Pet Emergency & Referral Center
Veterinary Internal Medicine
What is Internal Medicine?
Dr. Lechner is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. In human medicine, an internal medicine doctor is usually a primary care provider. However, in veterinary medicine, internal medicine is a specialty. As a board-certified internal medicine specialist, Dr. Lechner sees a wide variety of cases involving a multitude of organ systems and diseases including, but not limited to, renal (kidney) disease, diabetes, endocrine disease, blood disorders, cancer, lung disease, immune-mediated disorders, and gastrointestinal disease. She utilizes a number of techniques to evaluate her patients, including specialized blood tests, ultrasound, endoscopy (upper GI endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, rhinoscopy, cystoscopy), bone marrow biopsy, airway sampling, and limited echocardiography. Dr. Lechner and her team strive to provide exemplary medical care while giving owners answers to questions about their sick pets. Their goal is to optimize quality of life and to enhance the relationships between owners and their pets.
Our Internal Medicine Specialist
Beth Lechner
DVM, DACVIM, Internal Medicine
Beth Lechner
DVM, DACVIM, Internal Medicine
Conditions We Treat
Our internal medicine team has experience treating animals with a wide range of diseases, health issues, and ailments that originate from different parts of the body. Conditions that we treat include:
Infectious disease: blood-borne parasites, tick-borne illnesses, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal parasites, bacterial, viral, and fungal infections
Gastrointestinal disease: esophageal strictures, gastric ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease (“IBD”), chronic diarrhea, and colitis
Urogenital disease: urinary tract infections, kidney infections, kidney failure, prostatic disease, and urinary incontinence
Liver disease: infections of the liver and gall bladder, inflammatory disease (chronic hepatitis), acute liver failure, and chronic liver dysfunction
Immune disorders: immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP), and some forms of gastrointestinal disease
Pancreatic disease: acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
Endocrine disease: diabetes mellitus, hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease), hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease), hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism
Respiratory disease: pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, collapsing trachea, rhinitis, epistaxis (bloody noses)
Blood disease: anemia, low white blood cell (WBC) count, high WBC count, low platelets, clotting disorders
Tests and Procedures We Offer
Our internal medicine team is experienced with the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of health issues.
Thorough physical examination
Blood and urine testing
Radiography
Ultrasonography
Tissue sampling (aspirates, biopsies)
Endoscopy, colonoscopy
Rhinoscopy, bronchoscopy
Cystoscopy
Fluid removal for testing and treatment
Bone marrow sampling
CT scan
Fluoroscopy
In-patient medical therapy
Out-patient medical therapy
Feeding tube placement and management
Hospice care
Our internal veterinary medicine team is here to provide expert care for your pet in their time of need. If you have any further questions about the types of services we offer or the diseases we can help treat, do not hesitate to call us at (561) 691-9999.
