Small Animal: Cardiology

A referral is required for second opinions, congenital heart disease, or treatment of heartworm infection. By having your primary veterinarian send medical records prior to the appointment with your referral, we are often better able to determine the severity of the problem in order to schedule appropriately. We will also discuss our policies and fees at the time the referral is made, and formulate a plan for communicating our findings to the primary veterinarian.

After the referral has been made, clients may call us to make the appointment. We will collect client and patient demographic information, provide an estimate of charges, discuss some of the diagnostic procedures that may be required, and answer any questions the owner may have regarding the visit.

To have the best chance of getting a complete diagnostic work-up done in one day, we try to schedule new patients in the morning every day except Wednesday, which is reserved for interventional cardiac catheterization or other semi-elective surgical procedures.

Your appointment duration will vary, depending on the nature and complexity of your pet’s condition. If you have scheduling questions or conflicts, please let us know as soon as possible so we can do our best to accommodate your schedule.

The initial examination fee is $211.66, which includes examination by and consultation with a cardiology clinician.

The range for the typical outpatient cardiac evaluation ranges from $600 – $1400.

Common cardiac diagnostic tests include a blood pressure test, chest radiographs, electrocardiogram, 24-hour ECG monitoring, echocardiogram, and blood and urine testing. Please don’t hesitate to discuss the cost of your pet’s workup if you have concerns or are unclear about the cost of the proposed diagnostic or treatment course.

Please note that cost of care estimates greater than $400 require a deposit of the low end of the estimate range. The balance must be paid in full prior to patient discharge. To ensure billing accuracy, each discharged patient’s record is reviewed by an auditor. Charges or credits may be applied to your bill up to 10 to 30 business days after the date of discharge.

Payment

Payment methods: We accept all major credit cards, cash, check or Care Credit.

Care Credit: You may apply for Care Credit at 1-800-365-8295 or www.carecredit.com (select NCSU Veterinary Health Complex). If you are using Care Credit, we require the card holder to be present. If this is not possible, please call our reception desk at 919-513-6694 to make arrangements prior to your appointment. We do not accept phone authorization for Care Credit.

• A brief description of the reason for the appointment with the Cardiology Service, including all of the patient’s symptoms even those that may not seem significant.
• List of medications patient is receiving, including any over the counter drugs, herbs or metabolic supplements, as well as any problems the patient may be having with the medications.
• Patient diet history, including treats and snacks.
• If your pet has a history of being extremely anxious during vet visits, you may want to consult your primary care veterinarian to see if your pet could benefit from an anti-anxiety medication just prior to your appointment. Common anti-anxiety medications, such as oral gabapentin or trazadone, are safe for patients with heart disease. We are unable to prescribe medication over the phone prior to your initial appointment, but are happy to work with your primary care veterinarian to make recommendations.

• Faculty clinicians: Our faculty are licensed veterinarians, ACVIM specialty board-certified cardiologists, who are nationally and internationally recognized experts in cardiology.
• Technicians: Our veterinary technicians are licensed veterinary nurses, and some are board certified in cardiology (VTS certified).
• Client Services: Our client services representatives manage patient check-in and discharge, schedule appointments and accept financial payments.
• Cardiology Residents: Our residents are all licensed veterinarians who have completed at least one year of advanced clinical training. They provide clinical service and teach students as part of an accredited program leading to board certification by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialty of Cardiology.
• Small Animal Interns: Interns are licensed veterinarians in an accredited advanced clinical training program. They also provide clinical service and teaching.
• Fourth-Year Medical Students: Our fourth-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students rotate through hospital services to gain closely supervised clinical experience.

Your pet’s health is our top priority. If you feel your pet needs medical attention before your appointment date, the NC State emergency service is available 24/7/365. The phone number for the Small Animal Emergency Service is 919-513-6911. 

Since we are a specialty service, we are unable to provide routine health care for issues not related to your referral (e.g. vaccination). We serve as an extension of your primary care veterinarian, from whom these services should continue to be obtained.

If you would like, please bring a picture of your pet so that we can put it in our photo album of NC State cardiology patients that we keep in our reception areas. The pictures bring lots of enjoyment to our staff and clients.

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please call our Client Services desk at 919-513-6694. Please give us at least 24-hour business day notice, or you will be charged a missed appointment fee.

The veterinary hospital is a not-for-profit health care center and receives less than 2% of operating costs from the State of North Carolina. The majority of our operating costs are paid by client fees and donations. In fact, many of the state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment options we offer are only possible because of generous gifts from our clients. Our fees are set to cover the balance of our operating costs, and we are always looking for ways to provide better service at lower cost. Total costs are comparable to those of veterinarian specialists in private practice.