FOR PET OWNERS
What happens at an appointment?
Booking, preparation and what to expect.
↗Small animal cardiology
Heart care.
Together with your vet.
Specialist diagnosis and treatment advice for dogs and cats with heart disease. A thorough assessment, a clear plan and close collaboration with your usual vet.
Paul F. Mõtsküla · DVM MSc PhD MVetMed DipECVIM-CA (Cardiology) MRCVS
EBVS® European Veterinary Specialist in Small Animal Cardiology
FOR VETS
Referrals and professional advice
Referring a patient, sharing records and spending a day with a cardiologist.
↗SPECIALIST EXPERTISE
What is a veterinary cardiology specialist?
A specialist is a vet who has completed extensive postgraduate training, met the requirements of the relevant specialist college and passed its certifying examination.
EBVS, the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation, coordinates veterinary specialisation in Europe. Paul F. Mõtsküla is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Cardiology — DipECVIM-CA (Cardiology).
A specialist consultation complements the work of your usual vet. Its purpose is to clarify the diagnosis and agree on appropriate care for your pet.
Specialist training on the EBVS website ↗How does a referral work?
Discuss it with your vet
Your vet explains the reason for referral and the questions the consultation should address.
Book and send the records
Book directly with the clinic. The referring vet sends the complete clinical history and investigation material before the appointment.
Assessment and a shared plan
The consultation leads to recommendations for treatment, monitoring and ongoing collaboration with your vet.
Vets are welcome to contact me by email at info@vetekar.ee. Appointments are booked directly with the clinic.
← HomeCalmly.
For pet owners
Calmly.
Well prepared.
The consultation aims to understand your pet’s problem, explain the findings and agree on the next steps.
Book an appointmentIf a pet I have previously seen becomes unwell or their condition changes
Please contact your usual vet first. Your vet should examine your pet in person and carry out the necessary initial investigations. If advice on changes to treatment is needed, your vet should contact me directly themselves, providing an up-to-date clinical history, investigation results and the current medication list. Your vet can then discuss the recommendations with you.
Before the appointment
Ask your vet to send the complete records
For a referral, the referring vet must send the complete clinical history and all relevant investigation material before the consultation. This allows us to use the appointment for examining your pet and making decisions. Searching for missing information during the visit reduces the time available for investigations and discussion.
What needs to be sent?
- The complete clinical history, reason for referral and your vet’s questions.
- Previous investigation results, including blood tests with dates and reference intervals.
- Original radiographs, preferably in DICOM format, together with any reports.
- Available ECG recordings, ultrasound images and videos, and examination reports.
- An up-to-date medication list: drug name, strength, dose and frequency.
Ask your vet to send the material to the address agreed when booking, including the pet’s name, owner’s name and appointment date.
What should you bring?
- A medication list or the packaging, with details of the most recent doses.
- Notes about symptoms and how they have changed; videos of episodes, if available.
- Any records that could not be sent in advance.
- Your main questions and your pet’s usual essentials.
Ask the clinic for feeding and medication instructions when booking. Do not change treatment on your own.
What happens during the consultation?
Discussion and examination
We review the symptoms, current treatment and previous investigations, and examine your pet.
Appropriate investigations
Tests are selected according to your pet’s needs. They may include cardiac ultrasound, ECG or other investigations.
Explanation and recommendations
We discuss the findings, treatment options and home monitoring, and agree on follow-up and communication with your usual vet.
What should I do if my pet’s condition changes?
Please contact your usual vet first. Your vet should examine your pet in person and carry out the necessary initial investigations. If advice on changes to treatment is needed, your vet should contact me directly themselves, providing an up-to-date clinical history, investigation results and the current medication list. Your vet can then discuss the recommendations with you.
Is the cost the same for every patient?
Please ask the clinic about consultation and investigation fees. The tests required depend on your pet’s problem and previous findings.
If your pet needs urgent help
If your pet has difficulty breathing, collapses or deteriorates rapidly, contact the nearest emergency veterinary clinic immediately. Do not wait for a routine appointment or an email reply.
← HomeSpecialist support.
For vets
Specialist support.
Shared patient care.
Cardiology appointments, professional collaboration and the opportunity to spend a clinical day with a specialist.
When should you refer a patient?
Patients may be referred for suspected heart disease, clarification of a diagnosis, treatment planning or discussion of a challenging case.
- A heart murmur or suspected congenital heart disease.
- An arrhythmia, syncope or episodic weakness.
- Suspected heart failure or assessment of the progress of a known condition.
- Unclear investigation findings or questions about treatment and monitoring.
An unstable patient first needs immediate assessment and stabilisation locally. Please discuss the urgency of the referral with the clinic.
SPECIALIST CONSULTATION
What can you expect from collaboration?
Specialist training and the certifying examination provide the basis for a detailed cardiology assessment. The consultation brings investigation findings together with the patient’s overall clinical picture.
Findings and recommendations are shared with the referring vet. Arrangements for ongoing care and repeat investigations are agreed according to the patient’s needs.
Specialist training on the EBVS website ↗A useful consultation starts with complete information
Referral checklist
Please provide all relevant clinical information and previous investigation material.
- Patient and owner details, and the referring vet’s contact information.
- The specific clinical question and degree of urgency.
- The complete clinical history, concurrent conditions and examination findings.
- Blood results with dates, units and reference intervals.
- Original radiographs, ECG recordings, and available echocardiography videos, images and reports.
- The current medication list, previous treatment changes and response to treatment.
Contact for vets
For professional enquiries and discussion of a patient, please email info@vetekar.ee. The treating vet should contact me directly and provide the relevant clinical information.
Email a veterinary enquiryCLINICAL IMMERSION
A day with a cardiologist
How a specialist sees, thinks, communicates and works.
Spend a day with an EBVS® specialist in small animal cardiology. Observe consultations and echocardiography, discuss interpretation of findings, diagnosis and treatment decisions, and see communication with owners and referring vets.
The aim is to share clinical reasoning and ways of working that you can use in everyday practice.
Practical information
Days are arranged at the Estonian University of Life Sciences veterinary clinic or EriVet. The programme starts at 07:30 at the university clinic and 08:30 at EriVet; the exact arrangements are confirmed when booking.
You may bring the records of one or two of your own patients, preferably sending them in advance. Bring a stethoscope and clean clinical clothing, and lunch and a water bottle if you wish.
Ask about dates and participationCONTACT AND APPOINTMENTS
Appointments in Tallinn or Tartu
Book directly with the clinic, asking for a cardiology appointment with Dr Paul F. Mõtsküla. The clinic confirms available dates, fees and preparation instructions.
TALLINN
EriVet veterinary clinic
Sõpruse pst 237, Tallinn
+372 600 6262Appointments are booked by telephone.
Clinic contact details ↗TARTU
Estonian University of Life Sciences veterinary clinic
F. R. Kreutzwaldi 62, Tartu
+372 731 3224Please ask for a cardiology appointment.
Clinic contact details ↗Vetekar · professional enquiries
Vets can contact me by email regarding patients, collaboration and clinical immersion. Appointments are booked directly with the clinics.