Internal Veterinary Medicine in Colorado Springs
Your primary care veterinarian is qualified to handle many of your pet's health issues. Just as in human medicine, however, sometimes a specialist's expertise is needed. So your primary care veterinarian may refer your pet to a board-certified veterinary internist to help diagnose or treat a particularly complex medical condition.
A board-certified veterinary internist is an internal medicine specialist—a veterinarian who has completed advanced training in how your pet's internal body systems function, and in diagnosing and treating the most serious diseases that affect these systems.
Call us immediately at (719) 473-0482 if your pet is experiencing an emergency.
Brianna Backlund, DVM
Diplomate ACVIM, Medical Director
The conditions our internal medicine specialist sees in Colorado Springs
These are some of the most common conditions for which southern Colorado’s primary care veterinarians and concerned pet parents turn to our internal medicine specialist:
- Endocrine disorders such as complicated diabetes or thyroid disease
- Infectious diseases including tick-borne and fungal diseases
- Bleeding disorders or anemia
- Gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease
- Chronic hepatitis or other liver disease
- Acute or chronic kidney failure
- Pneumonia
- Bronchitis
- Asthma
- Fever of unknown origin
- Complicated pancreatic disease
- Immune-related disorders
- Unexplained weight loss
- Chronic vomiting or diarrhea
- Multiple concurrent disease conditions that make management difficult
- Suspected cancer
Comprehensive Diagnostic and Treatment Capabilities in Colorado Springs, CO
A timely, accurate diagnosis is essential for effective treatment. That’s why Powers has invested in sophisticated diagnostic equipment and offers comprehensive testing capabilities on site, including:
- Sophisticated diagnostic imaging to “see” inside your pet non-invasively;
- Computed tomography (CT scan)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)*
- Ultrasonography
- Digital radiography (x-rays)
- Echocardiography
- *(We are the only facility in southern Colorado to offer MRI strictly for pets onsite)
- Interventional radiology (IR), advanced imaging techniques that guide the placement of materials, such as stents, for diagnostic and treatment purposes. This minimally invasive approach offers shorter hospital stays, decreased pain, and a faster recovery compared to open surgery.
- Endoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure using a tiny video camera attached to the end of a flexible or rigid tube. With this procedure, the internist can directly examine inside surfaces of hollow organs, locate and extract foreign bodies, and collect biopsy samples. The various types of endoscopy we perform include:
- Bronchoscopy to examine the bronchial tubes (airways)
- Colonoscopy to examine the colon, or large bowel
- Cytoscopy to look inside the bladder and urethra
- Laparoscopy to visualize organs in the abdominal cavity
- Rhinoscopy to examine the inside of the nose
- Thoroscopy to visualize organs in the chest cavity
- Fine-needle aspiration or biopsy, in which a thin needle is used to draw cells or fluid from a lump or mass under the skin
- Bone marrow aspiration or biopsy, which involves inserting a needle through the bone into the marrow cavity and extracting cells or tissue
- Advanced laboratory testing in our onsite diagnostic laboratory, which enables us to perform a wide range of tests and obtain immediate results
Treatment tailored to
your pet’s needs and your wishes
Once we've diagnosed your pet's condition, we'll discuss all the available treatment options and come up with a plan that you’re comfortable with—medically and financially. Treatment is always tailored to your pet’s unique situation and your family’s wishes.
We work closely with
your primary care veterinarian
Throughout your pet’s diagnosis and treatment at Powers, we keep your primary care veterinarian fully informed. This is important because, in many cases, your primary care veterinarian will continue to manage most of your pet's ongoing medical care.
Contact Powers about internal medicine
To make a referral or schedule a consultation with Powers’ internal medicine specialist, please call us at (719) 473-0482.