Specialty Care

Veterinary Emergency Service and Veterinary Specialty Center function as an extension of your regular veterinarian. We will perform the necessary procedures and communicate them back to you and your vet so you both are aware of what has transpired during your visit. Communication is key in the care of your pet and we always welcome the interaction of your family veterinarian.

VES team members are trained to provide compassion as well as high quality care for your pet. All departments of our hospital interact together. Daily patient rounds ensure that multiple doctors and specialists are updated on the status of your pet, and a team approach is taken to ensure the quickest recovery possible. Diagnostic tools like digital x-ray, ultrasound, and Endoscopy are available to assist us in providing your pet with advanced medical care.

Our specialty staff has extensive experience in emergency care, surgery, dermatology, oncology, internal medicine and advanced procedures. All of our specialists have undergone internships and residency training from some of the most competitive programs in the country and together provide the highest quality care for patients with complicated or specific diseases. Contact your veterinarian for a referral.

What is a Veterinary Specialist?
How are they different from my family veterinarian?
In addition to completing undergraduate training and four years of veterinary school, Board-certified Veterinary Specialists are similar to their human medical counterparts in that they have completed an internship and residency in their specialized field (an additional 3-5 years training). In addition to this extensive training, a Board-certified Veterinary Specialist must pass rigorous examinations and publish peer reviewed research to achieve Board certification from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine or the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Specialists bring a greater understanding to disciplines such as internal medicine, dermatology, oncology, and surgery, and have a greater knowledge of the unusual, the uncommon, or rare conditions that our pets can suffer from. In addition, a Specialist may have diagnostic or therapeutic equipment not generally used by your family veterinarian.

Meet our Board-certified Internist - Dr Amanda Wagner DACVIM
Meet our Board-certified Oncologist - Dr Kai Shiu DACVIM (Oncology)
Meet our Board-certified Surgeon - Dr Dana King DACVS
Meet our Board-certified Dermatologist - Professor Patrick McKeever DACVD

When should you request a referral to a Board-certified Veterinary Specialist?

• Your pet's disease is uncommon, complicated, or undiagnosed after standard testing.
• You would like an informed, neutral second opinion of your pet's condition.
• The outcomes of the current treatments are not going well or as expected.
• Your pet requires a sophisticated procedure that is offered by a specialty hospital such as endoscopy or chemotherapy
• Your pet can benefit from 24-hour monitoring provided by a referral hospital.

If you believe your animal would benefit from a visit to a Board-certified Veterinary Specialist, you are encouraged to work with your family veterinarian to complete a referral.

A specialist must be expensive!
Certainly, healthcare for pets is not getting any cheaper! But we believe that specialists provide excellent value, by using their experience and expertise to focus their testing upon what is most likely to be the cause of illness. We coordinate with your family veterinarian to ensure that everyone works together towards one goal - making your pet better. Our experience also helps guide owners to what the most appropriate course of action is, as well as handling unusual complications that can occur following a treatment that most veterinarians don't perform regularly (such as knee surgery).

What does "limiting practice to" mean?
Some veterinarians undergo the same rigorous training as board certified specialists, having completed internships and residency training, but have not completed either the examinations or the publication requirement of the specialty college. These veterinarians are allowed to practice in their area of special training and accept referrals, but are unable to advertise their services as a specialist. This does not necessarily mean that they are not as skilled as a board certified specialist- one of our surgeons, Dr Toby Eshelman has been trusted by Wisconsin veterinarians for orthopedic and soft tissue surgery referrals for 4 years, having trained in small animal surgery at the University of Illinois.

Why should I choose a Specialist at Veterinary Emergency Service and Veterinary Specialty Center?

• Teamwork: Our Customer Service Representatives, Technicians, Assistants, ER doctors and specialists all work together as a team towards one goal –providing the highest standard of medical and emotional care. You can expect a friendly and personal touch in the Specialty Center.
• Continuity: You will see the same specialist and support staff at every visit. This familiarity helps maintain continuity of care, as well as providing a strong comfort level for you and your pet.
• Uniqueness: Veterinary Specialty Center is the only private practice specialty clinic with an in-house 24-hour emergency service. No matter what time of day, you can rest assured our ER doctors know exactly what's going on with your pet.
• Efficiency: A smaller hospital and Marshfield Labs, an in-house STAT lab, allow for more efficient appointments and reduce the amount of time you and your pet will need to spend in the clinic.

Hospital Comparisons

	VES-VSC	UW VMTH	VESC	ECA
Board Certified specialty services offered	Medicine, Surgery, Oncology, Dermatology	Medicine, Surgery, Oncology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Exotics, Neurology, Dentistry	Surgery, Ophthalmology	None
24 hr ER hospital	Yes (East and West locations)	Yes	No	Yes
Chemotherapy suite	Yes	Yes	No	No

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