A local vet clinic is the first in Atlantic Canada to have an MRI for pets.

Prior to now, an owner would have to take their pet to PEI or Ontario if they wanted further diagnostic tests.

The Veterinary Specialty Centre in Mount Pearl acquired an MRI, which has already seen more than 50 pets.

Veterinary Surgeon and co-owner of the clinic, Dr. Trina Baily, says getting the MRI, which was constructed in Detroit, to Newfoundland was a complicated process.

She says to bring an MRI on a trailer, it has to be filled with helium at its origin site, and must be delivered within seven days or it has to be refilled with helium at great cost. Because of the helium, it’s considered a dangerous good and requires a series of transport permits, and a specialized driver who had to be brought in from Europe.