Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine is an extensive and comprehensive specialty, covering a wide range of disease processes that require long term treatment. Your Primary care veterinarian may encourage a referral to our Internal Medicine department if conventional diagnostic tests are inconclusive or if your pet is not responding as expected to appropriate treatment.
The Internal Medicine team at North Springs Veterinary Referral Center is committed to enhancing your pet’s quality of life by utilizing a collaborative approach, cutting-edge techniques, and compassionate care.
Common Conditions Treated by a Internist
- Endocrine Disease
- Hematologic Disorders
- Kidney Diseases
- Respiratory Disease
- Gastrointestinal Disease
- Immune-Mediated Disease
- Pulmonary Hypertension
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During your appointment, the Internal medicine team will start by obtaining a complete medical history and performing a thorough physical examination on your pet. This will allow for comprehensive diagnostic test recommendations and personalized treatment plans to help your pet feel their best.
Internal Medicine Services
Sampling the airway involves depositing sterile fluid into the airways then collecting it to analyze what cell types and infectious agents may be present.
Joint pain/swelling can happen for a number of reasons in pets. This procedure involves sampling of fluid from one or more joints and analyzing it to better understand why your pet has joint pain/swelling.
This is a separation of whole blood into its individual components that are given to your pet from a donor animal to optimize individual therapeutic success based on their disease process.
Blood cell disorders can occur due to a lack of production, over production or destruction by the bone marrow. Bone marrow aspirates and biopsies can better characterize the cause of the blood cell disorder.
Performed when your pet has disease of the airways.
Performed when your pet has disease of the colon.
X-rays performed on various regions of the body depending on your pet’s symptoms can broadly identify the diseased area and help guide additional tests that need to be performed to diagnose your pet’s disease and target therapy.
This procedure may be performed when there is a narrowing of the esophagus inhibiting passage of food and water into the stomach.
Many pets that are ill either cannot, or will not eat. The placement of feeding tubes with individual nutritional plans will help them recover from their illness as fast as possible and will provide the ability to administer medications easily at home.
Let’s face it, animals eat dumb stuff sometimes. If the inappropriate item remains within the esophagus or stomach, it may be able to be removed using an endoscopic technique to avoid surgery.
These procedures involve using a needle or catheter to remove free fluid from within the abdomen (abdominocentesis) or chest (thoracocentesis). Accumulation of fluid in the body cavities can occur for a variety of reasons.
Performed when your pet has disease of the nasal passages.
Our Internal Medicine team has extensive training performing and interpreting specialized blood work that may not be available at all primary care veterinary offices. These tests are helpful in evaluating the nuances of each condition and individual pet to elevate the level of care that can be provided.
Ultrasound waves are used to non-invasively image the abdominal and thoracic cavities for signs of diseased tissue that may be causing your pet’s symptoms. This test provides greater detail compared to x-rays. This procedure can typically be performed without sedation; occasionally, light sedation is necessary.
This technique involves using ultrasound to guide sampling of diseased tissue to evaluate it under a microscope.
Performed when your pet has disease of the esophagus, stomach and small intestines.
Performed when your pet has disease of the urinary bladder or urethra.
A CT scan is used when more advanced imaging is required to diagnose and/or treat your pets illness. It uses x-rays beams in multiple planes to create a detailed image of your pets body. This requires heavy sedation or general anesthesia.
I-131 Therapy is performed in cats with hyperthyroidism (overproduction of thyroid hormone). It is intended to be a permanent treatment for hyperthyroidism without the use of long term oral medications and is effective in 95% of cases. The treatment involves injection of a radioactive isotope that specifically targets overactive thyroid tissue and eliminates it thus returning your cat’s thyroid hormone level back to normal.
Reliable Communication
You will have access to the Specialty teams during normal business hours for follow-up questions or concerns via phone, e- mail, or in person appointments.
The Specialty teams will have direct communication with your primary care veterinarian to maintain a collaborative approach to your pets’ medical care. If you or your primary care veterinarian have any questions regarding any diagnostics or procedures, please contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions.
Our Emergency team is available 24-7 for urgent attention that cannot wait.
