Internal Medicine

General practitioners can handle many aspects of your pet’s care, but there are times when a specialist’s expertise leads to better outcomes for your pet. Just as your primary care physician might refer you to a specialist, your veterinarian may refer your pet to an internal medicine specialist for more advanced diagnostics and treatment. Internal medicine specialists are uniquely equipped to manage complicated cases, especially for pets that face multiple health conditions at once. Our internal medicine specialists’ expertise covers several body systems, including endocrine, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematologic, immune, and respiratory. They often collaborate with our Cardiology, Critical Care, Radiology, Surgery, and Oncology services to provide comprehensive care to our patients.

Symptoms

Any of the following symptoms may warrant further workup with one of our internal medicine specialists.

Coughing
Sneezing
Nasal discharge
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Trouble swallowing
Trouble defecating
Difficult or painful urination
Swollen and/or painful joints

Diagnostic Modalities

Our internal medicine specialists use an array of advanced diagnostic modalities to make diagnoses.

Arthrocentesis (obtaining joint fluid)
Blood pressure measurement
Bone marrow biopsy
Bronchoscopy
Computed tomography (CT)
Endoscopy
Fluoroscopy
Laboratory testing
Radiography
Rhinoscopy
Ultrasonography
Cystscopy

Treatments

At AESC, our internal medicine service offers various treatments to address these complex medical conditions. Each treatment plan is tailored to the individual pet’s needs, and our internal medicine specialists consider factors like age, overall health, and lifestyle in designing a treatment plan.

Blood and plasma transfusions
Medications:

» Antibiotics
» Anti-hypertensives
» Blood thinners
» Hormone replacement
» Hormone suppression
» Immunosuppressants
» Inhalers
» Insulin

Prescription and home-cooked diets

Procedures

Balloon dilatation for nasopharyngeal stenosis
Ectopic ureter ablation
Lithotripsy

Diseases Treated by Internal Medicine

Endocrine

The endocrine system encompasses the body’s hormones produced by the adrenal, pituitary, parathyroid, and thyroid glands, as well as the pancreas and hypothalamus. Ultrasonography and laboratory testing are commonly used to diagnose endocrine diseases.

Addison’s disease (hypoadrenocorticism)
Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism)
Diabetes insipidus
Diabetes mellitus
Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal disease encompasses disorders of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, gall bladder, and pancreas. Ultrasonography, endoscopy, fluoroscopy, and laboratory testing are integral to diagnosing gastrointestinal disease.

Esophageal dysmotility
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
Food allergies
Inflammatory bowel disease

Hematologic

Hematology is the study of blood and its components, including red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells, and elements required for blood clotting. Blood testing and bone marrow biopsies are used to diagnose hematologic diseases.

Coagulopathies
Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia
Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia
Polycythemia

Hepatobiliary

The hepatobiliary system consists of the liver and gall bladder. Hepatobiliary disease can be diagnosed with a combination of abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, biopsy, and special laboratory tests.

Chronic active hepatitis
Cholangiohepatitis
Copper storage disease
Portosystemic shunt

Infectious

Viruses, parasites, and bacteria can cause a multitude of diseases that affect any body system.

Immune-mediated

The immune system works to identify and eliminate viruses, parasites, and bacteria, However, the immune system can malfunction and start attacking the body itself. This is known as immune-mediated or autoimmune disease.

Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia
Immune-mediated polyarthritis
Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia

Genitourinary

The genitourinary system contains the kidneys, ureter, bladder, urethra, and reproductive organs. Radiography, ultrasonography, and laboratory testing are integral to diagnosing genitourinary disease.

Acute and chronic kidney disease
Urolithiasis (bladder stones)
Chronic, recurrent or resistant urinary tract infections
Ectopic ureter
Incontinence

Respiratory

The respiratory tract can be divided into the upper (nose, mouth, larynx, and trachea) and lower (bronchi and lungs) airways. Aside from traditional radiography, our advanced diagnostic capabilities allow us visualize the respiratory tract via rhinoscopy, bronchoscopy, and CT scan.