Working With Internal Medicine at Safe Haven
Dr. Peterson is a board-certified internal medicine specialist. In brief, she focuses on treating unwell patients while leaving routine wellness examinations, vaccinations, and initial assessments for new puppies and kittens managed by your family veterinarian. Although your family veterinarian may handle the care of your sick pet in many cases, they may recommend consulting a specialist if they believe it would benefit the pet’s health to undergo further diagnostics and receive a second opinion. Please refer to her biography or our internal medicine page here for further details.
**Internal medicine appointments are by referral only. Please contact your family veterinarian to facilitate a referral to our internal medicine service. A referral can be for a consultation only, a consultation with diagnostics, or an outpatient abdominal ultrasound.**
PRIOR TO YOUR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT, CLICK THE ABOVE BUTTONS TO COMPLETE BOTH THE PATIENT HISTORY SHEET AND CLIENT CHECK-IN SHEET
Prior to your appointment:
- If you still need to complete the Client Check-In Sheet and the Patient History Sheet before your appointment, please arrive 15 minutes earlier than your scheduled time. It’s crucial to fill out all questions to the best of your ability, regardless of whether your pet’s records are accessible elsewhere. This ensures we gather a comprehensive history of your pet, incorporating both your insights and your family veterinarian’s.
- An initial consultation is 60 minutes. Arriving 15 minutes early to complete the required forms (or arriving on time if already completed) enables us to make the most of the entire appointment duration and focus wholly on your pet’s well-being.
- If you’re running behind schedule, please call us at 724-591-8393 to inform us of your expected arrival time. We’ll strive to accommodate your pet on the same day, but it may necessitate a brief wait until a slot becomes available. Alternatively, we can discuss rescheduling options if waiting isn’t feasible for you.
During your appointment:
- During the appointment, a nurse will review your pet’s medical history and address any concerns you may have. If your pet has been referred for a specific diagnostic procedure, such as an abdominal ultrasound, it may be conducted before your consultation with the doctor (pending your approval and acceptance of the provided estimate). The doctor will then devise and discuss a tailored diagnostic and treatment plan for your pet.
- We understand the importance of collaboration and transparency in caring for your pet. No diagnostics will be conducted or treatments initiated without your explicit consent. The treatment and diagnostic plans will remain adaptable, prioritizing your pet’s well-being and aligning with your desires as their caregiver.
- Whenever feasible, diagnostics will be conducted as outpatient procedures on the same day as the consultation. This may necessitate your pet staying with us for the day. If same-day diagnostics aren’t feasible due to procedure availability or scheduling constraints, we’ll collaborate with you to explore alternative scheduling options.
After your appointment:
- If diagnostic results are still pending after the appointment, treatment recommendations may be postponed until they are received. We will promptly contact you once the results are available, provide recommendations regarding treatment options and additional diagnostics, and schedule any necessary follow-up appointments with us.
- In cases where a treatment plan has already been established during the consultation, we will offer guidance on when and how to follow up with us. This could involve repeating lab work after a few weeks, scheduling a status update call, or arranging a telemedicine consultation (availability to be determined)
- We will continue to work with you and your family veterinarian to care for your pet’s ongoing healthcare needs.
Follow-up appointments can be scheduled as either recheck or nurse appointments:
- Recheck Appointment: This is a scheduled ½ appointment with the attending veterinarian. It is suitable if your pet is not responding as expected to the treatment plan, is unwell, or is due for an annual examination.
- Nurse Appointment: This is a scheduled ½ hour appointment with a nurse. While the attending veterinarian oversees the appointment in the treatment area, the nursing staff will facilitate the entire visit. Nurse appointments are ideal for routine follow-up visits
