Internal Medicine Specialists For Dogs And Cats
At Veterinary Specialist Partners, our board certified veterinary internal medicine specialists provide advanced diagnosis and personalized treatment for dogs and cats with complex, chronic, or difficult to diagnose conditions. We work closely with pet parents and primary care veterinarians to uncover answers, manage ongoing health concerns, and support each patient’s long term care in Louisville.
What Is Veterinary Internal Medicine?
If your pet has ongoing symptoms that haven’t been explained, a veterinary internal medicine specialist can help identify the cause and create a long-term treatment plan.
Internal medicine is often where answers begin. Many of the pets we see have already undergone initial testing and arrive needing a deeper level of evaluation, expert interpretation, and long-term medical management.
Veterinary internal medicine focuses on diagnosing diseases affecting your pet’s internal organs.
Our specialists commonly diagnose:
- Digestive disease
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Hormonal disease
- Immune diseases
- Respiratory conditions
Our board-certified veterinary internists complete years of advanced training after veterinary school. They undergo residency training and board certification to diagnose and manage medically complex conditions. At VSP, our two DACVIM specialists collaborate with surgeons, cardiologists, neurologists, and emergency veterinarians to provide individualized care.
When Should My Pet See an {Internal Medicine Specialist?}
When your pet’s symptoms don’t have an easy answer, our internal medicine specialists step in to help.
Trained to diagnose and manage complex conditions involving multiple organ systems, they use advanced tools and medical insight to get to the root of the problem—so your pet can get the expert care they need, and you can get the answers you’ve been looking for.
{What Conditions} Does an Internal Medicine Specialist Treat?
Autoimmune Diseases:
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. Our specialists diagnose and manage conditions such as IMHA, IMTP, immune-related polyarthritis, and autoimmune hepatitis.
Cardiac (Heart) Conditions:
Some heart conditions can be managed medically and require ongoing monitoring. We diagnose and treat issues such as heart murmurs, hypertension (high blood pressure), an enlarged heart, and anesthetic evaluations for pets with heart disease.
Gallbladder Disease:
Gallbladder disorders can interfere with digestion and liver function, sometimes causing serious illness if left untreated. Our specialists diagnose and manage gallbladder disease using advanced imaging and medical expertise.
Hemotologic Disorders:
Diseases of the blood and bone marrow can affect your pet’s ability to fight infection, carry oxygen, or clot normally. We diagnose and manage both common and complex hematologic conditions.
Kidney Disease:
Kidney and urinary diseases such as renal failure, kidney stones, infections, and tumors, can affect your pet’s overall health. We diagnose and manage these conditions with advanced testing and ongoing care.
Neurological Disorders:
Some non-surgical neurological problems, such as meningitis (both infectious and sterile) and seizures, may be linked to underlying conditions. Our neurology team helps diagnose and manage complex cases.
Cancer:
Our internal medicine team manages many types of cancer in pets, including lymphoma, leukemia, mast cell disease, and other internal malignancies. Our oncology team provides comprehensive chemotherapy and supportive care.
Endocrine Disorders:
Hormone imbalances can affect many aspects of your pet’s health. We diagnose and manage conditions like Cushing’s disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and disorders of the parathyroid glands (hypoparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism).
Gastrointestinal Diseases:
Chronic digestive symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss often signal an underlying condition. Our specialiss use advanced diagnostics to identify and treat conditions affecting the stomach, intestines, colon, and pancreas, such as pancreatitis.
Infectious Diseases:
Bacterial, viral, fungal, and tick-borne diseases can cause persistent or unexplained illness. We identify the underlying infection and develop targeted treatment plans.
Liver Disease:
The liver is essential to many of your pet’s normal body functions. Our team diagnoses and manages liver diseases such as high enzyme levels, liver failure, and liver tumors.
Nasal Disease:
Chronic sneezing, nasal discharge, or difficulty breathing may be signs of an underlying nasal condition. We use advanced diagnostics to identify the cause and recommend the most appropriate treatment.
Respiratory Disease:
Persistent coughing or breathing changes may indicate an underlying respiratory condition, like lung infections, inflammation, and tracheal collapse. Our specialists use advanced diagnostics to determine the cause and guide treatment.
Unexplained or Complex Medical Conditions
Not every illness has an obvious cause after initial testing. Our team investigates complex cases to uncover answers and guide long-term care.
When Should I Bring My Pet to VSP for {Internal Medicine?}
If your pet shows persistent or unusual symptoms, especially those affecting multiple body systems, our veterinary internal medicine specialists can help. We diagnose and manage complex conditions that require advanced expertise.
Common Reasons for a Consultation:
- Arrhythmias
- Cough, increased respiratory rate, and effort
- Diarrhea
- Fever of unknown origin
- Fluid in the chest or abdomen
- Heart murmur
- Increased or decreased appetite
- Increased drinking/urination
- Lethargy
- Lumps, bumps, and masses
- Muscle loss
- Nasal discharge
- Neurologic dysfunction
- Obesity
- Painful abdomen, swollen abdomen
- Painful joints (some forms of lameness)
- Panting
- Respiratory distress
- Seizures
- Syncope, collapse
- Unexplained bleeding
- Urinary issues, accidents, leakage (incontinence), infection, blood
- Vomiting
- Weakness, ataxia
- Weakness, tremors
- Weight gain
What Advanced Diagnostic Procedures are Available?
Accurate diagnosis is central to internal medicine. Our hospital offers a wide range of advanced diagnostic procedures, many of which are performed by or directly supervised by our internal medicine specialists.
Each procedure page on our site provides detailed explanations of when the test is recommended, how it is performed, and what information it provides.
- Abdominocentesis (removal of fluid from the abdomen)
- Abdominal ultrasound
- BE tube placement
- Blood & plasma transfusions
- Blood pressure
- Bronchoscopy (scope of the trachea and lungs)
- CAT scan of the head and chest
- Cervical ultrasound
- Chemotherapy (comprehensive injectable and oral chemotherapy treatment options, melanoma vaccine, and advanced biologic therapies)
- Renal Scleraltherapy for renal essential hematuria
- Rhinoscopy (scope of the nose)
- Thoracocentesis (removal of fluid from the chest)
- Ultrasound-guided aspirates of masses within the chest and abdomen
- Comprehensive cancer work-ups
- Collagen injections for urinary incontinence
- CSF taps (to obtain spinal fluid for testing)
- Cystoscopy (scope of the bladder)
- Diagnostic ECG
- Ectopic ureter laser ablation
- Endoscopy of the upper and lower GI
- Esophageal ballooning for strictures
- Feeding tube placement (esophageal or gastric)
- Fecal transplantation
- Fine needle aspirate and cytology of external masses
- Subureteral bypass (SUB) placement
- Ultrasound-guided ethanol ablation of the parathyroid glands
- Urohydropropulsion
- Ureteral stenting
- Fluoroscopy for interventional medicine and esophageal motility studies
- Gastric and esophageal foreign body removal via endoscopy
- Holter monitors
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- I-131 Radioactive iodine for hyperthyroid cats
- Joint taps
- Laser lithotripsy
- Nasopharyngeal stenting
- Percutaneous cystolithotomy (PCCL) – removal of bladder stones through a minimally invasive approach
- Pericardiocentesis (removal of fluid from around the heart)
Collaborative, Integrated Care
Internal medicine often overlaps with other areas of specialty care. Many complex conditions affect multiple body systems, which is why our internists work closely with specialists in fields such as:
- Medical neurology
- Cardiopulmonary disease management
- Advanced infectious disease care
Through this collaborative approach, our team evaluates the whole patient rather than focusing on a single organ system in isolation. By sharing insights, diagnostics, and treatment planning across specialties, we are able to develop more accurate diagnoses and more effective individualized care plans for each pet.
Additionally, we are a referral-focused specialty hospital and value close collaboration with primary care veterinarians. Our internists:
Communicate directly with referring doctors
Provide detailed diagnostic summaries and treatment recommendations
Support shared-care and long-term management plans
Our role is to complement primary care, not replace it. We aim to ensure continuity and consistency throughout your pet’s care.
What to Expect, Ongoing Support, and {Next Steps}
Internal medicine consultations are typically more comprehensive than routine veterinary visits and are designed to provide a thorough understanding of your pet’s health. During your appointment, our team may:
- Review prior medical records and diagnostic results
- Discuss your pet’s medical history in detail
- Perform a focused physical examination
- Develop a prioritized diagnostic and treatment plan
Because many medical cases are complex, some answers require staged diagnostics or follow up testing over time. Throughout this process, our goal is to provide clarity, thoughtful recommendations, and transparent communication at every step.
We believe informed pet parents are essential partners in care. In addition to in-hospital services, we offer educational resources on common conditions and procedures managed by our internal medicine team. These include condition-specific articles, procedure explanations, and frequently asked questions to help you understand what to expect and why certain diagnostics or treatments may be recommended.
Internal medicine consultations are typically scheduled by referral. If you are a pet parent with questions about whether advanced internal medicine evaluation is appropriate, our team is always available to help guide your next steps and coordinate care with your primary veterinarian.
{Emergency Treatment} for Pets
Our internal medicine specialists work closely with the urgent care team to support pets experiencing serious or complex medical issues.
Their expertise allows for faster diagnosis and more advanced treatment when time matters—helping guide care decisions and improving outcomes for pets in critical need during hospital hours.