Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine at BVSC

Primary care veterinarians deal with clinical problems every day and they are good at unravelling complex diagnostic puzzles but there are times when very difficult puzzles arise and they need help. The range of complex diagnoses that our internal medicine team deal with daily requires them to be extremely knowledgeable and skilful as well as being compassionate educators. They have state of the art equipment and the best technology available to them as well as caring, highly trained and hardworking nursing staff.

We know that it takes a team working in collaboration to produce the best results and our internal medicine clinicians and nurses establish close relationships with your primary care veterinary team so that your pets’ problems are quickly and accurately diagnosed and treated effectively.

Collaboration between specialities continues within the hospital at BVSC so that animals seamlessly transition between services while maintaining continuity of care. Everyone at BVSC is focussed on the patient and delivering our signature specialist care with compassion.

We believe that pets are family. Our internal medicine team are dedicated to your pets’ health and with all the knowledge, skill and technology available at BVSC, your pet will get the best care they deserve.

primary-care-veterinarians

Nurse Yudy and Nurse Momoko preparing patient Coco for chemotherapy treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What diseases are treated by Internal Medicine?

The scope and range of small animal internal medicine includes many sub disciplines such as gastroenterology (oesophageal, stomach and intestinal disease), hepatology (liver and pancreatic disease), endocrinology (hormonal disease), infectious diseases, urology (urinary tract disease), nephrology (kidney disease), respiratory medicine (nose, airway and lung disease), and haematology and immunology (blood cell and immune-disease). In many cases, the problems of a patient may include many of these organ systems. Our internal medicine specialists also expertly manage dogs and cats with neurologic, cardiovascular or cancerous diseases.

What is an Internal Medicine Specialist?

A veterinary internal medicine specialist is a veterinarian who has completed advanced training in internal medicine following graduation with a veterinary degree. In human medicine, internists are often considered to be primary care providers, however in veterinary medicine they are considered specialists.

After graduation with a veterinary degree, internal medicine specialists usually complete a one-year small animal rotating internship or several years in a high-level primary care practice or emergency rooms before starting a residency. Completing a residency requires many hours of dedication and hard work as well as intensive study. These two to three-year residencies are intended to improve procedural skills, establish productive clinical research and refine the approach to diagnostic and therapeutic plans. The residency training culminates in a comprehensive examination process covering all aspects of veterinary small animal internal medicine. Once these requirements have been fulfilled, the veterinarian is conferred as either a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Science (FANZCVS), a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (DACVIM) or a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (DECVIM). The Veterinary Surgeons Board can then register them as specialists.

How do I obtain an appointment for my pet?

Once your primary care veterinarian has identified or suspects a disease requiring specialist care, he or she will arrange for transfer of care to our internal medicine team. Our client services team will ensure this is an easy process for you and will ensure your pet is seen at BVSC by the specialist team they need. Your veterinarian will be kept informed and can be involved in the ongoing care of your pet since all our veterinarians work closely and collaboratively to ensure your pet gets the very best care.

What if my pet has a problem that requires input from a specialist in another area?

This is a particular strong suit of BVSC. We surround every patient with our specialist resources. Our specialists collaborate, discuss cases and share information continuously. We meet every morning to review each and every in-hospital patient. For instance, if your internal medicine specialist thinks your pet would benefit from surgery, at BVSC we have specialist surgeons right here to give your pet the best care they deserve. Of course you will be involved in every single decision and you will be completely informed. Our teams ensure everything is carefully explained in language we all can understand.

Along with seeing cases within BVSC, our specialists are leaders in clinical research developing new tests and treatments. They funnel cutting edge information and research breakthroughs to other veterinarians world-wide to improve the veterinary community’s quality of medicine by speaking at continuing education events, publishing research papers and review articles as well as consulting with primary care veterinarians one-on-one for individual case management.