If your pet is exhibiting signs of illness or injury and you’re looking for specialized veterinary care, it may be time to visit a veterinary internal medicine specialist. Veterinary internal medicine specialists are veterinarians who have gone the extra mile in their education and training to focus on the diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases and conditions that affect small animals like cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, and other pets.
Before you go to the appointment with your pet, it’s important to understand what you can expect from an appointment with a veterinary internal medicine specialist.
The Initial Visit
When you first meet with a veterinary internal medicine specialist, they will ask questions about your pet’s medical history and current condition. They may also take blood samples or perform other tests in order to get a better understanding of what is causing your pet’s symptoms. In some cases, they may refer you back to your regular veterinarian for additional testing before making any treatment recommendation.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Once the diagnostic tests are completed, your vet will review the results with you and discuss any potential treatment recommendations. Depending on the condition being treated, this could involve medications or surgery. The vet may also recommend lifestyle changes such as dietary modifications or exercise restrictions during recovery time. In some cases where the condition is more severe, referral for further specialty care may be necessary in order to provide optimal care for your pet.
Follow Up Care & Monitoring
After treatment has been started or referred out for specialty care, periodic follow up visits are necessary in order to monitor progress over time. During these visits your vet will review lab work results and ask about how things have been going since the last visit so that any adjustments can be made if needed. It’s important that these follow up visits occur as recommended by your veterinarian so that progress can be monitored appropriately over time.
Conclusion
Visiting an internal medicine specialty clinic can help ensure that your pet gets all of the specialized care they need when dealing with chronic or acute illnesses or injuries related to their internal organs or systems. During an appointment with a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist you can expect questions about medical history as well as diagnostic testing so that an accurate diagnosis can be made followed by discussion of potential treatments options available for managing their condition over time along with follow up monitoring visits as needed down the road.. For more information about Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialists at Golden Gate Veterinary Specialists contact us today!