Oncology - Clinic Information

Veterinary Medical Specialists of Pittsburgh was founded in 2004 as one of the specialty practices at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialists. Since moving to the new 807 Camp Horne Road hospital, the practice has expanded its staffing and scope, and continues to provide specialty care, diagnostics and treatment of medical diseases in dogs and cats. In the Fall of 2008, the oncology service was founded with the the addition of Rebecca Newman, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology). Prior to the arrival of Dr. Newman, our internal medicine service (Drs. Johnson and Lurye) treated cancer patients.

Appointments

The Oncology department sees patients by referral from primary care veterinarians, the emergency service, and the other specialty services at PVSEC. New patient appointments are scheduled Tuesday-Friday mornings. Following initial consultation, diagnostic procedures and treatments are often done the afternoon of the same day. Patients generally spend the entire day with the oncology group, and return home in the evening.

Because diagnostic testing generally follows the initial consultation, owners should withhold food after midnight the evening prior to the appointment. Water should be provided at all times, and medications should be continued as directed by the pet's referring veterinarian until directed otherwise.

If your pet is diabetic or you have other questions prior to your pet's appointment, please call the office at 412-366-3400.

When the patient is ready to leave the hospital, a doctor, technician or receptionist will call the owner to schedule an appointment for the pet's discharge. This appointment allows the owner and a veterinary technician to discuss discharge instructions, medications and to answer any questions. If the owner has additional questions or concerns, the doctor will address them in person or by phone.

If chemotherapy is recommended, treatments are typically scheduled on an outpatient basis. Depending on the type of chemotherapy prescribed, your pet may need to spend the day with PVSEC Oncology. These patients are generally dropped off in the morning and return home in the late afternoon or early evening.

HOURS: Tuesday-Friday 8:30 AM-6:00 PM
Visiting Hours: Tuesday-Friday 12:00-2:00 PM and 5:00-6:30 PM

Owners are asked to call to schedule a time to visit their hospitalized pet to minimize the time spent waiting to visit. Unless otherwise arranged, the doctor may not be available to discuss the case during the visit. Please refrain from touching other animals while visiting to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and possibility of personal injury.

Patient Updates

A doctor will call with a medical update once at the end of each day, unless arranged otherwise.  Calls may be made as late as 8:00 or 9:00 PM to allow our doctors to place priority on patient care. We realize it is difficult to wait for information regarding your pet. Rest assured that we will call immediately in the event of an emergency or change in medical status requiring significant decisions. A technician is available to provide inpatient updates to owners calling between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. Communication is greatly expedited and simplified by the designation of one family member as a contact person. Owners are asked to leave all appropriate phone numbers with the receptionists.

Pending Results

PVSEC will call with test results and the doctor's recommendations (e.g. medications or re-checks) as they become available. Please note that repeated calls to check on results require that we pull the patient file from the results bin, causing delays. A veterinary technician will contact you if your pet's results are normal or indicate minor abnormalities. This expedites communication of results and allows our doctors to report critical results more efficiently. If questions or concerns remain after reviewing results with a technician, a doctor will call back to address them.

Fees

Consultations and appointments with PVSEC Oncology require a deposit at the time of admission. Full payment will be due at the time of your pet's discharge. We welcome cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover or Care Credit.