972.437.9499
office
972.680.9233
fax
12101 Greenville Ave
Suite 114
Dallas, TX 75243
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday-Friday
7 am - 6 pm
By
Appointment Only
OUR DOCTORS:
Cheryl K. Harris,
DVM, ACVIM
Philip L. Treuil,
DVM, MS, ACVR
Héctor J. Encarnación,
DVM
Christine Rees,
DVM, ACVD
Jennifer Wiley,
DVM
|
Internal Medicine for Small Animals
Internal medicine is a medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of small animal veterinary patients.
A board-certified internist is a licensed veterinarian who has undertaken further specialty training in the discipline of veterinary internal medicine and is certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in the specialty of small animal internal medicine.
Veterinarians who have undertaken this medical discipline have completed four years of veterinary school, one-year small animal internship in medicine and surgery, and a two or three year small animal internal medicine residency.
Veterinary Internal Medicine encompasses the disciplines of endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, immunology, infectious disease, nephrology/urology and respiratory disease. Veterinary internists are trained to handle a multitude of medical problems whether rare or complex. It is not uncommon for our small animal veterinary patients to have many concurrent diseases. Treatment for one disease may enhance the treatment for another disease.
- Common endocrine diseases are hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease), hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease), diabetes mellitus, canine hypothyroidism and feline hyperthyroidism.
- Examples of gastroenterological diseases are inflammatory bowel disease, megaesophagus and feline megacolon.
- Immunological diseases commonly treated by veterinary internists are immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and polyarthritis.
Veterinary internists commonly diagnose and implement therapy for other medical conditions such as neoplasia (cancer) and heart failure. Specialized procedures that veterinary internists perform include gastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, rhinoscopy, abdominal ultrasound, tissue biopsy, echocardiogram, laparoscopy, bone marrow biopsy, and joint aspiration. Specialized therapeutic interventions include central venous access catheters, blood pressure and continuous electrocardiogram monitoring.
What should I expect during a visit with a Board-certified Small Animal Internist?
The internist will perform a complete and thorough physical examination of your animal, and based on these initial findings, additional tests will be discussed. Depending on your animal’s condition, diagnostic testing or treatments may include:
- Advanced laboratory testing of various tissue and blood samples.
- Diagnostic Imaging – ultrasound, radiography (x-rays), CT scans, MRIs
- Biopsies of masses, internal organs, or bone marrow
- Echocardiography/Ultrasound of the heart
- Electrocardiography (ECG) – electrical reading of the heart’s rhythm
- Endoscopy – bronchoscopy (lungs), cystoscopy (bladder & urethra), gastroduodenoscopy (stomach & upper intestines), rhinoscopy (nasal cavity), laparoscopy (minimally invasive surgery for biopsies of internal organs)
- Feeding tube placement
- Nutrition consultations
For those who are interested “Internal Medicine” comes from the German term Innere Medizin. The term was popularized in Germany in the late 1800s to describe physicians who combined the science of the laboratory with the care of patients. This medical field was subsequently brought to the United States after American doctors studied in Germany.
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Veterinary Specialists of North Texas & Animal Cancer Center
12101 Greenville Ave., Suite 114
Dallas, TX, 75243
972.437.9499