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Veterinary Internal Medicine

PERC offers internal medicine specialty services. Our internal medicine department is an appointment-based referral service offered Monday through Thursday with appointments starting at 8:30 a.m. If you have been referred to us by your veterinarian or if you believe your pet could benefit from a consultation, please call us to schedule an appointment.

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

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

Cat on exam table

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.

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