What to Expect

The Veterinary Cardiology Service at the UF Small Animal Hospital is committed to providing an exceptional level of care for veterinary patients suffering from various cardiac diseases. We specialize in both medical and interventional (cardiac catheterization) cutting edge cardiac care for pets afflicted with heart disease. It is our mission to provide the very best in assessment of treatment options and help you make informed decisions regarding your pet’s health care.

Your pet will receive the highest quality care from our team of specialists, including board certified cardiologists; critical care specialists, internists, anesthesiologists, and highly skilled board certified veterinary technicians. We also appreciate the importance of communication and will be sure to keep you and your veterinarian well-informed during your pet’s stay in our hospital. 

Initial evaluations are typically scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays, and recheck appointments are seen on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We also schedule OFA certification appointments on Fridays. 

Upon arriving at the UF Small Animal Hospital, you and your pet will be greeted by one of our client liaisons and placed in an exam room.  A third or fourth year veterinary student will then come in and take a history and perform a physical examination on your pet.  They will then present their findings to the cardiologist while our nurses perform an ECG (electrocardiogram) and a blood pressure on your pet.  The costs of these two diagnostics are included in your initial exam. 

Once the student and cardiologist have gone over all the details of your pet’s condition they will discuss their initial assessment with you and recommend any additional diagnostics.  We will then ask you to leave your pet with us while we complete our evaluation and provide you with a detailed treatment plan.  We understand that your time is very valuable so we will do everything in our power to accomplish this in a timely manner.  However, a cardiac workup can sometimes be time consuming so we may ask that you leave your pet with us for 1-3 hours.

The University of Florida Small Animal Hospital is staffed by people who have pets themselves and understand the deep value of the human-animal bond. We treat our patients as if they were our own pets and make every effort to keep you well informed and to help you understand what is happening during their time with us.

University of Florida

IFAS

As part of both the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and UF Health, Veterinary Medicine is dedicated to advancing animal, human and environmental health through teaching, research, extension and patient care.

IFAS

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Animal Hospitals

Need animal care? Visit the UF Small Animal and Large Animal Hospitals. From dogs, cats, birds and exotics to horses, cattle, llamas, pigs and many other large farm or food animals, our experienced veterinary staff is ready to assist.

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