Small Animal: Neurology

Our service works on a referral only basis, so the primary veterinarian must first evaluate the patient and then contact our service directly to initiate the referral, if needed. This ensures that the patient is initially referred to the most appropriate service within the Veterinary Hospital. Some cases, particularly orthopedic or cardiac cases, can show very similar signs to neurologic cases. This policy is also important because once discharged from the hospital, we will need to work with the patient’s veterinarian in order to provide continued, high quality care.

The final arrangements for the date and time of the appointment are usually made directly with the client. We prefer to have the owner bring the patient to the neurology appointment rather than delegate this to a friend or relative, as it is often crucial to the management and outcome of the case that an accurate history be obtained. In many cases, this will involve information that only the owner is aware of.

• New patient non-emergency appointments are made on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
• Emergency cases are seen as needed depending upon the medical condition of the patient and the daily appointment schedule.

There is always a board-certified neurologist on call to provide expert consultation and, where indicated, evaluation of emergency cases that present through the Veterinary Hospital emergency service.

It is very important to realize that the major diagnostic tests are often run one or two days after the patient is brought to the Veterinary Hospital. This is done in order to refine exactly which tests will be required and to determine whether the patient can be safely anesthetized.

Please send radiographs or other images with the client or by submitting directly to us through by emailing ncstateneurology@ncsu.edu.

Unfortunately, it is usually impossible to determine a specific diagnosis from a telephone description provided by the client or from the referring veterinarian. In nearly all cases, a full patient history, thorough physical and neurologic examinations, and a series of tests are needed before we can provide a diagnosis for the patient’s condition.

Specialists in veterinary neurology are certified by the ACVIM parent organization. Specialists (sometimes also known as Diplomates) have to meet strict training requirements as outlined below. In order to become a Neurology specialist, a veterinarian must:

Complete a one-year internship or equivalent training.
Complete a residency training program (two or three year depending on the institution). In some schools, such as at NC State University, the residency training includes both medical neurology and neurosurgery.
Fulfill the prescribed credentials requirements.
Pass both the general Internal Medicine examination and the Neurology certifying examination.

If your pet has a neurological problem of any sort, we would strongly recommend that you seek the advice of a board-certified neurologist. Under the term ACVIM Neurology board certification, a veterinary neurologist is considered to be an expert in neurology, which can include both medical neurology and neurosurgery. Some neurologists have more training in neurosurgery than others, and some neurologists choose not to do neurosurgery. The four neurologists at the Veterinary Hospital are all trained in neurosurgery as well as medical neurology.