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What does an MRI or back surgery for a dog cost?

Iris van Loon · Editor-in-chief
7 min read

An MRI, a CT scan and then possibly spinal surgery. It is the most expensive decision a dog owner runs into, and almost nobody publishes a price. This is what is actually documented in the Netherlands, with source and date checked.

The vet turns the screen towards you and says an MRI is needed. Then comes a silence with two questions in it: what is wrong with my dog, and what will this cost. The first gets an answer within days. The second often only when the bill arrives.

This article is about back problems: the imaging needed for a diagnosis and the surgery that can follow. Every amount comes from a published Dutch source, with the date we checked it. What we could not substantiate is not here. Prices apply to the Netherlands.

Quick answer: An MRI scan for a dog in the Netherlands costs roughly €800 to €1,500 including anaesthesia (Univé, OHRA). For the surgery, Dierenkliniek Heerhugowaard publishes €2,200 to €2,600 for a hemilaminectomy. Scan plus surgery: €3,000 to €4,100, excluding consultation and aftercare. These are indications and vary per clinic, region and dog.

Dutch vets set their own rates. Prices differ per clinic, region and animal: the size of your dog, the location of the problem and the time of day all count. Every amount is an indication, not a quote. This is not treatment advice either: what your dog needs is decided by the vet who examines him. If you doubt whether it is an emergency, call a clinic instead of reading. The warning signs are in our article on back problems in dachshunds (in Dutch).

What does an MRI scan for a dog cost?

Three pet insurers publish an amount, and they sit close together:

  • Univé: "usually between €800 and €1,000, but can run up to around €1,500". In the example on that same page, "MRI scan with anaesthesia and assessment" is €1,100. Checked 21 August 2026.
  • OHRA: "on average between €800 and €1,500", page dated 5 August 2026, signed by veterinarian Yenta van der Lee.
  • Figo: "usually between €800 and €1,000", page updated 3 June 2026.

That a half-hour scan costs this much is mostly down to anaesthesia. The University Clinic for Companion Animals in Utrecht puts it plainly: CT and MRI scans take place under full anaesthesia. So an anaesthetist stands there monitoring your dog too. Ask whether anaesthesia, contrast agent and the specialist's assessment are inside the quoted amount. That runs into hundreds of euros.

Notable: none of the clinics we looked at publishes an MRI rate itself. The only amounts you can find in advance come from insurers who reimburse the bill afterwards.

What does a CT scan cost, and when does a clinic choose one?

Univé is the only source making a distinction you feel immediately: a CT scan costs €800 to €1,100 at a normal veterinary clinic, and roughly €1,100 to €1,500 at an emergency clinic outside opening hours. Checked 21 August 2026.

In that same insurer's examples, a CT scan with anaesthesia appears once at €800 and once, on the hernia page, at €950. A €150 gap between two examples on one website tells you enough about how firm such figures are.

A CT takes less time than an MRI, which limits anaesthesia time. For soft tissue such as the spinal cord, an MRI is often used instead. Which one fits is the vet's call. Outside office hours you pay more for both: see also what emergency veterinary care costs (in Dutch).

What does a myelography cost?

We do not know, and we are not filling in the blank. In a myelography, contrast fluid is introduced around the spinal cord and X-rays are taken, under anaesthesia. We found no Dutch clinic and no insurer publishing an amount for it. What can be verified: referral clinics describe diagnosing a disc herniation through MRI or CT, and AniCura mentions only those two. If a myelography is proposed, ask what it costs and why it makes sense here.

What does the back surgery itself cost?

Dierenkliniek Heerhugowaard publishes its price list, including neurological procedures. It is the only Dutch clinic we found with public prices for spinal surgery (checked 21 August 2026):

  • Hemilaminectomy dog: €2,200 to €2,600. The procedure for a herniated disc in the chest and lower back, the classic back hernia.
  • Cervical ventral slot dog: €2,200 to €2,600. For a herniated disc in the neck.
  • Lumbosacral decompression dog: €2,800 to €3,000.
  • Epidural injection dog or cat: €450.

Insurer Univé lands higher: hernia surgery in dogs costs on average €3,000 to €6,000. On that same page an example comes out lower: consultation €45.50, CT scan €950, surgery €2,050 and three physiotherapy sessions of €95, totalling €3,330.50. An insurer missing its own lower bound in its own example shows how rough those averages are.

A published university clinic rate is rare. The University Clinic in Utrecht charges a fixed package rate of €3,366.45 including VAT for a TPLO operation on a torn cruciate ligament (rate sheet, 15 April 2026). A knee operation, not back surgery, but it shows the order of magnitude of specialist surgery including anaesthesia, implants and check-ups.

What comes on top of the surgery?

The items around it are rarely inside the surgery figure. Heerhugowaard publishes a consultation at €56.00, an emergency consultation at €85.00, an orthopaedic consultation at €119.00, a first X-ray at €85.00 and a follow-up image at €65.00. For an oxygen cage there is no amount: the clinic states "price on consultation". Have that turned into an estimate beforehand. For aftercare, Univé counts three physiotherapy sessions of €95, €285 in total.

Why do amounts differ so much per clinic?

That has been researched. Consultancy Ecorys examined price developments in veterinary care for the ministry of LVVN. That research, published on 3 April 2025, found that rates rose 2 to 2.5 times faster than inflation, and for emergency care 3 to 3.5 times faster. Chain clinics charged roughly 6% to 10% more than independent practices for regular care, and around 40% more for emergency care.

Why is that price so hard to find?

Because almost nobody publishes it. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) ran a market study into pet healthcare. Its draft report of 18 December 2025 recommends, literally, obliging vets to be transparent about the costs of treatments and any alternatives. On 30 April 2026 the final report followed, with the same conclusion.

On 3 April 2025 the ministry set aside €250,000 for a professional standard on rate transparency and emergency care. Until that exists, today's practice applies: in our sample one clinic publishes its surgery rates, and not one publishes the price of the scan that precedes it.

What do you ask the vet before saying yes?

These are cost questions, not medical ones. The medical judgement stays with the vet.

  1. Can I get a written cost estimate for the whole path?
  2. Are anaesthesia, contrast agent and the specialist's assessment included?
  3. What does a day of hospitalisation cost, and how many days are realistic?
  4. What happens to the costs if a complication occurs?
  5. Can scan and surgery happen on the same day?
  6. What does the non-surgical route cost, if responsible? Univé puts it at €500 to €1,500.

If you are insured, check the percentage, the annual maximum and the waiting period. Univé reimburses 80% up to a chosen maximum of €2,500 or €5,000 per year, and not for complaints predating the policy or arising during the 30 day waiting period.

The key amounts, with their source

ItemAmountSourceDate checked
MRI scan dog€800 to €1,000, up to €1,500Univé21-08-2026
MRI scan dog€800 to €1,500OHRA05-08-2026
CT scan dog, regular · out of hours€800 to €1,100 · €1,100 to €1,500Univé21-08-2026
Hemilaminectomy · cervical ventral slot€2,200 to €2,600Heerhugowaard21-08-2026
Lumbosacral decompression dog€2,800 to €3,000Heerhugowaard21-08-2026
Hernia surgery, average€3,000 to €6,000Univé21-08-2026
Non-surgical treatment€500 to €1,500Univé21-08-2026

Sources:

And if you truly cannot pay?

There is no pleasant answer to that question. Ask the clinic about a payment arrangement before treatment starts, and ask explicitly about responsible alternatives and what those cost.

We cannot promise to take over an individual vet bill. What we do is let first treatment for animals in need start without a fundraiser first. Where that money goes is on our transparency page, and what such care roughly costs is in what it costs to save an animal. Our ANBI status has been applied for and not yet granted, and we say so as long as that is the case. Want the next dog not to wait? Then donating helps.

Frequently asked questions

What people often ask us

Short, honest answers to the questions people ask most.

What does an MRI scan for a dog cost?

In the Netherlands roughly €800 to €1,500 including anaesthesia. Univé states €800 to €1,000 with outliers up to €1,500 and uses €1,100 in a worked example for the scan with anaesthesia and assessment. OHRA states €800 to €1,500 (page dated 5 August 2026), Figo €800 to €1,000 (updated 3 June 2026). Amounts vary per clinic and region.

What does back surgery for a dog cost?

Dierenkliniek Heerhugowaard publishes €2,200 to €2,600 for a hemilaminectomy and for a cervical ventral slot, and €2,800 to €3,000 for a lumbosacral decompression (checked 21 August 2026). Insurer Univé quotes an average of €3,000 to €6,000 for hernia surgery. These are indications, not quotes.

Is a CT scan cheaper than an MRI for a dog?

Often yes, mainly because anaesthesia is shorter. Univé states €800 to €1,100 for a CT scan at a regular clinic and €1,100 to €1,500 at an emergency clinic outside opening hours, against €800 to €1,500 for an MRI. Which scan is medically right is decided by the vet, not by the price.

What does a myelography cost for a dog?

We deliberately name no amount. We found no Dutch clinic and no insurer publishing a rate for myelography. Referral clinics describe diagnosing a spinal disc herniation through MRI or CT. If a myelography is proposed, ask for a written cost estimate in advance.

Why do veterinary rates differ so much?

Dutch vets set their own rates. Research by Ecorys for the ministry of LVVN (3 April 2025) showed that chain clinics charge roughly 6% to 10% more for regular care and around 40% more for emergency care than independent practices, and that rates rose 2 to 2.5 times faster than inflation.

Do vets have to publish their prices?

Not yet. In its market study into pet healthcare, the ACM recommends obliging vets to be transparent about the costs of treatments and alternatives (draft report 18 December 2025, final report 30 April 2026). The ministry of LVVN is investing €250,000 in a professional standard for rate transparency.

Does pet insurance cover an MRI or back surgery?

Often partly. Univé, for example, reimburses 80% of insured medical costs up to a chosen maximum of €2,500 or €5,000 per year, and not for complaints that existed before the policy started or during the 30 day waiting period. Always check the percentage, the annual maximum and the exclusions in your own policy.

What do I ask the vet before agreeing?

Ask for a written cost estimate for the whole path, whether anaesthesia, contrast agent and the specialist assessment are included, what a day of hospitalisation costs, what happens to the costs if a complication occurs, and whether scan and surgery can be done on one day. The medical judgement stays with the vet.

Iris van Loon is editor-in-chief at Stichting Animal Protect and writes about animal welfare, emergency care and honest giving. Every article is fact-checked before publication; cost figures are indicative.

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