Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine Department at Lakeshore Animal Health Partners in Mississauga

Internal Medicine involves the diagnosis and management of patients with multifactorial and multisystem diseases. This can include conditions affecting the stomach/intestines (gastrointestinal), kidneys (renal), hormonal (endocrine), immune, urinary, liver (hepatic), and lung (respiratory) systems. The Internal Medicine department at LAHP in Mississauga is made up of highly trained, board-certified veterinary Internal Medicine specialists who use several tools to assist with the diagnosis and ongoing medical management of your pet.

At Lakeshore Animal Health Partners, we provide minimally invasive imaging diagnostics thanks to our flexible and rigid endoscopy unit. We can perform imaging of the gastrointestinal tract (GI endoscopy, colonoscopy), respiratory tract (rhinoscopy, bronchoscopy) and urinary tract (cystoscopy), and our state-of-the-art video capture system allows us to save these images to your pet’s file for future reference. As well, these units allow us to obtain small, minimally invasive biopsies at the time of imaging to aid in the diagnostic process. Endoscopy is also an important tool in retrieving objects or material from your pet’s stomach if they have consumed something they shouldn’t have.

Our Internal Medicine Department works closely with all the other services at Lakeshore Animal Health Partners to ensure your cat or dog is provided with the most comprehensive care. In many cases, your pet may require ongoing management with the Internal Medicine department or may require further internal referral to another one of our services if needed.

Contact Us

Services Offered

  • Internal and dedicated consultations regarding a multitude of conditions affecting all body systems:
    • Nasal
    • Respiratory
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Hepatic
    • Renal
    • Urinary
    • Endocrine
    • Infectious disease
    • Immune system
    • Blood dyscrasias
  • Endoscopic procedures including:
    • Foreign material retrieval
    • Rhinoscopy
    • Tracheoscopy
    • Bronchoscopy
    • Upper and lower gastrointestinal scoping (endoscopic, colonoscopy)
    • Cystoscopy
    • Minimally invasive biopsy
    • Other diagnostic procedures such as:
      • Arthrocentesis
      • Bone marrow sampling
      • Ballooning (with endoscopic or fluoroscopic guidance)
  • Advanced imaging
    • CT of all body systems with our 32-slice CT scan
    • Orders available for ultrasound of the thorax or abdomen with fine needle aspirates of regions of interest

Common Reasons for Consultation

  • Chronic disease presentations
    • Weight loss
    • Vomiting or diarrhea
    • Appetite reduction or progression to complete loss of appetite
    • Urinary incontinence
    • Increased urination or drinking
    • Nasal discharge (uni- or bilateral)
    • Breathing abnormalities or chronic cough
  • Bloodwork dyscrasias
    • Biochemistry-related
    • CBC-related

Internal Medicine Team

Dr. Melanie Dickinson

Internal Medicine Specialist
Internal Medicine Department Chair

DVM, IPSAV, DVSc, DACVIM(SAIM)

Dr. Jenny Stiller

Internal Medicine Specialist

DVM, Dr. med. vet., DVSc, DACVIM(SAIM)

Samantha Swain

Liaison