What Is a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist?
A board-certified internal medicine specialist has completed years of advanced training after veterinary school, focused specifically on diagnosing and treating diseases of the internal organ systems. They’ve passed rigorous exams set by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and have developed the skills to take on cases that go beyond what a general practitioner is equipped to handle alone.
When your family vet refers your pet to our internal medicine service, it’s not a sign that something has been missed. It’s a sign that your vet is making sure your pet gets the most thorough, specialized evaluation possible. Our specialist works alongside your primary veterinarian — not instead of them — to get to the bottom of what’s affecting your pet’s health.
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Conditions We Diagnose & Treat
Internal medicine covers a wide range of health problems affecting the body’s major systems. Our specialist sees pets with complex, recurring, or difficult-to-diagnose conditions across many organ systems.
Endocrine Disorders (Diabetes, Addison’s Disease, Cushing’s Disease)
Endocrine diseases arise when the body’s hormone-producing glands don’t function properly, leading to wide-ranging effects on your pet’s health and quality of life. Common endocrine conditions we diagnose and manage include:
- Diabetes Mellitus: insulin deficiency or resistance causing elevated blood sugar, managed with insulin therapy and dietary modification.
- Cushing’s Disease (Hyperadrenocorticism): excess cortisol production leading to increased thirst, urination, hair loss, and a pot-bellied appearance.
- Addison’s Disease (Hypoadrenocorticism): insufficient adrenal hormone production, which can cause life-threatening episodes called Addisonian crises.
- Hyperthyroidism: overactive thyroid gland, most common in older cats, causing weight loss, increased appetite, and elevated heart rate.
Accurate diagnosis is essential in endocrine disease because many of these conditions share overlapping symptoms. Our specialist uses targeted testing to confirm the diagnosis before building a management plan.
Gastrointestinal Disease
Chronic vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and poor appetite are some of the most common reasons pets are referred to internal medicine. These symptoms can stem from many underlying causes, and identifying the right one makes a significant difference in how the condition is treated. We evaluate and manage conditions including:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE)
- Pancreatitis (acute and chronic)
- Liver disease, including chronic hepatitis and hepatic lipidosis
- Intestinal lymphoma and other GI cancers (diagnostics and staging)
Kidney & Urinary Tract Disease
Kidney disease is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting older pets, particularly cats. Early identification and careful management can significantly slow disease progression and maintain your pet’s quality of life. We diagnose and manage:
- Acute and chronic renal failure
- Protein-losing nephropathy
- Lower urinary tract disease, including urinary incontinence and recurrent urinary tract infections
- Hypertension associated with kidney disease
Respiratory Conditions
Persistent coughing, labored breathing, exercise intolerance, and other respiratory signs may point to conditions that require specialist-level evaluation. Our internal medicine team works up complex respiratory presentations including:
- Chronic bronchitis and feline asthma
- Pneumonia (infectious and aspiration)
- Pleural effusion (fluid around the lungs)
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Fever of unknown origin with respiratory involvement
Immune-Mediated Diseases
In immune-mediated diseases, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. These conditions can be life-threatening and require careful, ongoing management. We have experience diagnosing and treating:
- Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA): the immune system destroys red blood cells, leading to severe anemia.
- Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMT): platelet destruction that impairs normal clotting.
- Polyarthritis and other immune-mediated joint conditions
- Vasculitis and immune-mediated skin disease
Infectious Diseases
Some infectious diseases are straightforward to identify and treat, but others present in unusual ways or fail to respond to standard treatment. Our internal medicine specialist has expertise in evaluating complex infectious disease cases, including tick-borne diseases (such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis), fungal diseases, and fever of unknown origin — cases where the source of illness has not yet been identified despite initial workup.
Diagnostic Capabilities
One of the most important parts of internal medicine is diagnostics — finding out what’s actually causing your pet’s symptoms. Our specialist takes a comprehensive approach, building a complete picture of your pet’s health before settling on a diagnosis.
As part of this process, we offer high-resolution ultrasonography, including abdominal, scrotal, thoracic, and appendicular ultrasound, with the ability to perform ultrasound-guided aspirates when tissue or fluid samples are needed for analysis. This allows our team to evaluate internal structures in detail and get precise diagnostic information without invasive procedures.
Additional diagnostic tools available include advanced bloodwork and urinalysis interpretation, endoscopy for GI evaluation, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for respiratory disease, bone marrow sampling, and coordination with veterinary pathologists and other specialists when needed.
For Referring Veterinarians
Our internal medicine specialist works as part of a team that includes your pet’s primary veterinarian. Once your pet has been evaluated, findings and recommendations are shared directly with your referring vet so that everyone involved in your pet’s care is aligned. Your regular vet remains your pet’s primary point of contact for day-to-day health — we step in when specialist-level diagnostics and treatment are needed.
Outpatient diagnostic appointments are available at our main facility in Hopewell Junction with board-certified specialist Dr. John Broussard. Appointments are by referral and are scheduled by appointment only. To get started, please call our referral coordinator.
Referral Coordinator
Frequently Asked Questions About Veterinary Internal Medicine
What conditions does a veterinary internist treat?
How is a DACVIM different from a general practice vet?
Does my pet need a referral for an internal medicine appointment?
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Orthopedic Surgery
Performed by Dr. Paul McNamara, our in-house veterinary surgeon, orthopedic surgery at Hudson Highlands covers bone, joint, and musculoskeletal conditions in dogs and cats. Procedures include TPLO for torn cruciate ligaments, fracture repair, patella luxation surgery, femoral head osteotomy (FHO), and treatment of growth abnormalities. Dr. McNamara and his surgical technicians are also certified in the PennHIP technique for measuring canine hip joint laxity, used to screen dogs for hip dysplasia and assess breeding candidates.
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Cardiology
Dr. Jonathan Goodwin and Dr. Amanda Lawler provide advanced cardiac care at Hudson Highlands. They offer cardiology referral consultations for pets with congenital and acquired heart conditions. Both doctors work with pet owners and referring veterinarians to monitor and manage cardiac cases including murmurs, arrhythmias, valve disease, and cardiomyopathy.
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