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Victoria Ochoa, DVM, MS, DACVIM |
Diplomate American College of
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INTERNAL MEDICINE
Dr. Ochoa is board-certified in Small Animal Internal Medicine. She received her DVM from the University of Missouri Veterinary College in 1994 and then completed a one-year rotating medical and surgical internship at Mississippi State University. She completed a three year residency in small animal internal medicine at Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Her research work during her residency involved investigation into feline urinary proteins; and she worked with Drs. Dennis Chew and Steve DiBartola on studies of cats with cystitis. She has been practicing in the South Bay area of California since 1998.
While she enjoys all aspects of internal medicine, particular areas of interest are feline medicine, endoscopy, gastroenterology, and liver and kidney disease. In addition to gastrointestinal, nasal, and respiratory endoscopy, Dr. Ochoa routinely performs advanced scoping diagnostics such as cystourethroscopy. She also has extensive experience in treating canine and feline cancer patients.
General Information
A veterinary internist is a licensed veterinarian who has also completed a 3-4 year internal medicine residency and is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).
Disciplines encompassed by veterinary internal medicine are endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, oncology, neurology, immunology, infectious disease, nephrology/urology, and respiratory disease. Because animals are not capable of communicating sources of their pain and discomfort, internists are vital to a specialty practice in their ability to diagnose many complex illnesses affecting dogs and cats.
By being skilled in ancillary procedures such as chemotherapy, ultrasound, and endoscopy, Dr. Ochoa is able to identify and treat many canine and feline disorders. The following are examples of these disorders (as provided by the ACVIM.org website):
- Endocrinology: Addison’s disease (hypoadrenocorticism), Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism), diabetes, insulinoma, canine hypothyroidism, and feline hyperthyroidism
- Gastroenterology: Disorders of the esophagus, stomach, intestine, colon, pancreas, liver, and biliary tract
- Hematology: Red blood cell, platelet, and white blood cell disorders, blood component therapy
- Immunology: Immune-mediated and immunodeficiency diseases
- Infectious Diseases: Bacterial, bartonella, fungal, mycoplasma, protozoal, rickettsial, and viral diseases
- Nephrology/Urology: Disorders of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra
- Respiratory Disease: Disorders of the nasal cavity, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs
The above is not a complete listing of disorders and/or procedures offered. Please consult your veterinarian if you feel your pet’s health concern should be treated by an internal medicine specialist.
CHEMOTHERAPY
By providing chemotherapy services for pets, we are enabling a level of health care for your pet that is rapidly approaching the scope of services offered in human health care. Chemotherapy can help to achieve a longer or better quality of life for your pet. Chemotherapy treatment plans vary depending on the type and nature of the cancer with which your pet is afflicted. Your family veterinarian can help you decide if the type of cancer your pet has is treatable with chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy for your pet is similar to human chemotherapy. Although not as extreme as in people, your pet may experience some nausea following the treatment due to the dosages of drugs used. One unique difference is that pets will not lose their hair following chemotherapy treatments. Treatment plans usually vary between 4 and 12 weeks in duration with treatments given either weekly or biweekly.