These slices are called tomographic images and can give a clinician more detailed information than conventional X-rays. Read more here.

    Once several successive slices are collected by the machine’s computer, they can be digitally “stacked” together to form a three-dimensional (3D) image of the patient that allows for easier identification and more detailed evaluation of basic structures as well as possible tumors, disease, or other abnormalities.

  • Common findings among our patients needing a CT scan are:

    • Orthopedic conditions, such as joint degeneration

    • Dental diseases, such as abscesses

    • Brain or spinal conditions

    • Middle and inner ear disorders

    • Hip and elbow dysplasia

    • Head trauma

    • Lung diseases

    • Tumors

    More health concerns could make a CT scan necessary, and ultimately, your vet will know the next best steps after your initial visit.

  • Your pet will be dropped off and spends the day with us. Depending on the nature of the scan, patients are either sedated or (occasionally) undergo full generalized anesthesia so that they are ultimately still for the scan. They are then positioned on the CT, and the area of interest is scanned.

    Due to the advanced nature of our 128-slice CT scanner, scans finish quickly - in a matter of seconds! Because of the speed of our CT scanner, pets often don’t need anesthesia, but this is determined by our doctors during your pet’s initial exam. You will be asked to sign an anesthesia consent form if necessary.

  • Because CT scans are like an x-ray, some people wonder if a CT scan will harm their pet. But no need to worry! CT scans are completely safe and pose no harm to animals (or humans for that matter). It’s well known there are no documented side effects of a CT scan for dogs or cats. For three decades, veterinary medicine has used CT technology to find underlying causes of pain in animals.

    • Muscle and bone disorders, such as bone tumors and fractures that are not readily apparent on radiographs (x-rays)

    • Certain neurological diseases and malformations, such as calcified disks, malformations of the spine, and infections of the bones and discs of the spine

    • Pinpoint the presence and/or location of a tumor, infection, or blood clot

    • Guide procedures such as surgery, biopsy, and radiation therapy, as well as more advanced techniques such as 3D printing

    • Detect and monitor the progression of diseases and conditions such as cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and liver masses

    • Monitor the effectiveness of certain treatments, such as cancer treatment

    • Detect internal injuries and internal bleeding

  • Your pet will be dropped off and spend the day with us. Depending on the nature of the scan, they will either be sedated or (occasionally) undergo full generalized anesthesia so they will be completely still for the scan. They are then positioned on the CT, and the area of interest is scanned. Due to how advanced our 128-slice CT scanner is, scans can be performed quickly - in a matter of seconds! Because of the speed of our CT scanner, pets often do not need anesthesia, but this will be determined by our doctors during their initial exam. You will be asked to sign an anesthesia consent form if necessary.

  • Normally results are given to owners and their primary veterinary hospitals within 24 hours of the scan. Our radiologist will examine all of the images and type up a report that will be emailed to the primary veterinarian. A copy can be sent to the owner upon request.

Ultrasound

  • An ultrasound machine allows us to “see’’ internal organs in a non-painful and often relaxing manner. The machine sends sound waves into the body through a probe and then listens for the echoes to create an image of internal organs. The sound waves are too high frequency to hear, and there are no harmful side effects for your pet (or human babies!). The images produced allow us to evaluate structural changes in the gallbladder, liver, spleen, kidneys, adrenal glands, gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder, lymph nodes, and much more. We can also do an ultrasound of the heart and thyroid glands.

  • Veterinarians often use ultrasound to guide a small needle to diseased tissue areas for biopsy. Abdominal ultrasound imaging is performed to evaluate the:

    • kidneys

    • liver

    • gallbladder

    • pancreas

    • spleen

    • blood vessels in the abdomen

  • Cost varies depending on what type of ultrasound imaging is done and whether biopsies are needed. Please call our team to discuss your pet’s individual needs. In addition to the ultrasound, you may be referred to us for:

    After discussing your case with you and/or your veterinarian, we can fully summarize the costs.

  • These two imaging methods are often used in conjunction with each other, so a patient may first receive an X-ray study at their primary vet’s office, then be recommended to come to us for additional imaging with ultrasound. X-rays (aka radiographs) are often used as a screening tool for abdominal disease, but ultrasound allows us to look closely at a disease in individual organs.

  • An ultrasound examination, also known as “ultrasonography”, is a non-invasive imaging technique that allows internal body structures to be seen by recording echoes or reflections of ultrasonic waves. Unlike potentially dangerous X-rays, ultrasound waves are considered to be safe.

    Ultrasound equipment directs a narrow beam of high-frequency sound waves into the area of interest. The sound waves may be transmitted through, reflected, or absorbed by the tissues that they encounter.

    The reflected ultrasound waves will return as "echoes" to the probe and are converted into an image displayed on the monitor, giving a 2-dimensional "picture" of the tissues under examination.

  • Anesthesia is not usually needed for most ultrasound examinations unless biopsies are to be taken. The technique is totally painless, and most dogs will lie comfortably while the scan is being performed. Occasionally, a sedative may be necessary if your dog is very frightened.

  • This is a non-painful and often relaxing procedure for your pet! After shaving your pet's belly and applying a soothing gel, the doctor gently moves the ultrasound probe over the belly to obtain an image of each internal organ.

  • Drop-off appointments and scheduling allow us to adapt to each patient’s individual needs. An ultrasound is performed on a padded table while your pet lies quietly on their back with dimmed lights. A gel, warmed to body temperature, is applied to the examined area, and the ultrasound probe is gently moved along your pet’s skin.

    Most pets will relax enough to enjoy the undivided attention of the veterinary nurse holding them, some will even take a little nap. While most pets do very well, the new environment is scary to a small percentage of pets and those requiring sedation (medication given to produce a calm or light sleep) to obtain high-quality images. If the veterinary team determines your pet would benefit from sedation, a doctor or nurse will call you directly for approval.

  • The majority of pets do great for their ultrasound, however, if you are concerned about your pet’s stress level, please ask your primary care veterinarian to prescribe trazodone (for dogs) or gabapentin (for cats) to be given two hours before your scheduled drop off time. These anti-anxiety medications can be given safely to lessen your pet’s anxiety.

  • Normally results are given to owners and their primary veterinary hospitals within 24 hours of the scan. Our radiologist will examine all of the images and type up a report that will be emailed to the primary veterinarian. A copy can be sent to the owner upon request.

  • Full general anesthesia is not needed for ultrasound examinations. The ultrasound is a painless procedure, and most dogs will lie comfortably while the scan is being performed. Rarely if a pet is very frightened or aggressive, sedation (medication to produce a state of calm or light sleep) may be necessary. A doctor or nurse will contact you directly if they feel your pet would benefit from this.

    If your pet receives sedation or additional tests, you will be given special instructions during discharge.

  • An ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA or fine needle biopsy) uses a small needle to obtain cells from an abnormal organ or mass. The cells are placed on a slide and then sent digitally to a cytopathologist for expert review. This procedure is typically painless, and 90% of patients needing this procedure do not require sedation.

    If sedation is needed, it is usually because the pet is too wiggly or if the underlying issue is already causing the pet pain (such as a mass in the abdomen). While the doctor can see a structural abnormality within an organ on ultrasound, a biopsy is often needed to make a diagnosis or rule out conditions such as cancer.

    A needle biopsy is less invasive than laparoscopic or surgical biopsies which involve an incision in the skin and general anesthesia. Fine needle aspiration is generally considered a safe procedure and complications, such as bleeding, are rare. Results from this procedure are typically available on the same day.

Payment

  • Please bring a credit or debit card with you to your appointment as we will collect payment when you arrive. We do not accept cash or check, but we do accept Care Credit, and we are happy to provide a detailed receipt for you to submit to your pet insurance provider. We do work directly with Trupanion and can run your application through our system. If approved, you will only pay a deposit and Trupanion will send us a check for the balance.

  • We are a Care Credit provider, and you can apply for our services using this form. Please complete the approval process and bring your temporary, printed card with you to the appointment.

  • For most pet insurance providers, we do require a debit or credit card payment in full before beginning the services. We’ll give you a detailed receipt you can submit to your insurer, and then you work with them to set up a payment plan. As imaging for animals is becoming more common, we see many insurers reimbursing for our services. If you have Trupanion insurance, we can apply for pre-approval, and then you will only be required to pay the deposit on the day of your appointment.

  • At this time we don’t offer payment plans. Our recommendation is to use pet insurance or apply for Care Credit to get a monthly payment system set up.