Internal Medicine
General veterinary medicine, which includes regular wellness and preventative care, focuses on preventing illness and keeping pets healthy. However, when a pet isn’t feeling well due to an acute or chronic internal condition, systemic disease, or congenital problem, veterinary medicine needs to dig deeper to diagnose and address the medical problem. This is where the internal medicine veterinarians at Pacific Animal Hospital come in.
What Is Internal Medicine?
Internal medicine concerns the more complex problems and deeper issues associated with internal diseases that affect entire systems at work in your pet. For example, a veterinary internist might address problems that affect your pet’s metabolism, digestion, or circulatory system. These types of diseases have wide-reaching effects and similar symptoms that can make them more difficult to diagnose and manage.
Veterinary Conditions Addressed by Internal Medicine
A veterinary internist is highly familiar with treating conditions that arise across a wide range of veterinary fields such as:
- Age-related disease
- Cardiology (high blood pressure or heart disease)
- Endocrinology (diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Cushing's disease)
- Gastroenterology (disorders of the digestive system)
- Hematology and Immunology (immunodeficiencies and white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet disorders)
- Infectious Disease (bacterial, fungal, viral, and other contagious diseases)
- Oncology (cancers)
- Respiratory Disease (disorders associated with the respiratory system)
- Urology and Nephrology (kidney and bladder diseases)
Any illness, injury, medical condition, or congenital disorder that systemically affects an animal’s health would fall under the category of internal medicine.
Effective Disease Treatment and Management with Advanced Veterinary Diagnostics
Any veterinarian can relieve a pet’s symptoms by masking the associated discomfort with medications. Internal veterinary medicine specialists, however, aim to stop the symptoms by addressing the underlying problem that’s causing them.
Reaching an accurate diagnosis of the underlying concern is essential to safely and effectively eradicating symptoms, administering treatment, and managing systemic diseases. With our robust in-house diagnostic capabilities, our veterinarians have the diagnostic tools at-hand to swiftly and accurately diagnose disease in our patients.
When to Schedule an Internal Medicine Appointment for Your Pet
Symptoms of systemic issues can vary greatly, depending on the pet and the problem. We recommend scheduling an appointment for your pet anytime you notice any symptoms of illness (vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, seizure, collapse, or lethargy) or anytime you observe changes in your pet’s appearance, behavior, energy level, and/or appetite.
Internal Medicine Veterinary Specialists in Redondo Beach
Pacific Animal Hospital’s team of veterinary experts provide internal medicine to patients in Redondo Beach. From diagnosis and initial treatment to ongoing disease management, our veterinarians are committed to helping our patients live their best possible lives. To learn more or schedule an internal medicine appointment for your cat or dog, we welcome you to contact us today.
