We offer a host different services in regards to internal medicine. Internal medicine covers almost all veterinary services that are not surgical. Here are some of the branches and what they include:
Cardiology: Diagnosing and managing heart disease. We will often utilize both X-rays and ultrasound to diagnose the disease and, depending on the diagnosis, we work with you to put together a management plan to best manage the condition. The most common clinical signs are coughing, respiratory distress, exercise intolerance or a combination of two or more. Some the most common heart conditions we see are:
- Mitral valve disease
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)d
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
Gastroenterology: Diagnosing and managing intestinal disease. Many of our feline patients will develop chronic or periodic intestinal disease. We also see a lot of dogs with chronic intestinal disease. Some of the common conditions we see are:
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) – Similar to IBS in people, the body deposits inflammatory cells along the intestinal tract causing inflammation and discomfort.
- Pancreatitis – Inflamed pancreas, often manifests by vomiting or discomfort
- Colitis – Inflammation of the colon, we will see soft stool to watery diarrhea, sometimes with blood in the stool.
Pulmonary disease: Conditions that affect the air passages, something as simple as an upper respiratory tract infection to something as serious as pneumonia
Endocrinology (Hormonal imbalances): An overactive adrenal gland can cause patients to pant, drink water, shed fur and eat excessively. An underactive adrenal gland will cause electrolyte imbalances and initially might manifest as the pet not doing well, then developing intestinal signs and may progress to a life threatening situation called an Addisonian Crisis.
Hyperthyroidism: commonly seen in cats is a result of an overactive thyroid gland, it will cause older cats to lose weight, drink excessively, vomit sometimes, and eat more. Hypothyroidism is commonly seen in older dogs who will become more sluggish, eat the same amount yet gain weight, or develop some skin conditions.
Diabetes: a well-known condition that affects the blood glucose and if left undiagnosed or untreated for a long period of time, it can become life threatening.
Ophthalmology: Different conditions can affect our pets’ eyes. A simple exam will help us diagnose something as easy to manage as conjunctivitis, to something as complex as glaucoma.
Musculoskeletal: Limping pets are always heart-breaking because we can see that there is some sort of pain/discomfort. Limping can be due to something as simple as an infection in the foot pad, easily resolved with some medication, to something as serious as a torn ACL that needs surgical management. The physical exam, orthopedic exam and radiographs help us diagnose the problem and come up with a management plan.
Urinary: Accidents in the house are no fun to clean up and a lot of times are a source of shame/embarrassment for our pets that can’t help themselves because they have a urinary tract infection or a bladder stone. Increased frequency of urination, blood in the urine, licking excessively, accidents in the house, or straining to urinate can all be clinical signs that your pet has urinary tract disease. Among the things we often see are:
- Microscopic crystals in the urine
- Bladder stones
- Urinary tract infections
- Growths within the bladder
