Congenital cases are so rare that I’ll mention only the most common type of acquired vascular disease that Internal Medicine treats. There are two main categories of vascular disease in pets – congenital and acquired. Vascular diseases range from problems with the arteries, veins and vessels that carry lymph nodes to disorders that affect how blood flows.

Prostate Gland Disease: non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate.

Cushing’s Disease: caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland.

There are multiple types of urinary diseases, all of them differing in severity and seriousness. It is important to note that removing water sources to prevent accidents can actually make renal disease far worse. Signs of renal disease can look like dehydration and lethargy along with a loss of appetite, vomiting, weight loss, bad breath with a chemical sent and increased urination. Unfortunately, dialysis and transplants are not available to dogs and cats, so treatment is limited to symptom management. The kidneys are responsible for filtering blood, processing protein wastes and excreting them into the urine, conserving and balancing body water, salts and acids and maintaining normal red blood cell levels.Ĭommon causes include infection, kidney stones and blockages caused by kidney stones, genetics and cancer. It is actually very common in pets with one in ten dogs and roughly 20-50% of elderly cats developing renal disease. Renal disease, also known as kidney disease, occurs when one or both of the kidneys fail. These symptoms include loss of appetite and weight loss as well as vomiting and diarrhea, increased thirst and urination, confusion and instability when walking and yellowing of the eyes, tongue and gums (jaundice). The clinical signs are easy to miss because they are similar to those of many other problems. Dogs and cats may develop a hepatic disease due to aging or genetics, but there are other causes that pet owners should know about such as infection or trauma to the area, medications, diabetes, too much fatty foods and untreated heartworms. Diseases of the liver while serious, can be managed. Hepatic diseases affect the liver, which helps with digestion, blood clotting and the removal of toxins from the body.

Small Intestinal Malabsorption: a condition that prevents absorption of nutrients through the small intestineĪs with the overlapping causes, there are overlapping clinical signs to look for including changes in appetite, stool quantity and quality, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, lethargy and fever.

Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency: the inability to digest food properly.Pancreatitis: inflammation of the pancreas, often associated with overindulging in high-fat foods.Colitis: inflammation of the lining of the colon.Acute Gastroenteritis: also known as the stomach flu.Types of Gastrointestinal Disorders include: Though there are many types, there are a few overlapping causes such as eating human food, food allergies or intolerances, infections and lack of digestive enzymes. Gastrointestinal disorders affect the stomach and intestines, causing pain and other problems such as dehydration, acid-base and electrolyte imbalances and malnutrition. Common Internal Conditions In Pets Gastrointestinal Disorders The veterinary internal medicine team at Red Rocks Animal Center makes sure your pet receives the best medical care possible at any of our Indiana locations.

From there, they work out a treatment plan that addresses the animal’s injury or disease. Veterinary internal medicine uses a combination of analysis and state-of-the-art technology to look inside your pet to see what’s going on internally. When animals are in medical distress, they can’t verbalize what’s happening, so their loving caretakers may struggle to figure out what’s going on.

Signs of trauma in dogs