What Is Veterinary Internal Medicine?

Veterinary Internal Medicine focuses on diagnosing and managing complex diseases affecting the body’s internal organ systems.

Board-certified veterinary internists have advanced training in gastrointestinal, liver, kidney, endocrine, respiratory, urinary, immune-mediated, infectious, and other complex diseases. Because many illnesses produce vague or overlapping clinical signs, internists are trained to investigate challenging cases methodically and integrate findings from multiple diagnostic tests to develop an individualized diagnostic and treatment plan.

Why Choose A Board-Certified Internal Medicine Specialist?

Board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialists complete extensive advanced training beyond veterinary school, including an internship or equivalent clinical training, an intensive specialty residency, and rigorous certification requirements established by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).

This expertise is particularly valuable when clinical signs are nonspecific, multiple organ systems are involved, or diagnostic findings must be interpreted within the context of a complicated medical history.

The value of specialty evaluation extends beyond performing a diagnostic test. An internist considers how imaging findings, laboratory abnormalities, physical examination findings, medications, and disease processes relate to one another. This comprehensive approach can help determine which abnormalities are clinically significant, identify appropriate next steps, and develop a more targeted diagnostic and treatment plan.

At West Texas Veterinary Specialist, Kirk Sears, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), combines this advanced medical training with extensive experience in diagnostic imaging, endoscopy, and minimally invasive diagnostic procedures to investigate challenging medical conditions in collaboration with the referring veterinarian.

CONDITIONS WE COMMONLY EVALUATE

Our Internal Medicine service evaluates a wide range of complex medical conditions in dogs and cats, including:

Gastrointestinal & Pancreatic Disease

• Acute and Chronic vomiting or diarrhea
• Unexplained weight loss
• Inflammatory and protein-losing intestinal disease
• Chronic or recurrent pancreatitis

Liver & Gallbladder Disease

• Persistent liver enzyme elevations
• Hepatitis and chronic liver disease
• Gallbladder disorders
• Portosystemic shunts and liver abnormalities

Kidney & Urinary Disease

• Chronic or acute kidney disease
• Protein-losing kidney disease
• Persistent urinary abnormalities
• Complex electrolyte disorders

Endocrine & Metabolic Disease

• Diabetes mellitus
• Addison’s and Cushing’s disease
• Thyroid and adrenal disorders
• Calcium and other metabolic abnormalities

Respiratory Disease

• Chronic cough or airway disease
• Chronic nasal disease
• Pneumonia
• Pleural and pulmonary disease

Immune-Mediated, Infectious & Complex Disease

• Immune-mediated disorders
• Fever of unknown origin
• Tick-borne and fungal diseases
• Persistent inflammatory disease
• Unexplained or multi-system illness

Advanced Diagnostics & Procedures

Advanced diagnostic equipment is most valuable when its findings are interpreted within the context of the entire patient. Our Internal Medicine service combines board-certified expertise with advanced diagnostic capabilities including ultrasound, echocardiography, CT, endoscopy, and fluoroscopy, as well as minimally invasive diagnostic procedures.

This allows diagnostic findings to be considered alongside the patient’s history, physical examination, laboratory abnormalities, previous treatments, and other test results—helping determine not only what an abnormality is, but whether it explains the patient’s illness and what should happen next.

Specialist Expertise In Ultrasound & Echocardiography

Ultrasound and echocardiography are important components of our Internal Medicine service.

As a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist, Kirk Sears, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), has extensive advanced training and experience performing and interpreting abdominal ultrasound examinations and echocardiograms. Because imaging findings can be subtle and their significance can vary depending on the patient’s underlying disease, specialist interpretation involves more than simply identifying abnormalities on an image.

Kirk Sears, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), integrates imaging findings with the patient’s clinical history, physical examination, laboratory results, and other diagnostic testing to determine their significance and guide the next steps in the diagnostic plan. When appropriate, ultrasound can also guide fine-needle aspiration and tissue biopsy for targeted diagnostic sampling.

• Learn More About Ultrasound →
• Learn More About Echocardiography →

Additional Diagnostic Procedures

Depending on the patient’s condition, our Internal Medicine service may also perform:

• Ultrasound-guided aspiration and tissue biopsy
• Bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage
• Rhinoscopy and urethrocystovaginoscopy
• Bone marrow aspiration
• Joint aspiration
• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection
• Feeding tube placement
• Specialized laboratory testing

When Should Your Veterinarian Consider Referral?

Referral to a board-certified internal medicine specialist may be appropriate when a pet:

• Has persistent or unexplained clinical signs
• Has a complex or uncommon medical condition
• Has not responded as expected to initial treatment
• Requires advanced imaging or specialized diagnostic procedures
• Has disease involving multiple organ systems or would benefit from specialist expertise

Patients may also be referred directly for a specific advanced diagnostic test or procedure.

What is a veterinary internal medicine specialist?

A board-certified veterinary internist has advanced postgraduate training in diagnosing and managing complex diseases affecting the body’s internal organ systems and has completed rigorous specialty certification requirements.

Do I need a referral?

Yes. West Texas Veterinary Specialists is a referral-only specialty practice. Your primary veterinarian will coordinate your referral and provide us with the relevant medical history and diagnostic information.

Patients may be referred for a comprehensive Internal Medicine evaluation or for a specific diagnostic test or procedure.

What diagnostic procedures do you perform?

Depending on your pet’s needs, diagnostics may include ultrasound, echocardiography, CT, endoscopy, fluoroscopy, image-guided sampling, bronchoscopy, rhinoscopy, bone marrow or joint aspiration, and specialized laboratory testing.

Will my pet need anesthesia?

Some advanced procedures, including CT, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, and certain biopsies, may require sedation or general anesthesia. Our team will provide preparation instructions and discuss what to expect before your pet’s procedure.

How long will my pet’s visit take?

Visit length depends on the reason for referral and services being performed. Some patients require a focused outpatient diagnostic procedure, while others undergo a more comprehensive evaluation that may take several hours. We’ll review the anticipated schedule with you beforehand.

Will my pet stay overnight?

West Texas Veterinary Specialists is an outpatient specialty referral center, and most patients return home the same day. We do not provide overnight hospitalization or intensive care.

If extended monitoring or hospitalization is required, we’ll coordinate transfer to an appropriate facility or back to your primary veterinarian based on your pet’s medical needs.