Internal Medicine

Adrenal disease comes in two forms: hyperadrenocorticism and hypoadrenocorticism.

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s Disease)

Cushing’s disease is caused by excessive cortisol production by the adrenal glands, often due to a pituitary or adrenal gland tumor. This condition prevents the body from inhibiting cortisol production, leading to symptoms such as increased drinking and urination, increased appetite, enlarged liver, hair loss, lethargy, muscle weakness and atrophy, panting, obesity, and hypertension.

Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s Disease)

Addison’s disease is an endocrine disorder resulting from insufficient production of glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, or both. Symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening and may include depression, weakness, dehydration, collapse, hypothermia, weak pulse, bradycardia, abdominal pain, and hair loss.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Adrenal Disease

Diagnosing adrenal disease involves blood tests such as the ACTH stimulation test. For Cushing’s disease, additional tests like low-dose and high-dose dexamethasone tests or CAT scans may be necessary.

Addison’s Disease Treatment

Critical cases are stabilized with hospitalization, fluids, and steroids. Stable animals are maintained on monthly Percorten injections and sometimes additional steroids.

Cushing’s Disease Treatment

Treatment options include once- to twice-weekly lysodren tablets or daily Vetaryl (trilostane) capsules. In some cases, ketoconazole or Selegiline may be used. Cushing’s disease has a better prognosis when caused by a pituitary gland tumor.

Our Exceptional Care

At Austin Vet, we excel in diagnosing and monitoring Addison’s and Cushing’s diseases. We maintain adequate diagnostic and treatment supplies and perform blood tests in-house. Our CAT scan capabilities help diagnose complex Cushing cases, and we use various techniques to monitor secondary complications like high blood pressure, liver disease, diabetes, and electrolyte abnormalities.

For more information, call us at (512) 288-1040. We look forward to hearing from you!

What is Urinary Bladder Disease?

Urinary bladder disease in pets is characterized by inflammation in the bladder wall. Dogs and cats can experience infections, stones/crystals, growths, and tumors in the bladder. Cats may also suffer from idiopathic cystitis, an inflammatory condition. Proper treatment requires an accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause.

How Does AVDH Diagnose This Painful Condition?

At AVDH, we utilize our on-site ultrasound to quickly diagnose bladder disease. This allows us to promptly begin treatment and alleviate your pet’s pain. We also conduct urinalysis and microscopic urine exams to determine the cause.

How Does AVDH Treat It?

Many cases respond well to medication and dietary changes, while others may require surgery. Our doctors are highly skilled in removing bladder stones, tumors, and polyps, as well as performing pelvic urethrostomies.

Why Is Our Care Exceptional?

Austin Veterinary Diagnostic Hospital has the experience, staff, equipment, and facilities to swiftly perform the necessary diagnostics and treatments for this painful condition.

For more information, call us at (512) 288-1040. We look forward to hearing from you!

Urology

Urinary diseases are among the most common and severe conditions in pets. Due to the urinary system's ability to function despite disease, these conditions often go unnoticed until they become life-threatening.

What Are the Symptoms?

• Kidney Disease: Excessive water consumption, excessive urination, weight loss, loss of appetite, and lethargy.
• Bladder Disease: Blood in the urine, strained urination, frequent urination, and/or foul-smelling urine.
• Prostate Disease (in dogs): Painful urination, straining to urinate or defecate, blood in the urine, and/or dripping blood.

Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for successfully managing these conditions. However, without advanced technology, urinary tract diseases can be difficult to accurately diagnose.

A complete urinary tract profile is affordable and more effective than starting treatment with an incomplete diagnosis. We are well-equipped with clinical lab work, ultrasound, endoscopy, and radiology examinations to ensure a quick and accurate diagnosis.

At Austin Veterinary Diagnostic Hospital, we offer extensive cardiology procedures to ensure your pet's heart is healthy. The heart, like any pump, relies on several components to function properly: the cardiac muscle (motor), cardiac valves (valves), and the electrical system (communication). A complete cardiac examination evaluates each of these components to assess your pet’s ability to pump blood throughout its body.

Electrical System

The heart’s electrical system controls its rhythm, which we check using an Electrocardiogram (ECG). This safe, non-invasive procedure takes very little time. A defective electrical system can be critical, leading to cardiac arrest, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), or bradycardia (slow heartbeat).

Heart Valves

Healthy heart valves are essential for proper blood flow throughout the body. Valve failure is the most common form of cardiac disease in dogs and can usually be detected by listening for cardiac murmurs with a stethoscope. Cardiac murmurs indicate leaking valves or abnormal blood flow. When detected, an ultrasound examination determines the location and severity of the damage.

Heart Muscle

Myocardial disease is the most common heart disease in cats and is frequently diagnosed in dogs. The gold standard for diagnosing myocardial disease is a color Doppler ultrasound examination. This technology allows doctors to safely view and measure the heart’s anatomical size and function in real-time. Additional information may be obtained from chest X-rays, which are sent to cardiologists along with the ultrasound images and ECGs.

Cardiac Disease vs. Cardiac Failure

It's important to understand the difference between cardiac disease and cardiac failure. Cardiac disease refers to any abnormality of the heart, while cardiac failure is a severe form of cardiac disease that prevents the heart from adequately supplying blood to the body.

For example, a cardiac murmur always indicates cardiac disease, but it may not be severe enough to affect blood supply. In other cases, murmurs can signal heart diseases capable of causing heart failure.

The goal of a cardiac examination is to determine the presence of disease and measure its impact on cardiac function, enabling the veterinarian to decide if and when treatment is needed.

Cardiac Examination

Our hospital offers various diagnostic procedures to determine if your pet has cardiovascular disease and assess its severity. Your pet’s cardiac examination may include:

• Physical Examination: Listening to your pet’s heart and lungs with a stethoscope is the first step in any cardiac workup.
• Ultrasound: A painless, non-invasive way to view and measure your pet’s heart and major cardiac vessels in real time.
• Blood Pressure: A crucial, painless, and non-invasive test to check for dangerously high blood pressure in dogs and cats.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG): Measures the electrical activity of the heart, important for diagnosing arrhythmias such as heart block, ventricular premature beats, and sick sinus syndrome.
• X-Rays: Indicate the heart’s overall size, position in the chest, and the condition of the lungs.
• Laboratory Blood Analysis: Detects many conditions that adversely affect the heart.

At Austin Veterinary Diagnostic Hospital, we have dedicated significant time and effort to attending in-depth continuing education courses and acquiring advanced equipment to effectively treat digestive diseases in your pets

. The digestive system includes several organs such as the intestines, liver, pancreas, salivary glands, and teeth. Due to its large size and numerous integrated functions, many diseases can affect the digestive system, making gastrointestinal diseases some of the most challenging to diagnose accurately.

For both acute and chronic forms of digestive disease that do not respond to initial treatment, an in-depth gastrointestinal profile is necessary. This may include:

• Radiology
• Barium studies
• Ultrasound examinations
• Endoscopy examinations with micro-biopsies
• Bacterial cultures
• Fecal and/or blood analysis
• Exploratory surgery

The endocrine system is a series of glands in various parts of the body which all affect each other by producing hormones.

Biopsies, ultrasounds, and several different laboratory tests are available to doctors to aid them in diagnosing the many kinds of endocrine diseases present in pets.