The internal medicine specialists of the Louisiana Veterinary Referral Center are ready to diagnose and treat the most critically ill patients ranging from those with congestive heart failure and diabetes to those who present with a recently acquired esophageal or gastric foreign body. The internal medicine team is also able to schedule appointments at your veterinarian’s referral for cardiac evaluations or abdominal ultrasounds to aid in the diagnosis of your pet. We will work with your veterinarian to ensure that the most aggressive yet realistic treatment options are available to you and your pet. We also work in conjunction with our dermatology, oncology and surgery services to expedite the diagnosis and treatment of your pet.

Commonly used diagnostic modalities:

• Endoscopy
• Ultrasonography
• Other advanced diagnostics and services

• Bronchoscopy: used to visualize and evaluate the upper and lower airways with a scope; also used to collect cells from lower airways to evaluate lung disease
• Colonoscopy: used to visualize and obtain biopsy samples of the colon
• Cystoscopy: used to evaluate the inside of the urethra and bladder in female dogs
• Esophageal and gastric (stomach) foreign body retrieval
• Gastroduodenoscopy: used to visualize and obtain biopsy samples from the stomach and first part of the small intestines (duodenum)
• P.E.G. Tube (feeding tube) placement in pets that are temporarily or permanently unable to eat
• Rhinoscopy: used to visualize the nasal cavity to diagnose nasal foreign bodies, fungal disease, or nasal tumors

• Abdominal ultrasonography: for evaluation of the liver, gall bladder, kidneys, adrenal glands, urinary bladder, gastrointestinal tract and prostate for gross structural abnormalities
• Echocardiography: used to evaluate heart muscle function, valvular structure and function, heart wall thickness, and blood flow through the heart chambers
• Thoracic cavity evaluation: used to evaluate for thoracic masses, enlarged thoracic lymph nodes
• Ultrasound guided biopsies and fine needle aspirates

• Blood pressure
• Bone marrow aspiration
• CSF (Cerebrospinal fluid) taps
• Cross matching and blood transfusions
• ECG
• MRI
• Oxygen therapy (intra nasal and cage)

Commonly diagnosed and treated disease processes:

• Diseases of the cardiovascular system
• Endocrine disorders
• Immune mediated disorders
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal system
• Diseases of the urogenital system
• Disease of the respiratory system

• Arrhythmias
• Cardiomyopathies
• Congestive heart failure
• Valvular diseases

• Addison’s diseaseCushing’s diseaseDiabetes mellitusHyperthyroidism
• Hypothyroidism

• Bone marrow diseaseImmune mediated hemolytic anemia
• Immune mediated thrombocytopenia

• Inflammatory bowel diseaseLiver diseasePancreatitis
• Protein losing enteropathies

• Chronic kidney diseaseProtein losing nephropathiesPyelonephritis
• Renal toxins

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Nasal foreign bodies
• Nasal tumors
• Pneumonia
  • Bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic
• Rhinitis

Emergency procedures:

• Abdominocentesis
• Esophageal or gastric foreign body retrieval
• Pericardiocentesis
• Thoracocentesis
• Stabilization of your pet with treatments such as oxygen therapy, blood transfusions, fluid therapy