Internal Medicine

Shannon Westgarth BScH, DVM, DACVIM, DVSc, Doctor of veterinary medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College, Doctor of Veterinary Science degree from the Ontario Veterinary College, Board-certified from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (internal medicine).

Dr. Lydia (Po-ching) Pan

Dr. Lydia (Po-ching) Pan was born and raised in Taiwan where she graduated from National Taiwan University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. She then worked in Hong Kong as a general practitioner for several years. She earned a master’s degree in Veterinary Studies in 2012 from Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.

Dr. Pan moved to North America in 2014 and completed a rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at North Carolina State University from 2014 to 2015. Following her internship, she completed her Small Animal Internal Medicine resident program at Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), University of Prince Edward Island in 2018 and stayed on as an assistant professor for one year.

Internal Medicine Services

Specialty consultations regarding medical conditions including gastrointestinal, renal, immune-mediated, urinary, infectious, hepatic, and respiratory conditions
Abdominal ultrasound examinations
Thoracic ultrasound examinations
Endoscopic examinations including rhinoscopy, tracheoscopy, bronchoscopy, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, colonoscopy, and cystoscopy to obtain diagnostic samples
Endoscopic retrieval of nasal, gastric and esophageal foreign bodies
Advanced imaging of the head, thorax, and abdomen with 32-slice CT scan
Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates of the thorax and internal organs

Veterinary CT Scan Toronto

Common reasons for consultation

Chronic vomiting or diarrhea
Abnormalities on biochemical profile (elevated hepatic enzyme activity, azotemia, abnormal pancreatic values, elevated bile acids, electrolyte abnormalities, etc.)
Abnormalities on complete blood count (anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, polycythemia)
Ongoing weight loss
Decreased appetite
Urinary incontinence
Sneezing and nasal discharge
Respiratory distress or chronic coughing

Strengths of Services

A collaborative approach to patient care with other specialty services including critical care, cardiology, oncology, neurology, and surgery
Working with clients and patients to find the best diagnostic and treatment options for both
Using a patient-centered approach to life long control of chronic medical conditions while maintaining a good quality of life
The utilization of state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment such as ultrasound, CT scan, and endoscopic equipment

Internal Medicine