For every manandhis dog
Tikaani is as sick as, well, a dog.
The Siberian Husky has battled spinal issues for two years, and neither a full-body X-ray nor blood tests have got to the bottom of his bad back.
So his owners have splashed out $1200 for an MRI.
Tikaani, whose name translates to wolf, had his scan on Friday at Marlborough Medical Imaging, on the grounds of Blenheim’s Wairau Hospital.
Owner Melissa Haylock thought of the 9-year-old dog as family and said it was vital to uncover the source of his pain, regardless of cost.
‘‘It’s hard to know that your dog is lying there in pain. If you can help him to be pain-free then it is easier for everyone,’’ she said.
‘‘Hopefully we can find out exactly what we’re dealing with and move on with the right course of action ... It’s a huge weight off of our minds.
‘‘If the vets know everything that’s going on, they can treat it rather than clutching at straws.’’
It took about an hour for the dog to be scanned, for which he was sedated and placed on his back.
The Vet Centre Marlborough veterinarian Dr Charlotte Patterson-Green was by Tikaani’s side during the procedure.
The scans helped to detail nonbone structures, which did not show up on an X-ray, PattersonGreen said. ‘‘The scan helps to diagnose things we are unable to see on an X-ray,’’ she said.
While the MRI scanner was on the grounds of Wairau Hospital, it was privately owned by Pacific Radiology and operated by Marlborough Medical Imaging.
Marlborough Medical Imaging owner Lindsay McCallum said the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board purchased four sessions with the MRI scanner every week.
The remaining time was available to private patients and Tikaani was referred like a person