• Please call the reception desk at 541-737-4812 and choose the cardiology option.
  • The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • The cardiology service generally has new patient and recheck appointments available Monday through Wednesday, although occasionally other options may be available. 
  • Please arrive at the main small animal clinic entrance, and enter small animal reception.
  • You will be greeted by reception staff who are available to help you with financial questions and appointment check-in.
  • It is helpful to arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your appointment time to allow adequate time for check-in, paperwork, questions, etc.
  • You will be greeted by a fourth-year veterinary student who will show you and your pet to an exam room. Your assigned student will work with you to obtain a complete history on your pet and will perform an initial physical exam. The student will leave you and your pet in the exam room briefly to consult with the clinical team who will be seeing you. This team could include faculty (board-certified veterinary cardiologist), house officers (cardiology residents and interns), technicians and other students. The doctor will then be available to meet with you and discuss diagnostic and therapeutic options, the estimate and the plan for the day. Together, we will decide on how best to proceed with caring for your pet. A detailed estimate will be provided for any and all options discussed during your initial consultation.   
  • You will be working with a team of specialists who provide state-of-the-art treatment for complex medical issues. Because of this, your appointment will likely take longer than a typical veterinary office visit. We will arrange a time for you to come back to pick up your pet after diagnostic testing has been completed.

You are the most important member of your pet’s health care team, since you know your pet best. For us to provide you with the best available treatment plan, we need to fully and completely understand the medical history of your pet.

If your primary veterinarian has not forwarded these prior to your appointment, please bring the following items to your appointment:

  • Medical records and all written reports. These can be
  • Primary veterinarian contact information.
  • List of current medications – this includes all prescribed medications, over-the-counter medications, alternative medications and supplements
  • Imaging studies – this includes radiographs (X-rays), echocardiograms, CT scans, MRI scans and ultrasounds. It is important that our team can review both the images and the full written reports prior to your appointment.
  • Questions – it is a great idea to bring a list of questions with you to your appointment. You will have the opportunity to have your questions answered by our team, and it helps to come prepared with a list. We also encourage clients to bring a family member or significant other to help provide support, take notes and ask questions.

 

  • Your initial appointment will take at least an hour. However, be prepared for your pet to spend a half to a full day at the hospital. It takes time to complete diagnostic tests, arrive at a specific diagnosis and to discuss treatment plan options. Most diagnostic testing will be able to be performed on the same day as your initial appointment, but this is not always possible.
  • During your first visit the veterinary team will discuss any recommended follow up. You will receive a written discharge letter with information about your pet’s diagnosis, treatment, medications (if any) and any other relevant information.
  • The teaching hospital operates similarly to human hospitals with separate specialty services such as cardiology, anesthesia and radiology. Additionally, the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory provides services to all areas of the hospital, as a result lab work may take several hours to days for final results.

 

The teaching hospital trains professional veterinary students, interns and residents in clinical practice by immersing them in the hospital environment. As such, you will interact with veterinary clinical students, interns and residents much as you would at a human teaching hospital. Below is an overview of who may take care of your pet while at the hospital. As a teaching hospital the faculty, house officers and students rotate on and off clinics. Therefore, it is not always possible to see the same doctor every appointment. For appointments, you will meet with a fourth-year veterinary student, a cardiology resident and/or a faculty clinician. Veterinary technicians care for your pet behind the scenes, but you may or may not meet them in person.

Definitions of veterinary specialists, residents, interns, house officers, students and technicians.

  • Veterinary board-certified (diplomates) specialist: Specialists are recognized after completing a rigorous four to five years of internship and residency training after they earn a veterinary degree. They must also successfully complete a number of additional credentialing steps and examinations. 
  • Resident: Residents are licensed veterinarians who are pursuing additional training in a specific field of specialty medicine, with the goal of becoming a board-certified specialist. Typically, these residents will have already completed not only their veterinary degree, but also a year or two of internship training, and perhaps time in private practice as well. At the end of their residency program, these veterinarians will take stringent examinations to demonstrate their expertise in their chosen field, eventually becoming a board-certified specialist.
  • Intern: Interns are licensed veterinarians who are pursuing an additional year of training after earning their doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree. These doctors are learning about a select segment of veterinary care in more depth than is possible during four years of a professional veterinary curriculum. Although interns are legally allowed to perform any and all duties of a veterinarian, interns at the teaching hospital manage clinical cases under the close supervision of faculty and resident veterinarians.
  • House officer: A house officer is a resident or interning veterinarian who is receiving further training, usually in a medical or surgical specialty, while caring for patients under the direction of an attending clinician.
  • Students: Veterinary students are accepted into the rigorous academic program after completing time in an undergraduate college program, often earning a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree. During the final year (fourth year) of the program, the students move from the classroom to the teaching hospital for clinical rotations. Here, they work with faculty and resident veterinarians to put into practice what they have learned. Student veterinarians never perform any procedure on any animal until the supervising faculty veterinarian is convinced they can perform the procedure safely, and then only under close supervision by a doctor or technician. Our veterinary students are among the best trained in the field thanks to your willingness to let them interact with you and your pet. During your appointment, a student will escort you and your companion to an examination room to obtain a history of your pet’s condition and perform a physical examination. The student will review your pet’s history and exam findings with the clinician, who will then reexamine your pet to confirm the findings before having a discussion with you about various options. We understand that this makes your appointment slightly longer than if you were to go to a private referral practice. However, as one of our missions is to train tomorrow’s veterinarians, we appreciate your patience and understanding.
  • Certified veterinary technicians: Certified veterinary technicians (CVTs) are essentially the registered nurses of veterinary medical field. Our hospital employs professional, certified veterinary technicians who have attended a technical program or college. Many have earned bachelor’s degrees in addition to having passed a professional licensing examination. They help with all aspects of patient care and teaching.

The estimate for the initial cardiology workup with our cardiology service is approximately $500-$1000. This includes a physical exam, echocardiogram, and chest radiographs (X-rays). There may be additional costs associated with further diagnostics and emergencies. If additional/different diagnostics are recommended, costs may vary. You will be provided with a detailed estimate at the time of your appointment.

  • Clients who need medication refills must allow 48 hours (during regular business hours) to refill or call in a prescription to a compounding or general outside pharmacy.
  • Some human pharmacies will not carry all veterinary prescriptions. We will make every effort to fill a prescription at your pharmacy of choice, but that is not always possible based on medication availability.
  • Please call the reception desk at 541-737-4812 to request a refill. Our pharmacy can fill it here for you to pick up, mail it to you for a shipping fee or call it in to an outside pharmacy.
  • You can either contact us directly for an appointment or be referred through your family veterinarian. Your primary veterinarian can perform a physical exam and initial testing that will determine if a referral is necessary. If so, the veterinarian can contact us with referral information and an appointment can be offered.
  • The referral process allows your pet’s regular veterinarian and the specialists at the hospital to work together to provide optimum care. In order to work as a team, communication is crucial, and it often begins even before the appointment is scheduled. Your regular veterinarian can call us to discuss your pet’s case and decide if a trip to the hospital is warranted, as well as which specialty service is best equipped to deal with your animal’s issues. Your veterinarian will email or fax pertinent medical records to us before your visit, or send paper copies along with you. By having these records on hand before your appointment, we can try to avoid repeating tests that have already been performed unless there is a medical need to do so.
  • Communication continues well after your animal is seen here. We notify your primary veterinarian about our initial findings and plans. If your animal remains hospitalized, your veterinarian will be given regular updates on its progress. When it is time for your animal to go home, we typically call your veterinarian. In addition, we send copies of the same discharge instructions we provide to you to their office.

Please ask reception for a flier on pet friendly hotels in the area, options for grocery stores, restaurants and a map of the Corvallis area. Campus maps are also available.

Please contact the cardiology service if you have any questions following your appointment with us. Our service provide a high-level of information and detail in the discharge letter, so please refer to that document as well. When you call or email the cardiology service with a question, please allow one to two business days for a reply on non-urgent matters.

  • In case of an emergency, please contact your nearest veterinary emergency clinic immediately. Please alert the emergency care team that your pet is undergoing care with the OSU cardiology service. The emergency care team can contact us for questions or concerns regarding care of your pet related to their cardiac disease. After your pet has been seen by an emergency clinic, please request that all records from that visit are sent to the OSU cardiology service.
  • The hospital has a veterinarian on staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If your pet is not doing well and is currently a patient of ours, please call us and we can provide guidance on next steps.