College of Veterinary Medicine
4700 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27606
Ph (919) 513-6670
Fax (919) 513-6713
Small Animal Internal Medicine Service
Client
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Date/Time of Appointment
Patient
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Welcome to the Small Animal Internal Medicine Service,
Learning that your pet is ill can be a very difficult experience. Going to a new hospital, seeing a new doctor and making decisions about
treatment options can be overwhelming. We will try to make your experience as positive as possible. Here we have outlined key
information about how to prepare for and what to expect on your first visit to the Small Animal Internal Medicine Service.
Also enclosed are directions to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and a list of local motels. Please contact us if you require anything
else prior to your visit – 919-513-6670.
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To ensure we can perform any indicated tests on the day of your appointment, please do not feed your dog or cat after
midnight the night prior to your appointment. Water should be available at all times. Please give all medications as directed by your
referring veterinarian. If there are any questions about continuing medications prior to this visit (particularly antibiotics, that may
interfere with culture results), please have your veterinarian call for a consult. If your dog or cat has diabetes, please give food, insulin
and medications as per usual, including the morning of the appointment.
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Be prepared to leave your dog or cat with us for 1 – 3 days. This will allow us to run some preliminary tests on the day of
admission, schedule diagnostics that depend on other services in the hospital (such as radiology/ultrasound) for the following day, and
consult as a team regarding the recommended diagnostic/treatment plan for your dog or cat. An Informed Consent page is attached
for your review. You will be asked to complete the form upon leaving your pet for diagnostics. Personal items may not be left with
your pet but please be assured that he/she will receive the best care we can provide, including lots of personal attention.
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Please request the following in advance of your appointment: 1) Copies of your dog or cat’s medical records and history for the
last 2 years (including X-rays, ultrasound reports, blood tests, and biopsy results), and 2) A means to safely restrain your dog or cat
during the visit including a leash (dogs) or carrier (cats). Medical history may be faxed to the number above, but please bring with you
original radiology images OR copies on CD, we cannot accept these by email.
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At the time of your appointment, please sign in at the front desk. One of our Clinical Technicians will come and show you into
an examination room.
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The Internal Medicine Service works as a team with your veterinarian. The Service is also responsible to teach, on the job, North
Carolina’s future veterinarians. Once in the examination room, you will be met first by a 4th year veterinary medical student whose
job will be to obtain a complete history from you and perform a physical examination on your dog or cat. The student will then be
expected to exit the examination room and present their findings to an Internal Medicine Service veterinarian. This may take 30-min.
You will then meet the veterinarian (Intern or Resident) who will be the point person for your dog or cat’s care. The veterinarian
will follow up with you on the history and physical examination findings (and in so doing will determine how well the student’s
assessment was) and make recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of your dog or cat’s illness. Please be aware that the
complexity of your dog or cats illness and the fact that we are a teaching hospital can result in initial appointments of
2-3 hours in length. Once admitted to the hospital, your dog or cat’s care will be managed by a team of veterinarians that always
includes daily and detailed input from faculty veterinarians who have attained the highest level of training in Small Animal Internal
Medicine (ACVIM Board-Certified). *Please be aware that our doctors rotate services every two to four weeks to fulfill their
instructional, academic, and administrative responsibilities. For this reason, owners may have the opportunity to meet many of the
Internal Medicine doctors. We will try to schedule patient rechecks with the same doctor whenever possible.*
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Your initial consultation visit will be $95.00. If your dog or cat is seen as an emergency, the cost is $195.00. If you decide to
proceed with work-up, the estimated cost to diagnose the type of problem identified in your dog or cat is generally $ 800 – 1500
(not including surgery). A deposit (check, credit card or cash accepted) in the amount of the lower end of the estimate will be due
when your pet arrives for procedures and payment of the balance will be due when you take your pet home. You may apply for Care
Credit in advance at www.carecredit.com or 1-800-365-8295 (select NCSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital on application).
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Please print the attached parking pass for your appointment. This should be displayed on your dashboard and is valid for the
duration of this appointment only.
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Please note that because we function as a referral specialty service, we are unable to provide routine health care for issues not
related to your referral (e.g. vaccinations). We serve as an extension of your regular veterinarian from which these services should be
obtained.
We are looking forward to meeting you and your dog or cat. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 919-513-6670. If you
have an after hours or weekend emergency, you may contact your regular veterinarian or our Emergency Service at 919-513-6911.
*To ensure our ability to see patient referrals in timely manner, the Internal Medicine Service reserves the right to charge $70.00 for any
appointments not cancelled within 24-hr notice.