A senior veterinary student will escort you to an exam room to take the clinical history and perform a physical examination. The student will present the case to the clinician, who will also perform a complete and thorough physical examination and review of the medical records you brought with you (previous test results, treatments, etc). Based on these initial findings and your animal’s condition, the clinician will make recommendations regarding further work-up and treatment. Many times your veterinarian will already have discussed some of these with you. Some examples include:

• Advanced laboratory testing of various tissue and blood samples.
• Diagnostic Imaging - ultrasound, radiography (x-rays), CT scan, MRI, fluoroscopy
• Biopsies of bone marrow, internal organs, or masses
• Endoscopy
• Feeding tube placement

Internal Medicine work-ups can be lengthy. Please allow 1 – 2 hours for the first consultation with the internist. Some advanced testing require hours to complete, therefore the entire visit may take all day. Sometimes an overnight stay is needed, particularly if anesthesia is necessary.

Many of these techniques require anesthesia and a stay in the hospital. The length of stay and the costs associated with these procedures will be discussed with you so that you can make an informed decision.