Diagnostic/Advanced Care

Internal medicine is a broad section of veterinary medicine that means understanding how your pet’s internal body systems function, and in diagnosing and treating the many serious diseases that can affect the health of those systems.

Internal medicine can be acute or chronic disease including but not limited to:

• Upper and lower respiratory disease
• Vascular disease
• Hematologic illnesses
• Urologic and gastrointestinal diseases
• Liver and endocrine diseases
• Immune-mediated and infectious diseases

We offer a variety of diagnostic options along with medical management recommendations including medications and food to ensure the best medical
care for your pet.

Often cardiac problems in pets is detected in normal checkup visits to the vet, who might detect a murmur or some other problem that indicates a heart issue. But it also can show up at home.

For example, if you notice your pet starts

• Coughing
• Having trouble breathing
• Tiring easily
• Develops an intolerance to exercise

That may be a sign that his or her heart isn’t working like it should. That’s when you should bring your pet to see us at Meadowbrook Veterinary Clinic.

Here at Meadowbrook we have a veterinarian who has specialized training and extensive experience with cardiology. We have the capability to perform a full cardiac workup which includes an echocardiogram, chest x-rays, an ECG, and a blood pressure measurement. These results are reviewed by a board certified cardiologist who then gives us a full analysis and recommendations for your pet.

Heart issues are common in both dogs and cats and can affect any breed or age. However certain breeds are more predisposed to cardiac disease such as Cavaliers, Boxers, Dobermans, Toy Poodles, Maine Coons, and Persians.

At Meadowbrook Veterinary Clinic, we have a low-level laser which is a non-invasive treatment option that uses light to accelerate the body’s natural healing processes. It provides a localized region of accelerated cell growth which in turn decreases inflammation and pain. Laser therapy can be used alone or in conjunction with other modalities for pain control.

It’s commonly used to speed up the healing process and treat ailments such as:

• Arthritis
• Acute muscle or joint injuries
• Surgical incisions
• Skin and ear infections

Many different diseases can affect your pet’s skin and coat health. We can provide diagnostic care and long term management to help keep your pet looking and feeling their best.

Signs that your pet may be experiencing skin disease includes: scratching, shaking, licking or biting at self, rubbing at their face.

The most common causes of skin disorders in dogs and cats are: allergies, external parasites, and endocrine disease (imbalance of hormones). Many types of skin issues can be preventive so we always encourage a good quality diet such as Science Diet or Royal Canin, consistent flea and tick prevention, and routine lab work.

We have capabilities to perform skin cytology, cultures, biopsies, and more. For pets with suspected allergies, we can utilize an outside lab in order to perform allergy testing to ensure we find the root cause of your pet’s allergens.

If your pet is experiencing any skin or ear issues, we would love to help you create an individualized treatment plan that works for you and your pet.

At Meadowbrook Veterinary Clinic we have equipped both of our hospitals with advanced imaging capabilities including digital x-ray and ultrasonography.

Advanced imaging provides a non-invasive option for our veterinarians to see inside your pet’s body. Radiographs (aka x-rays) allow us to look for orthopedic disease, gastrointestinal obstructions, internal tumors, lung patterns, heart size, and more. Ultrasounds allow us to look for abnormal blood flow, fluid build up, organ size and shape, and more.

A large number of pets will allow us to perform advanced imaging while fully awake, however if your pet is in pain or becomes too stressed, we can give them a mild sedative to ensure their comfortability.

If further diagnostic imaging is required, such as a CT scan, MRI, or endoscopy, we would be happy to assist you in scheduling the procedure with a university or specialty hospital of your choice.

Both hospitals are equipped with a full in house laboratory to aid in quick answers for when your pet becomes ill. In our laboratories, we have the option to run:

• Complete Blood Count
• Chemistry Analysis
• Thyroid & Cholesterol Level
• Heartworm & Tick Borne Screen
• Feline Infectious Disease Screen
• Parvoviral Screening
• Clotting Times
• Pancreatitis Screen

We also use multiple outside laboratories and universities for additional testing to ensure we can accurately diagnose and treat your pet.