Dx & Tx

As a referral and after-hours emergency veterinary hospital, our veterinarians do not provide wellness, prophylactic or primary care. We promote pet wellness by encouraging pet owners to schedule annual visits with their family veterinarians. Our doctors focus on their areas of specialized medicine to provide your patients with the expertise needed to diagnose and treat uncommon and complex illnesses.

BluePearl provides the following services in our Florida hospitals:

Cardiology

Conditions we often treat:

• Canine valvular disease
• Dilated cardiomyopathy
• Canine congestive heart failure
• Congenital heart defects
• Pulmonary and systemic hypertension
• Arrhythmias (slow or fast)
• Conduction diseases
• Feline cardiomyopathies and secondary congestive heart failure (CHF)
• Feline aortic thromboembolic events (FATE)
• Syncope

Critical Care

Services we provide:

• Continuous vital signs monitoring
• Intravenous fluid therapy
• Nutritional support
• Blood transfusion
• Oxygen supplementation
• Pain relief

Oncology

Diagnostics

• Biopsy
• CT
• Cytology
• Digital radiography
• Laparoscopy and thoracoscopy
• MRI
• Nuclear scintigraphy
• Ultrasound

Treatments

• Chemotherapy
• I-131 treatment
• Melanoma vaccine
• Surgery
• Radiation therapy

Ophthalmology

Services we provide:

• Telephone consultations for referring veterinarians
• Diagnostics and medical management for a wide variety of chronic, non-responsive intra- and extraocular diseases including cataracts, glaucoma, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, ulcerative keratitis and uveitis
• Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) Examinations
• Corneal surgery for deep ulcers and dystrophies, including conjunctival grafts and corneal transplants
• Cryotherapy, CO2 laser treatment, and traditional surgical intervention for eyelid diseases
• Electroretinography for retinal function evaluation
• Extraocular surgery including eyelid mass removalas, prolapsed third eyelid gland reduction (“cherry eye” surgery), blepharoplasties, including entropian, ectropian and brachycephalic syndrome corrections
• Glaucoma medical and surgical treatment including diode laser and valve therapies
• Intraocular surgery for lens luxation and intraocular disease, including artificial lens implantation and cataract and luxated lens removals
• Ocular ultrasound
• Parotid duct transposition for non-responsive KCS
• Retinal evaluations including electroretinograms (ERGs) for inherited and acquired retinal degeneration
• Retinal surgery with diode laser
• State-of-the-art  phacoemulsification and artificial lens implantation for cataracts
• Surgical treatments for glaucoma, including laser therapy and goniovalve (intraocular shunt) implantation

Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology

Imaging modalities we offer:

• Digital radiography
• CT (computerized tomography) scanning
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
• Ultrasound
• Ultrasound at your practice

Rehabilitation

Conditions we often treat:

• Arthritis
• Hip dysplasia
• Muscle injuries
• Obesity and weight management
• Paralysis and degenerative myelopathy
• Tendonitis
• Wobblers disease

Indications for Rehabilitation and Conditioning

• Post-operative recovery
• Neurological conditions
• Osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease
• Pain control
• Sports-related injuries and performance problems
• Weight loss/conditioning

These musculoskeletal and neurological conditions can result in weakness, pain, decreased range of motion, loss of coordination, decreased endurance, and difficulty with normal daily activities.  Other areas of complementary and integrative medicine such as chiropractic, acupuncture and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine have also shown significant therapeutic response in helping our patients feel better, play better, and live better.

Treatment Options:

• Underwater treadmill therapy uses the buoyancy, resistance and hydrostatic properties of water to promote an increased range of motion of the joints.  Swimming also uses these properties to strengthen muscles and promote aerobic fitness without joint impact. These two modalities are beneficial when used correctly and at the proper time after an injury and in post-surgical situations.
• Laser is light energy that is used to stimulate healing, provide pain relief, and facilitate the reorganization of injured tissues. Indications for use of laser include
  • Post-operative pain and inflammation
  • Wound healing
  • Joint swelling
  • Tendonitis
  • Bursitis
  • Fasciitis
  • Capsulitis
  • Tendon/ligament injuries
  • Muscle spasm/trigger points
  • Arthritic disorders
  • Joint swelling
  • Stimulation of acupuncture points.

Some of the documented effects of laser treatments are

• Cartilage stimulation
• Fibroblast production
• Enhancement of immune cells to combat pathogens
• Increased vascularity of healing tissue
• Massage and manual therapy techniques include mobilization of extremity joints and spine, soft tissue mobilization, and myofascial release. These techniques can help
  • Increase circulation
  • Improve joint range of motion
  • Enhance soft tissue mobility
  • Regain normal joint function
  • Provide relief for tired and stressed muscles
  • Build needed muscle to return to normal daily life after injury or surgery
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) uses a low-level electrical current that decreases swelling and allows muscle contraction and recruitment after orthopedic or neurological injury. Indications for use of NMES are
  • Neurological atrophy
  • Muscle disuse atrophy
  • Improper muscle firing sequences
  • Joint effusion
• Therapeutic ultrasound (TU) provides thermal and non thermal mechanical stimulation to promote tissue healing of muscle, tendon, joint capsule, ligament and bone. Indications for use of TU include, but are not limited to,
  • Bursitis
  • Tendonitis
  • Calcified tendons
  • Muscle strains
  • Spasms and trigger points
  • Fracture healing
  • Ligament sprains
  • Chronic synovitis

TU can improve

• Mobility
• Promote soft tissue wellness
• Reduce scar tissue
• Enhance bone repair
• Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation (TENS) decreases pain and inflammation due to injury or post-surgical circumstances by providing a low level electrical current which disrupts the normal pain perception pathways.  TENS also can be used to stimulate acupuncture points in order to achieve a systemic response, in addition to a localized response.
• Magnetic field therapy uses the power of a pulsed magnetic field to aid in tissue repair, cellular wellness and relaxation.  Indications for magnetic field therapy include
  • Fracture healing
  • Degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system
  • Disorders of the neurological system
  • Muscle spasm
  • Generalized pain and inflammation
  • Poor circulation
  • Rheumatology

Some of the biological effects include

• Enhanced cartilage repair
• Increased collagen synthesis of tendon fibroblasts
• Cell proliferation and glycosaminoglycans synthesis by growth plate chondrocytes.
• Acupuncture is the application of small-gauge needles to various points on the body for the purpose of eliciting physiological responses in the treatment of almost any disease or condition, and it seems especially useful for relieving pain. In studies conducted on both humans and dogs, acupuncture was found to be beneficial in cases where analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications had been ineffective or had demonstrated side effects and in cases where surgery was not recommended.
• A chiropractic adjustment is defined as a short lever, high velocity controlled thrust by hand or instrument that is directed at specific articulations (joints) to correct subluxations. Indications for the use of chiropractic include
  • Problems in the neck, back, leg, or tail pain
  • Muscle spasms
  • Nerve problems
  • Injuries
  • Jaw or TMJ problems
  • Post-surgical care
  • Bowel or bladder disorders
  • Sporting or event injuries

Surgery

Conditions we often treat:

Soft-tissue surgery involves state-of-the-art techniques such as shunt implantation, arthroscopic surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and thoracoscopic surgery.

• Tumor resection from the gastrointestinal tract including the esophagus, stomach, intestines, and colon; urinary and reproductive organs; liver, gall bladder and bile ducts
• Plastic and reconstructive surgery
• Cardiovascular surgery including surgery to correct congenital and acquired anomalies of the heart, remove cardiac tumors and implant pacemakers
• Repair of the upper and lower respiratory tract
• Hernia repair
• Management of chronic ear disease and aural tumors.

Orthopedic surgery addresses bone and muscle injuries using bone plating and interlocking nail fixation, external skeletal fixation, arthroscopic surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and thoracoscopic surgery.

• Sports injuries including fractures, ligament and tendon injuries such as cruciate ligament tears and patellar luxation
• Degenerative diseases such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and limb abnormalities
• Infections
• Tumors
• Congenital conditions