The technical feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement of rat vertebral blood perfusion using a 1.5 T clinical scanner and a small surface coil was investigated in this study. Nine male 7-month-old Wistar-Kyoto rats were used. Computed tomographic assessment of lumbar vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) and MRI assessment of lumbar vertebral blood perfusion were performed twice with 8 weeks' interval. A 4.7 cm surface coil was used for receiving radiofrequency signal. Gadolinium-DOTA (0.3 mmol/kg) was injected through the tail vein of the rat as a quick bolus and dynamic MRI scan was carried out on the central sagittal plane of the lumbar spine for 8 min with a temporal resolution of 0.6 s. Blood perfusion parameters of wash-in rate, maximum enhancement and wash-out rate were derived from the dynamic MR images. No vertebral body size and vertebral BMD difference was detected between the two time points (P=0.222 and 0.123, respectively). Wash-in rate was 0.105 (+/-0.016)% and 0.111 (+/-0.018)%, maximum enhancement 126.5 (+/-10.6)% and 129.2 (+/-13.4)%, and wash-out rate 0.788 (+/-0.182)% and 0.792 (+/-0.182)% for the two time points. With these parameters, no difference was found between the two time points with a P value of 0.575, 0.889 and 0.754, respectively. We conclude that dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI measurement of rat vertebral blood perfusion using a 1.5 T clinical scanner and a small surface coil is feasible and reliable. This technique offers a non-invasive means to probe vertebral blood perfusion changes associated with rat disease models.