With new MRI-focused facility, DoveLewis provides ‘comprehensive hub’ for pet care in Portland

Published 12:15 am Thursday, February 13, 2025

It’s a topic that even cats and dogs can agree on: Having another state-of-the-art veterinary facility in Portland to help four-legged friends, courtesy of DoveLewis and an anonymous donor, has been a welcome sight.

DoveLewis almost ran away to the suburbs.

The new, 30,000-square-foot facility fully opened Feb. 3, across the street from DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital, 1945 N.W. Pettygrove St. in the Slabtown neighborhood. With the two buildings, a “comprehensive hub” totaling about 50,000 square feet, DoveLewis expanded its empire as the city’s biggest veterinary clinic and the only nonprofit, 24-hour/7-day-a-week emergency and intensive care unit in the region. It’s one of the largest veterinary medicine complexes outside of veterinary schools such as in New York and Massachusetts.

“It’s been in the works for 4 1/2 years,” said Ron Morgan, DoveLewis president and CEO. “We had remodeled the main hospital (about seven years ago), and we were running out of space. We wanted to start a neurology business for a long time, but the hospital didn’t have enough space for a 3T MRI.”

An anonymous family stepped up, bought the land and built the new facility. Price tag was about $65 million, and DoveLewis chipped in about $10 million for customizing the clinic with equipment and office space. DoveLewis leases and occupies the first two stories of the three-story building, and it plans to work toward moving into the third floor as well.

It’s quite a commitment by DoveLewis, which opened in 1973 and nearly moved out of Portland during some tumultuous times in recent years with protests, homeless issues, crime and violence.

“We were very close to moving to the other side of the (Vista Ridge) tunnel and going to the westside,” Morgan said. But, it was decided, “we are part of the fabric of Portland in veterinary care and community programs. DoveLewis is such a unique organization,” as one of the five leading veterinary nonprofits in the United States.

“We are all-in, so we want everybody to be all-in with us.”

There is plenty of off-street parking available, he added, for people not wanting to take public transportation for various reasons.

“We want to have people comfortable coming into the city,” Morgan added. “Because of things happening in the city, people might be nervous; I wish the city (government) was doing a better job from a PR standpoint — ‘It’s not the same environment, it’s OK to come into the city.’”

DoveLewis had been doing magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) in the new facility since November. It has the only 3T MRI equipment on the West Coast — 1.5T has been the standard. It was the centerpiece of the project, Morgan said.

Because DoveLewis owns the hospital, and has a favorable lease on the new facility, it can keep out-of-pocket cost on MRI down — to “a couple thousand dollars,” Morgan said. Demand for MRIs is not huge, but some people can easily afford $2,000 to determine what causes a seizure or brain or back issues in their cat or dog.

“It’s a growing demand,” Morgan said. “When we started the project, there were only a handful of neurologists and MRIs in the area. In the past four years, it’s increased. It’s an important part of veterinary medicine, but not everybody can afford it.”

There are now internal medicine, cardiology and neurology veterinarians in the new facility. DoveLewis will be recruiting new specialists, such as for oncology, rehabilitation and elective surgery, because “we have treatment space to grow into,” Morgan said.

Maintaining nonprofit status allows DoveLewis to reinvest in the company in such ways.

“This is a momentous milestone for DoveLewis, and most importantly, for the pets and families we serve,” Morgan said. “This expansion not only allows us to grow alongside our community but also sets a new standard for veterinary care. Whether your pet needs urgent attention, advanced diagnostics, or ongoing specialty care, we’re here to provide the peace of mind and expert treatment every family deserves.”