The RVC Small Animal Referrals specialists are at the forefront of small animal internal medicine offering comprehensive consultation, diagnostics, treatment and care for dogs and cats with all medical problems. We work together with a team of veterinary nurses who are dedicated specifically to the hospital care of dogs and cats with medical problems.

In the small animal internal medicine team, we understand the challenges of caring for a pet with multiple medical problems and offer an integrated approach to the care of your pet. Daily case rounds, involving all specialists on service, means that your pet will benefit from the input of not just one but multiple specialists. We work closely with specialists from other disciplines making use of our state of the art diagnostic imaging and onsite reference laboratory facilities to provide the very best care for your pet. We recognise that when your dog or cat is unwell it can be a particularly difficult time; we aim to provide careful discussion with you every step of the way so that we can hopefully achieve the best outcome for you and your pet.

Whilst our small animal internal medicine team is equipped to deal with all types of medical problems, many of our specialists have particular areas of interest and are recognised internationally for the work they do in these areas. You will find a list of some of the procedures that we perform at the bottom of this page. Special areas of interest for our team include endocrinology (hormonal disease), nephrology/urology (conditions affecting the urinary tract and kidneys), immune mediated disease and haematology (disorders of the blood and bleeding problems), gastrointestinal disease (vomiting, diarrhoea and weight loss), infectious disease, respiratory (breathing problems and coughing) and nasal disease (sneezing and nasal discharge).

State of the art procedures and clinics that are offered/facilitated by the internal medicine team include:

• Radioactive Iodine Treatment Clinic for hyperthyroidism and technetium scanning
• Hypophysectomy Clinic for cats with acromegaly and dogs with hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease)
• Feline Diabetic Remission Clinic and subcutaneous glucose monitoring
• Advanced urinary procedures: Laser lithotripsy for urinary stones, cystoscopic laser ablation of ectopic ureters, minimally invasive cystotomy (bladder surgery), GFR service (advanced kidney function testing)
• Therapeutic plasma exchange for non-responsive immune mediated disease
• Specialist led nutrition service including home cooked diets, nutrition plans and feeding tube placement and management
• Diagnosis and treatment of feline infectious peritonitis
• Cushing's syndrome in cats and dogs - information for referring vets found here: FAQ Padlet

As a teaching hospital the small animal internal medicine team dedicates time to the education and clinical training of our undergraduate veterinary students and also provides both a European and American training (residency) programme for the internal medicine specialists of the future. We offer routine appointments with the internal medicine team Monday to Thursday and urgent appointments are available on request. The whole team looks forwards to welcoming you and your pet!