One of our goals in veterinary medicine is prevention of disease. However, if an animal becomes ill, the goal is to bring the animal’s health back into balance. To do that, we need to rapidly and accurately diagnose the problem, which then allows us to plan an effective treatment. We have all the same tools available to us as our medical counterparts in human medicine. Many of the tests can be done in the clinic, allowing us to come to a diagnosis as rapidly as needed or feasible. We can then start treatment as soon as we are able. This may be done on an outpatient basis if the illness is not too severe. Or we may recommend that your pet be hospitalized if your pet needs it. Hospitalization allows for fluid treatment by intravenous method; meeting the pet’s caloric requirements by the method that best suits the case; and monitoring of the progression of the disease by further testing.
