To MRI or not to MRI?

[FlyingFlamingo]

That is the question!

My 2yo cat was diagnosed with hyperesthesia last year after being with us a around 3 months. She has been stable and happy on gabapentin ever since. Yesterday I phoned to sort out a repeat prescription...got told she needs to be seen as gabapentin is now a controlled drug. Fine, we upset her by putting her in the carrier and taking her in.
We saw a different vet to the one who initially diagnosed her and she was worried that she’s never had an X-ray...so I upset her again this morning by putting her back into the carrier without breakfast and took her in as advised to rule out any other cause of her pain.
I honestly thought that would be an end to it as she responded so well to the gabapentin and her symptoms were classic hyperesthesia. Except the original vet has just phoned and said there are ‘changes’ on the X-ray, that where her vertebrae should be smooth some are ‘fluffy’. The only way to find out what is causing this is an MRI. We live 2 hours from an MRI scanner for pets, she hates the carrier, and at the moment she is happy and well. The management is likely to stay the same and if she was to deteriorate it would not be too late to do anything. Plus the scan could cost £2500, she is insured but this will affect our premiums I’m sure!
On the other hand, a scan now makes management easier if she does suddenly lose the use of her legs and obviously they could treat anything they see more specifically...I don’t want to traumatise her if I don’t need to, the vet is happy to refer now or later if we want...I just don’t know! She is a lovely cat and I hate the thought of this thing hanging over her for the rest of her life

What would you do?

Here she is in her favourite sleeping spot

Is her insurance a lifetime policy?

Yes...with Tesco. This year her premiums stayed the same despite now having a pre existing condition but our claims up until now haven’t been huge. The money isn’t my main concern, it’s the long car journey and having to subject her to a procedure that may not change our management at all. The vet doesn’t think the bone overgrowth is cancerous because she would be in agony if so and she’s so happy generally, she thinks it could be related to trauma (she fell out of a tree since coming to us but that was after her diagnosis so it’s unlikely to be from that, she was 7 months old when we rescued her so I have no idea if something happened when she was a kitten) or osteoarthritis - in which case the management would be the same.
I’m leaning towards doing more xrays in say 6 months and seeing if there’s any change, obviously closely observing her for any deterioration. When I pick her up later she said she would show me the xrays to explain it in more detail.

My poor baby

She also said she trained in the specialist centre so she can consult with them

If it isn't going to change her treatment and she is currently stable it may be best to carry on as you are, just don't cancel her insurance!

Oh, I won’t be - the tablets alone cost the same as the monthly premium for 2 cats (and the other cat is healthy but an idiot, last seen in the vets for running into a wall )

Would she sit I. The back of the car with you ?

It’s the carrier she doesn’t like. After chatting to the vet and seeing the xrays (which show ‘cloudy’ areas between her lower vertebrae) we have agreed a plan - she will consult with the specialist neuro centre, if they aren’t concerned we are going to wait a year and do another set of xrays. She seems happy to be home, it took her a few hours to come round but she’s now her usual happy self. I kind of wish I had never agreed to the xrays in the first place and the vet who is taking this forward, the one who diagnosed her in the first place, seemed surprised they were even ever ordered. I’m only going to see her now - she’s the only one who actually took the time to diagnose her properly and she’s perfectly happy to prescribe the gabapentin forever if that’s what helps.