Internal Medicine Department
Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center is home to the one of the few Internal Medicine departments in Alaska for your small animal pets.Submit your Vet Referral
Announcing the opening of Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center’s new Small Animal Internal Medicine Department
We are so excited to announce the opening of Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center’s new Small Animal Internal Medicine Department! Drs. Melco and Gonzalez are committed to serving the surrounding Alaska community to provide access to advanced diagnostics and consultation for long term management of medicine related etiologies. The goal of the service will be to partner with the referral veterinary community and clients to optimize a team approach to patient management.
The service is open to accepting new appointments on a referral only basis.
We look forward to working with you! Veterinarians, we would love it if you could fill out a short survey to help us get to know you better!
Click Here to fill out the survey (for referring DVMs only)
Sincerely,
Dr. Ashley Melco, DVM, DACVIM, Board Certified Internal Medicine Specialist
Dr. Nikki Wimmer Gonzalez, DVM, Practice Limited to Small Animal Internal Medicine
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Ashley Melco, DVM, DACVIM
Board Certified Internal Medicine Specialist
Dr. Ashley Melco is a Board-Certified Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist at Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center. Originally, she was born and raised in Minnesota, however, her advanced medical training has taken her on a tour of the lower 48.
Dr. Melco received her doctorate of veterinary medicine from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. Her internship training was at North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine teaching hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, and she completed her residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin Madison Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.
Her clinical research focused on gastrointestinal and infectious disease. Throughout training she found a passion for teaching clinical students/interns and developed a special interest in mental health within the veterinary profession.
Nikki Wimmer Gonzalez, DVM, Practice Limited to Small Animal Internal Medicine
Born in Sitka and raised in Wasilla, Dr. Gonzalez is excited to return to her community and help provide advanced veterinary care. She received her doctorate of veterinary medicine from Colorado State University. After graduation she pursued advanced veterinary training at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts where she completed a rotating internship program in small animal medicine and surgery followed by a residency in small animal internal medicine.
Her career practicing internal medicine has led her slowly across the country spending time in Virginia, California, and Washington before returning home to Alaska. During this time she not only enjoyed providing veterinary care but also teaching, including being a part of internship training programs. Experience in clinical practice allowed for advanced training in ultrasound imaging which she also has developed an interest in being able to help visualize pathology and direct treatment plans for patients.
When not at the hospital Dr. Gonzalez is spending time with her family enjoying all the Alaska outdoors has to offer.
Does Pet Insurance Cover Internal Medicine in an Animal? - Normally Yes, as long as the diagnosis was made after your pet insurance was in place.
This coverage can often times help with internal medicine treatments that many pets undergo. Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center provides a treatment suite for patients. Internal Medicine services are provided by Dr. Ashley Melco, DVM, DACVIM, Board Certified Internal Medicine Specialist, and Dr. Nikki Wimmer Gonzalez, DVM, Practice Limited to Small Animal Internal Medicine.
If the diagnosis was made before having pet insurance, it will be considered a pre-existing condition.
Please review your pet insurance policy for detailed coverage information as policies vary.
What to Expect
Before we start and referral requirements:
- Initial appointments are currently made through referring veterinarians only.
- We need a complete medical and written history for the patient which is provided in the referral submission.
- If you are a referring veterinarian, submit your referral to get started.
During the appointment:
- An internal medicine work up often requires multiple diagnostic tests and may warrant that your pet stays overnight.
- If a procedure is indicated, we will do our best to perform general anesthesia the same day. We may ask the patient to stay overnight in preparation for a procedure or be dropped off the following morning.
Follow-up appointments:
- If you desire ongoing remote consultation with us and follow-up diagnostics are performed at your practice, email us at saim@tier1vet.com with the following:
- Results of follow-up diagnostics
- Updated clinical signs
- Current medications
- Physical examination
- The SAIM service will speak directly to you regarding patient care within 2-3 business days of receiving diagnostics results.
- Remote consultation costs may vary depending on complexity ranging from $97.81 - $191.09.
- If preferred, we provide the option for direct recheck consultation with us.
- We encourage examination and recheck consultation at least every 6 months. Our standard recheck examination cost is $148.18.
Thank you for your continuing support of the Internal Medicine Service at the Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center.
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**Emergent concerns between 9am - 5pm Monday - Thursday can be directed to the Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center emergency service (907-745-8437). Non-emergent questions can be emailed to the Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center’s Internal Medicine service (saim@tier1vet.com) with an anticipated response within 3-4 business days.**