Veterinary Neurology and Imaging of the Chesapeake

Veterinary Neurology and Imaging of the Chesapeake Veterinary neurology is the branch of medicine that treats diseases of the nervous system; the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

Veterinary Neurology and Imaging of the Chesapeake (VNIOC) was founded by Dr. Jay McDonnell, a board-certified veterinary neurologist with more than 15 years of clinical experience, who has been practicing in Maryland since 2004. This encompasses such common problems as epilepsy, slipped disks, spinal and head injuries, meningitis, and cancer of the nervous system. As in human medicine, veterinari

ans are increasingly specializing to provide the best care for your companion. Patients can be seen by Dr. McDonnell in Hunt Valley, Maryland. To schedule an appointment 410-828-0911 ext 5. Veterinary MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computed tomography) is available and can be scheduled for any diagnosis needing detailed imaging. VNIOC also offers BAER testing (brainstem-auditory-evoked-response testing), the only 100% reliable method for determining that a dog is deaf.

At just one year old, Freya has always been an active girl. Her family says she loves racing through the house, playing ...
09/07/2026

At just one year old, Freya has always been an active girl. Her family says she loves racing through the house, playing with her toys, wrestling with her Australian Shepherd siblings, and napping with her fellow feline friends.

So when Freya became quieter than usual, started resting more, and cried when she was picked up, they knew something wasn't right.

Radiographs taken by her primary care veterinarian raised concern for diskospondylitis at T13-L1, a condition that is uncommon in cats. Freya was referred to VNIoC, where Dr. Mannix confirmed the concern and developed a treatment plan.
The good news? Freya responded beautifully to treatment! 🎉

Since starting antibiotics, Freya has returned to normal — playing, eating, drinking, and using the litter box normally. She has also been completely weaned off her pain medication! At her four-month recheck, follow-up radiographs showed clear healing at the affected disc space, with no new areas of disease. 🐾

Because Freya is still growing, her antibiotic dose was adjusted, and she'll continue treatment as her team monitors her progress. Her next major recheck will help determine whether she needs to continue treatment for a full year.

Her family shared: “VNIoC’s expertise, compassion, and dedication gave us confidence and hope through an incredibly scary time. They treated her like one of their own, and we can’t thank everyone enough for helping her find, and stay on, the road to recovery.”

Freya, we are so proud of how far you've come! We can't wait to continue watching you race, play, wrestle, nap — and most importantly, enjoy being your energetic self again. 💙🐱

Co-worker for the Day!
09/04/2026

Co-worker for the Day!

09/02/2026

Currently our phone system is down. If you leave us a voicemail we will contact you when phones are back up.

If this is an Emergency then please go to your nearest emergency hospital.

If you have questions you may email us at [email protected]

Thank you for your patience while we work through this outage.

08/31/2026

“We won the lottery with her.”

That’s how Harley’s mom, Jessica, describes their beloved 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix — an energetic hiking buddy, playful family dog, and champion snuggler.
Then, over just one weekend in May, everything changed.

After yelping while running to the fence, Harley quickly became stiff and painful. By the next morning, she was basically paralyzed. Her family watched anxiously as their dog of nearly a decade struggled to walk, and when she wasn't improving, she was referred to VNIoC.

Harley’s mom remembers arriving scared and overwhelmed. But after examining Harley and reviewing videos of her symptoms, Dr. McDonnell suspected the problem was in her neck. An MRI confirmed severe spinal cord compression at C4-C5, and Harley underwent ventral slot surgery.

Dr. McDonnell told her family he honestly felt Harley would be hiking again by the fall. 💙🐕

And now? Just six weeks after surgery, Harley was back to being herself.
“You would not even notice that she has anything wrong. Every once in a while, she has maybe a little challenge with her balance, but that's very rare. The hard part now is keeping her settled down!”

Harley’s family acted quickly, watched her closely, and followed through with her care every step of the way — all of which contributed to her positive outcome.
Jessica says, “I don't think she would be with us without Dr. McDonnell and what he did for her. It was just incredible.”

Harley, we are so happy to see you back to your playful, snuggly, adventurous self! Congratulations on an incredible recovery. 🐾💙

These days, you can usually find Trinity in the imaging suite handling all things CT. She’s a lifelong animal lover who ...
08/28/2026

These days, you can usually find Trinity in the imaging suite handling all things CT. She’s a lifelong animal lover who has been in the veterinary field since she was just 15 years old, starting out cleaning kennels before becoming a veterinary assistant at 18. Now, while continuing to grow her career at VNIoC, she’s also in school at Penn Foster to further her veterinary education.

Trinity is definitely a take-charge, take-none kind of woman 😄 — but she’s also one of the sweetest people you’ll meet. She will go to bat for her patients every time, and there’s no question that patient care is her number one priority. 🐾

Veterinary medicine is a family tradition for Trinity, too. Her mom was a vet tech who helped her get her foot in the door, and Trinity has since gained experience working with companion animals, exotics, and wildlife. She says working at VNIoC “checks every box” for her — especially because she loves learning and expanding her knowledge.

Outside of work, Trinity is a mom to a blended family of four kids, including one who recently graduated from high school! Family means everything to her, and she makes spending time with them a priority. She brings that same sense of closeness and family into work — and we’re lucky to have her at every VNIoC gathering! 💙
Thank you, Trinity, for your dedication to your patients, your drive to keep learning, and everything you bring to our team. We’re so lucky to have you — and can’t wait to see where your veterinary career takes you next! 🎉

Every great team needs someone who keeps things moving, solves the problems, supports the staff, and somehow manages to ...
08/27/2026

Every great team needs someone who keeps things moving, solves the problems, supports the staff, and somehow manages to meet all of Dr. McDonnell’s demands. 😉 Around here, that person is Karen.

She works tirelessly for both our patients and our team, partnering with our Practice Manager, Nicole, on hiring, training, and pretty much all things veterinary technician.

Need controlled drug orders? Karen does it.

Need help training? Karen does that too.

Need someone to listen to you complain? Well... Karen also does that. 😂

Seriously, though, Karen is truly one of the backbones of VNIoC. She brings a family-oriented energy to work and cares deeply about her staff — we're basically her kids, whether we like it or not! 💙

Outside the hospital, Karen is fueled by Monster Energy, Skittles, and her love of cats. 🐱 She has three cats at home, is a devoted Jared Leto fan, and has the kind of elite '90s music taste we can all aspire to. And every April 30, without fail, the team can expect that meme in the group chat: "It's gonna be May." 🎶😂

Karen, thank you for your hard work, your dedication to this team and our patients, and your ability to keep us all laughing along the way. We love and appreciate you more than you know! 🐾

It may only be Lexy’s first year at VNIoC, but we honestly can’t imagine the team without her!Lexy is an incredibly hard...
08/24/2026

It may only be Lexy’s first year at VNIoC, but we honestly can’t imagine the team without her!

Lexy is an incredibly hard worker who always has a smile on her face and is often the first person to compliment and cheer on someone else. She’s fantastic with our clients, brings kindness and compassion to every interaction with stressed pet parents, and somehow manages to keep our doctors on schedule during busy appointment times!

She’s also a quick learner and is always ready to jump in when someone needs help. Her dedication certainly doesn’t go unnoticed — she even recently received a shoutout in a Google review for the amazing care she provides! 💙

Outside of work, Lexy is a devoted animal lover and one of our go-to cat people. 🐱 She loves hiking in the mountains, painting, and fostering orphaned kittens. Most importantly, she’s an amazing mom to a great kiddo, and we're excited that the two of them will be attending KittyCon this weekend — especially since VNIoC is proud to be a sponsor! 🎉

Thank you, Lexy, for everything you bring to our team. We’re so lucky to have you!

When Atlas, a five-year-old Treeing Walker Coonhound, first came to see Dr. McDonnell, her family was understandably con...
08/21/2026

When Atlas, a five-year-old Treeing Walker Coonhound, first came to see Dr. McDonnell, her family was understandably concerned about the abnormal episodes she was experiencing. At first, it wasn't completely clear whether the episodes were seizure activity or a movement disorder.

With careful monitoring, incredible videos from Atlas's owner, and ongoing communication with our team, we were able to better understand what was happening. Atlas's episodes are now believed to be seizure activity, and she has been managed with Keppra and intranasal Midazolam as needed for rescue.

The best part? Atlas is now averaging about five months between episodes! 🎉 That's amazing progress, and we are so proud of how far she has come in such a short time. Now, Atlas is officially graduating from our care and can continue having her seizures managed by her regular veterinarian.

Atlas's Mom told us: “When they told us she graduated and could now be managed by her regular vet because her seizures are controlled by the meds they prescribed, I felt so much relief. My girl is happy and thriving, living her best life as an active, mostly seizure-free girl!”

Congratulations, Atlas! 🎓🐶 We couldn't be happier to see this active girl thriving and living her best life. We’ll miss seeing you, but graduating from specialty care is always something worth celebrating! 💙

08/19/2026

🐾 Luna’s road back to walking! 💙

When Luna, a normally active four-year-old Beagle, suddenly developed severe neck pain after jumping down from the couch, her family knew something was wrong. Despite medical management and strict rest, her condition progressed rapidly. Within just a few days, Luna was unable to stand or coordinate her limbs.

After being referred to VNIoC, an MRI revealed a herniated disc at C5-6. Luna underwent a hemilaminectomy (back surgery) the following day and stayed in the hospital for two days while she recovered.

And what a recovery it was! 🥹 By her first day after surgery, Luna had already regained most of her motor function. She continued improving at home, and by her two-week recheck, she was still a little tentative on her feet, but had made a full recovery. Seven weeks after surgery, Luna officially graduated from her VNIoC care with no further follow-up needed! 🎉

Way to go, Luna! We’re so happy to see you back on your feet! 🐶✨

Address

10626 York Road Suite H
Hunt Valley, MD
21030

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6am

Telephone

+14108280911

Website

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