• Please call the Oregon State University Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital large animal reception at 541-737-2858 and choose the option for internal medicine.
  • The teaching hospital is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
  • The large animal medicine service has scheduled patient appointments Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and emergencies only on Wednesdays. 
  • Please drive to the large animal clinic located on the west side of Magruder Hall. 
  • Come inside the reception area for check-in. Please leave your animal in your vehicle/trailer.
  • It is helpful to arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your appointment to allow adequate time for check-in. However, arriving prior to this will not ensure that your animal is seen earlier than your scheduled appointment.
  • A veterinary technician will come to your vehicle and help bring your animal to a stall or examination area.
  • You will be greeted by a fourth-year veterinary student who will work with you to obtain a complete history (if not already collected over the phone) and who will perform an initial physical examination. 
  • The clinical team including faculty, house officers (residents and fellows) and students will assess the patient and discuss the case. 
  • The clinical team will then be available to meet with you and discuss diagnostic tests and treatment options. 
  • Together, we will then make a plan as how best to proceed caring for your animal.
  • An estimate will be provided during your initial consultation.   
  • We work with specialists in several areas to provide solutions for complex medical issues, and we often recommend laboratory tests and imaging (X-rays, ultrasound and other tests). Additional services such as diagnostic imaging, the veterinary diagnostic laboratory and anesthesiology aid all areas of the hospital. We prefer to perform all recommended diagnostic tests on the same day as your initial appointment, but this is not always possible.
  • Your first appointment with the large animal internal medicine service will typically take four to six hours. After we make a diagnostic plan and you agree with the estimate, you may leave your animal with us until we call you to notify a pick up time if we complete the appointment earlier than expected.

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

  • Please bring the following items to your appointment:
    • Medical records and all written reports. These can be faxed ahead of time to 541-737-8651 Attn: Large Animal Internal Medicine or emailed to la.reception@oregonstate.edu.
    • Referring veterinary contact information.
    • List of current medications and doses – this includes all prescribed medications, over-the-counter medications, alternative medications and supplements.
    • Diet information, including type and amount of each feed and feeding frequency.
    • Preventative health information including type and last date of vaccines and dewormers.
    • Questions – it is a great idea to bring a list of questions with you to the appointment. You will have plenty of opportunity to have your questions answered by our team and it helps to come prepared with a list. 
    • If you believe your animal will be hospitalized, you may bring any special feed you would like them to continue to receive such as specialized grain or supplements. We have three types of hay and several types of grain that we can offer your animal, but you are welcome to bring your own hay if you prefer to avoid even minor feeding changes.
    • Outside medications are usually not accepted by law.
  • Your first appointment with the large animal internal medicine service will typically take four to six hours. After we make a diagnostic plan, and you agree with the estimate, you may leave your animal with us until the end of our day (around 5 p.m.). We will call for pick up if we complete the appointment prior to this time.
  • Follow-up appointments for known medical issues tend to be much shorter.
  • Our service also sees emergencies which sometimes may delay your appointment.

 

  • A teaching hospital serves to train professional veterinary students, fellows and residents in clinical practice by immersing them in the hospital environment. As such, you will interact with veterinary clinical students, fellows and residents.
  • For appointments, you will meet with a fourth-year veterinary student, a house officer (fellow or specialty resident in training) and a faculty member (veterinary specialist). 
  • Because we are a teaching hospital, the faculty, house officers and students rotate on and off clinics. Therefore, it is not always possible to see the same doctors for follow-up appointments.
  • Definitions of a veterinary specialist, resident, and intern/fellow:
    • Veterinary specialist: Veterinarians have completed a professional degree program, followed by a set of licensing examinations, in order to practice veterinary medicine. This training gives veterinarians a license to practice all types of medicine and surgery on any non-human animal. However, it is difficult to maintain expertise on every aspect of medicine. Specialists concentrate on a single area and become true experts in their chosen field. 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. These specialists are said to be ’board certified’ or ‘diplomates’ of a given specialty organization (in our case, internal medicine).
    • 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 three-year residency program, these veterinarians will take stringent examinations to demonstrate their expertise in their chosen field, eventually becoming a board-certified specialist.
    • Fellows: Fellows are licensed veterinarians who are pursuing an additional year of training after earning their doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree and at least one year of internship. These doctors are learning about a select segment of veterinary care in more depth usually with an intent to apply for a residency program.
    • House officers: common denominations for a veterinarian in training and they include residents and fellows. They are legally allowed to perform any and all duties of a veterinarian. At the teaching hospital, they manage clinical cases under the close supervision of faculty (veterinary specialists).
    • 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 and a half in the program, the students move from the classroom to the teaching hospital. Here they work with faculty 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. Your willingness to let students interact with you and your animal is key to their training. As one of our missions is to train tomorrow’s veterinarians, we appreciate your patience and understanding.
    • Veterinary technicians: Veterinary technicians are essentially the registered nurses of veterinary medicine and surgery. Our hospital employs professional, licensed 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.
  • The fee for initial evaluation of scheduled appointments is approximately $150-200. There are additional costs associated with same day appointments (urgency) and emergencies. A typical visit for diagnosis of complex problems usually will also require laboratory work and imaging which will add at least another $300 to the visit.
  • Our receptionists can provide estimates for some specific conditions or diagnostics that have been recommended by your primary care veterinarian. More detailed estimates will be provided to you during your visit.
  • Discount for livestock species used for production are available.
  • A deposit of half of the high end of the estimate is required.
  • We will explain the recommended procedures in detail to you and discuss possible risks when requesting authorization.
  • You cannot be present for diagnostic procedures. This is to allow the medical team to concentrate on the task and for safety reasons.
  • We will be glad to show you images (radiographs, endoscopy, ultrasound) and test results after the procedures.
  • We welcome visitation of hospitalized patients. Visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday Visits are limited to 30 minutes.
  • Visits should be scheduled though the veterinarian taking care of your animal.
  • Animals housed in the isolation ward cannot be visited. Exceptions can be made if euthanasia is recommended.
  • Prescriptions can only be provided to patients that are currently under care of the service to treat a specific condition diagnosed at our hospital.
  • Clients who need medication refills must allow us two business days to refill or call-in a prescription to an outside pharmacy. Refills also require the animal to have been examined by the prescribing veterinarian within the preceding 12 months. Re-examination is legally required to authorized continuing refills after this time.
  • During your visit, you may be informed of an opportunity to allow your animal to join a research study. Our studies follow strict scientific standards set by the  Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which are defined through state and federal law to protect patients and help produce reliable study results.
  • It is important for owners to know their animal’s involvement makes a difference in the advancement of medical knowledge, and the data from their animal’s involvement will support future veterinary patients.
  • A client’s participation in any research opportunity is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw your animal at any time. If an animal is withdrawn from the study for any reason (client or investigator decision), data already collected may continue to be used for research purposes.
  • The client will not be treated differently if they decide to not participate in a clinical trial.
  • No. The service sees both referred and first opinion cases.
  • We, however, strongly recommend that all animals have a primary care veterinarian. Your primary care veterinarian is the best person to provide initial diagnostics and treatment and guide you on the need for examination by an internal medicine specialist and referral to OSU. Your veterinarian is also a key team player for the care of your animal after they return home.
  • The referral process allows your animal’s regular veterinarian and the specialists at the teaching hospital to work together to provide optimum care. To work as a team, communication is crucial, and it often begins before the appointment is scheduled. Your veterinarian can call us to discuss your animal’s case and decide if a trip to the teaching hospital is warranted. We request medical records from your veterinarian prior to your appointment at OSU. You may also bring paper records with you.
  • Communication continues after your animal is seen at the teaching hospital. We notify your veterinarian about our initial findings and plans. If your animal remains hospitalized, your veterinarian will be given updates on its progress. We will inform your veterinarian when your animal goes home and send copies of the same discharge instructions we provide to you to their office.
  • Please contact the teaching hospital if you have any questions following your appointment with us. 
  • We try to provide a high-level of information and detail in the Visit Summary (discharge instructions), so please refer to that document. 
  • When you contact us with a question, please allow two full business days for a reply
  • Yes, please call large animal reception at 541-737-2858 if you believe you have a veterinary emergency.
  • All emergencies need to be approved by our team before coming in to our hospital.
  • Although uncommon, we may decline to see an emergency due to facility or personnel limitations.