What is a Board Certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist?
Just as your own primary care doctor might send you to a specialist to address an unusual or difficult problem, your family veterinarian may feel your pet requires a specialist to diagnose and treat certain conditions.
Veterinary Internal Medicine specialists have several years of advanced training in Internal Medicine beyond veterinary college. Board certified Internal Medicine specialists have achieved the highest level of specialization in veterinary medicine that is possible. They have done both an internship and residency, published scientific publications and passed rigorous examinations therefore meeting all the criteria established by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Many years of concentrated training has focused their knowledge and skills to improve their ability to diagnose and treat the problem presented. Internists are sometimes called “the puzzle solvers of veterinary medicine.” In order to create a complete picture of a pet’s health issues, internists collect and match the many pieces of information they can glean from the patient’s history, clinical signs, lab results and imaging studies, and special testing.
Specialists work closely with your family veterinarian to help provide complete veterinary care for your pet by giving second opinions on difficult cases, providing specialized hospitalization and therapies if required and performing complex diagnostic procedures.
Consultations and outpatient diagnostics are available at our main facility in Hopewell Junction with board-certified specialist Dr. John Broussard. For an appointment, please call Tara, our referral coordinator, at 845-223-8682. Or have your general practice veterinarian complete the form in the referral forms section of this website.
The Internal Medicine service at the Hudson Highlands Veterinary Medical Group specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of serious health problems of dogs and cats including:
- Metabolic diseases, such as pancreatitis
- Infectious diseases, such as tick borne and fungal diseases
- Endocrine disease, such as diabetes, Cushing’s and Addison’s disease, and hyperthyroidism
- Hematological disease, such as immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and thrombocytopenia (IMT)
- Gastrointestinal disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease, protein-losing enteropathy
- Liver disease, such as chronic hepatitis and hepatic lipidosis
- Renal disease, such as acute or chronic renal failure
- Lower urinary diseases, such as urinary incontinence and urinary tract infection
- Fever of unknown origin
Your Visit
The internist is available by appointment to help you and your pet with their medical needs. We know that this is a stressful time for all pet parents and their furry companions. One on one consultation allows our specialist to get a complete medical history, examine your pet, and discuss treatment options available. Our goal is to provide you with the information you need to help you through this difficult time and make the best decisions possible for your pet. By providing you with second opinions and advanced treatment options, we work as a team with your family veterinarian to provide complete medical care for your special family member. It is very helpful if you can fill out our online questionnaire prior to your scheduled appointment.
Internal Medicine Services and Procedures
- High resolution ultrasonography (abdominal, cervical, thoracic, appendicular) with fine-needle aspirates
- Endoscopy with high definition video
- Upper and lower gastroenteroscopy
- Foreign body retrieval
- Bronchoalveolar lavage
- Glucose curves
- Bone marrow aspiration and core biopsy
- Blood pressure and pulse oximetry monitoring
- Selected chemotherapy
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a tool that Internal Medicine specialists use to help diagnose illnesses in pets. Ultrasound is safe, comfortable and non-invasive diagnostic tool used to diagnose abnormalities such as a tumor in the liver or spleen, enlarged adrenal glands, inflamed pancreas, thickened intestines or abnormal kidney size. We are also able to use our ultrasound machine to perform ultrasound guided fine needle aspirates or collect biopsies. These procedures allow us to gather fluid samples or tissues for analysis and to aid in diagnosis. Our internist is using the new state-of-art high-level ultrasound system to pick up every detail and assure an accurate diagnosis.
Endoscopy
Endoscopy allows our Internal Medicine specialist to visualize the internal organs of patients by using a scope that projects the live image on to a monitor. We can visualize the patient’s internal organs, in real time, just like live television. There are several different types of endoscopic procedures offered at our clinic. Flexible endoscopes are used to examine the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach and small intestines, or passed through the rectum for colon biopsies. Foreign bodies can be removed without the need for invasive surgery.
Endoscopic procedures do require general anesthesia. However, with this non-invasive procedure most pets are able to rejoin their families the same day and will have minimal to no exercise restrictions following the procedure.
