For New Clients
What to Expect
Before Your Appointment
At CVNI, you will work closely with our team of patient care coordinators, technicians, and doctors to diagnose, and manage your pet’s neurological disease. Prior to your appointment, we will review your pet’s recent medical records. We can request these records directly from your referring veterinarian and/or emergency hospitals where your pet may have received care. If you have copies of recent blood work or diagnostic imaging (radiographs, MRI/CT), please forward these results to: info@compassvni.com. Having your pet’s complete medical record helps us avoid repeating tests and can expedite additional
diagnostics that may be needed.
Please fast your pet the night before your appointment. He/she can have dinner, but please no food after 10 pm unless you have been instructed otherwise by our team. You pet can have free access to water overnight. If your pet is very young, diabetic, or has specific nutritional concerns, please contact our team for fasting recommendations. The morning of your appointment, you can administer medications in a small amount of food. Please do not skip anti-seizure medications prior to your appointment. If your pet receives medications for high
blood pressure and/or cardiac disease (benazepril, enalapril, lisinopril, amlodipine,
pimobendan, etc) please contact our office for medication recommendations prior to your appointment.
The Day of Your Appointment
Your appointment will begin with one of our technicians obtaining a thorough medical history for your pet about your specific areas of concern, as well as previous illnesses and/or surgeries. Please bring any current medications with you to the appointment so we can review medication doses, formulations, and dosing frequency. The technicians will also obtain basic vital signs (weight, heart rate, respiration, and temperature). He/she will then discuss your pet’s history with the neurologist.
Your neurologist will perform a complete physical and neurological examination of your pet. The goal of a neurological examination is to determine what specific portion of the nervous system is affected (i.e. “neurolocalization”). Your pet’s neurolocalization helps the neurologist develop a list of potential causes of your pet’s symptoms and formulate a targeted diagnostic and treatment plan.
For diseases of the brain or spinal cord, advanced imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) may be recommended to help us evaluate your pet’s nervous system for the cause of their symptoms. In some cases, after the imaging is completed, a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample may be obtained and submitted for evaluation. For diseases impacting the nerves, muscles, or their connections (the neuromuscular junction) we may recommend electrodiagnostic testing, nerve and muscle biopsies, or specialized blood
tests, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. Electrodiagnostic testing, muscle & nerve biopsy, and certain specialized blood tests are often performed for disorders affecting the PNS.
At CVNI we strive to provide same-day imaging for our new patient appointments. In the event that the imaging schedule is full, we can schedule drop-off appointments for your pet, or if you prefer, they can stay overnight and have round-the-clock veterinary care and monitoring for imaging the following day.