Internal Medicine is a specialty branch of veterinary medicine involving the treatment and management of more complex conditions affecting pets’ internal organs that often coincide with chronic illnesses. Conditions that cannot be effectively managed by your family veterinarian alone will often receive a consult or be referred to an internal medicine specialist to receive a second opinion or to pursue more advanced care options.
What is a Veterinary Internist?
Board-certified internal medicine specialists (or internists) have not only completed the traditional educational and licensing requirements to become a veterinarian but also completed one additional year of an intensive internship and completed additional years of resident specialized training. In addition, internists must publish peer-reviewed research and pass board examinations to become board-certified Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (DACVIM).
Internal medicine specialists have a deep understanding of the multifaceted interactions that occur between a pet’s body systems and have the knowledge and skills to treat underlying causes of diseases in dogs and cats.
Veterinary internists are often considered highly advanced puzzle solvers who work closely with your primary care veterinarian to find a diagnosis for your pet and form an appropriate treatment plan that will provide your pet with the highest possible quality of life.
What Conditions Are Referred to Internal Medicine?
Veterinary internists treat a wide array of diseases that affect internal organs and body systems in pets. Some of these include the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, endocrine glands, lungs, blood, bone marrow, and reproductive system.
Some of the most common diseases treated within veterinary internal medicine include:
Diabetes
Cushings
Immune Disorders
Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
Infectious Diseases – e.g., tick-borne and fungal diseases
Hematological (blood) Diseases - such as Anemia
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Liver Diseases including Hepatitis
Gallbladder and Pancreatic diseases
Acute or Chronic Kidney Failure
Pneumonia
Bronchitis
Asthma
Urinary incontinence and tract infections
Unexplained fever, weight loss, diarrhea, or vomiting
Conditions causing sneezing or coughing
Your pet may be diagnosed with one of these conditions by your family veterinarian and then referred to an internal medicine specialist to receive more rigorous and advanced treatment. Or your pet may be displaying symptoms that cannot be diagnosed at your primary care clinic. In these cases, your pet may be referred to an internist with more specialized diagnostic capabilities to find the root cause of your pet’s illness.
Treatments Provided by Internal Medicine
Depending on the disease in question or the symptoms your pet is suffering from, your pet’s treatment options will vary significantly. Our Thrive primary and specialty care providers prioritize client education and whole-team communication so we can work together to guide and support you in choosing the best course of action to help your pet.
Some conditions, like diabetes and endocrine disorders, can often be managed on an outpatient basis with medications and regular monitoring from both your primary care veterinarian and your internist. However, more acute conditions, like pneumonia or kidney failure, may require hospitalization and more intensive hands-on care from your internist.
At Thrive Pet Healthcare, the extensive training of our internal medicine specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and pathologies, combined with our advanced medical technology, allow our teams to implement the very best veterinary treatments available to help your pet thrive.
