BluePearl Pet Hospital
Mount Pleasant, SC
Specialty Veterinarian

We understand that emergencies don’t always happen during “normal business hours,” which is why our emergency hours are 24/7. Your pet will receive attentive care at the hands of our highly skilled clinicians, who utilize state-of-the-art tools to deliver better outcomes.

Our team operates the same way as any hospital: our goal is to assess, stabilize, diagnose and treat our patients. We understand how emotional emergency situations can be and take great care in working quickly and compassionately to treat emergency cases with the highest standards of patient care and client satisfaction. We are prepared to deliver life-saving care if your pet is experiencing a veterinary emergency such as:

• Difficulty breathing
• Severe wounds or bleeding
• Animal bites
• Consuming a foreign object or toxic substance
• Seizures

Dentistry and oral surgery can help your pet live a healthier life. Our veterinary dental services are provided by Animal Dental Services – please call 865.686.6678 for scheduling.

An important part of restoring an animal’s health is treating the underlying cause, not just the symptoms. To do this, diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds, CT scans and radiographs are often performed. Our doctors use state-of-the-art equipment to determine a disease’s origins as efficiently as possible. Diagnostic testing allows our veterinarians to create a treatment plan that fits pets’ needs and targets the source of the disease.

We offer the following diagnostic imaging services:

Endoscopy: Endoscopy is a minimally invasive technique that allows veterinarians to examine various passages in the body. It is an extremely useful diagnostic tool, enabling the veterinarian to visualize and sample any abnormalities which may be present. Endoscopy procedures can examine the gastrointestinal, respiratory, urinary and reproductive tracts, and can also be used to perform certain therapeutic treatments.

CT scanning: Computed Tomography is an advanced diagnostic tool that allows veterinarians to create 2D and 3D images of the patient. During the scanning process, a rotating x-ray tube creates cross-sectional images of the animal, which are then compiled in a computer to produce the images the vet sees. The most common cases where CT studies are needed are cases involving the spine, skull, joints and tumors.

Digital radiography: Radiography is one of the most common diagnostic tools used in veterinary medicine today. We offer digital radiography, allowing your pet’s images to be sent quickly and efficiently to a certified radiologist in seconds. Radiographs can be obtained without sedating the patient; however, if the patient appears to be stressed by the process, sedation can be given to help them relax.

Ultrasound: An ultrasound is a non-invasive technique that uses the reflection of ultrasonic waves to produce images. It is useful in evaluating heart conditions, changes to abdominal organs and pregnancy. Ultrasound waves cannot pass through air or bone, so it is of little use in examining the lungs, brain or spinal cord.

MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a non-invasive, highly advanced diagnostic tool that creates a detailed cross-sectional image without using ionizing radiation like radiographs or CT scans. Using a powerful magnet to induce microscopic signals from the body, a computer converts these signals into an image the veterinarian can use to observe various parts of the body. To get this high-quality image, the animal has to be perfectly still, so the patient is put under general anesthesia for the scan.

Fluoroscopy: Fluoroscopy uses the same concept as radiography, except it produces a moving image on a screen in real time (versus still framed images for radiographs). Our fluoroscopy unit is mobile, so it can be used within the surgical suite to minimize the invasiveness of surgery. It is used to help place cardiac catheters, implant pacemakers, place urethral stents, treat tracheal collapse and to perform airway examinations. By decreasing the time on the surgical table and the invasiveness of the procedure, fluoroscopy helps decrease a patient’s recovery time.

Our team handles complex medical cases involving the endocrine, gastrointestinal, urinary and hematologic systems using cutting-edge diagnostic technology to evaluate and treat your pet. Typically, pets are referred to our veterinary internal medicine services with problems that are hard to define and involve multiple body systems.

We help pets in the following areas of internal medicine:

Gastroenterology:  the study of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Typical conditions include inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), food allergies, hiatal hernias, polyps, foreign bodies, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or cancer.

Respiratory medicine: the study of the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Diseases include nasopharyngeal polyps and cancers, chronic rhinitis, nasopharyngeal stenosis, laryngeal paralysis, collapsing trachea, tracheal hypoplasia, fungal infections of the nasal passages and lungs, feline asthma, chronic bronchitis and infectious pneumonia.

Endocrinology: the study of multiple glands of the body such as the parathyroid, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas, pituitary and hypothalamus glands. Common endocrine diseases include diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, adrenal tumors, hyper and hypoparathyroidism, hyper and hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease and Addison’s disease as well as excessive drinking and urinating.

Nephrology/urology: the study of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, prostate and urethra. Conditions that are diagnosed and treated include acute and chronic kidney failure, kidney and bladder stones, prostatitis and prostate cysts, bladder polyps, kidney infections, congenital kidney diseases, urinary incontinence and urethral/bladder/prostate cancer.

Hematology: diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the blood. Diseases can include hemophilia and congenital/hereditary diseases, bleeding disorders, hemolytic anemias, infectious and destructive platelet disorders and bone marrow disorders.

Infectious diseases: treatment of infectious agents. Infectious diseases can include leptospirosis, influenza, herpes, Lyme, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and rickettsial agents, among others.

Our neurology team uses advanced imaging technologies, cutting-edge medical therapies and surgical procedures to diagnose neurological disorders and treat patients with veterinary neurological conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves.

Some of the most common neurological disorders that we treat include:

• Epilepsy and other seizure disorders
• Brain and spinal cord trauma
• Disc herniation and other lumbosacral disorders
• Brain tumors
• Neuromuscular disease
• Encephalitis

We also treat infections such as discospondylitis and breed-specific disorders like Wobbler Syndrome, a disorder that causes compression of the spinal cord in large and giant breed dogs.

Our doctors begin with a complete physical and neurological examination as well as a thorough analysis of your pet’s medical history. Direct observations of your pet’s concerning behavior help us provide an accurate diagnosis and construct an individualized treatment plan. In most cases, further diagnostic tests include imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT).

After diagnosing the problem, our specialists will design a treatment plan tailored to your pet’s specific needs. Treatment plans often include a combination of physical rehabilitation, pain management, brain or spinal surgeries to remove tumors, internal medicine to eliminate infections and other procedures to correct disc disease or congenital deformities.

No matter what type of cancer your pet has, and no matter what treatment plan we adopt, our goal is always the same: to treat the patient and give them the best possible quality of life.

Our team approach provides advanced, integrated medicine, expert advice, compassionate care and unparalleled support throughout the entire process. We use state-of-the-art medicines and therapies to ensure the best possible results and give you more time with your companion.

All oncology patients we see are in the care of experts who are trained in radiology, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, integrative assessment, surgical oncology and palliative care.

Treatment methods we use include:

• Chemotherapy
• Cryotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Surgery

All of these methods may be used in isolation or in conjunction with each other, allowing us to create a specialized treatment plan that has the most hope of success.

Our surgeons are skilled in all aspects of surgery, including minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopy, thoracoscopy and arthroscopy), orthopedic surgery, oncologic and neurologic surgery.

General surgery: In addition to our specialty surgeries, our team also performs general surgeries for wound repair, foreign body removal, gastropexy, emergency c-sections or abdominal exploratories.

Minimally invasive surgery: In some surgical cases, treatment can be provided without invasive surgery. Arthroscopy, laparoscopy and thoracoscopy are all surgical techniques that use cameras inserted through small incisions to visualize and correct problems. Minimally invasive surgery has been shown to decrease pain, recovery time and healing while limiting tissue trauma.

Orthopedic surgery: Orthopedic medicine is related to the musculoskeletal system, which is made up of an animal’s bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Diagnostic tests such as radiographs, CT scans and MRI imaging help veterinarians visualize the injury so an effective treatment plan can be established. Treatment options for musculoskeletal injuries include surgery, outpatient procedures and minimally invasive arthroscopy.

Neurosurgery: After evaluation and diagnostic procedures, neurosurgery is sometimes offered as a method of treatment. Our doctors perform a variety of neurosurgeries including spinal stabilizations, muscle and nerve biopsies, and shunt placements.

Surgical oncology: Surgery may be recommended as part of your pet’s oncology treatment plan and used on its own or as part of a comprehensive plan that includes chemotherapy and radiation to control or minimize the tumor after surgery.