About our cardiology Service
Our Cardiology service strives to manage cases with state-of-the-art veterinary care while focusing on the quality of life for the patient. Each of our patients and their family is treated full attention from our experienced veterinarians and nurses who completed extra years of training to understand and treat heart diseases in pets.
Diagnostics provided
Our service is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for the following:
- Advanced echocardiography (4D/ strain/ contrast echo capable)
- Electrocardiography (ECG)
- In-hospital ECG monitoring (telemetry)
- Ambulatory ECG monitoring (Holter monitor)
- Advanced cardiac rhythm monitoring using implantable cardiac monitors (ICM)
- Thoracic radiography
- Cardiac biomarkers
- Genetic analysis
- Fluoroscopy and angiography
- Cardiac computed tomography and angiography
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
- Fine needle aspirates of certain cardiac masses.
Treatment provided
Based on the results of diagnostic tests, our team will recommend a therapeutic plan that is tailored for each pet and their family. The therapeutic recommendation may include medications, lifestyle changes, or sometimes procedures to correct the disease.
The procedures that we provide include but are not limited to:
- Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus
- Balloon valvuloplasty of stenotic valves (i.e., pulmonary stenosis)
- Transvenous pacemaker implantation
- Embolisation of aberrant vessels
- Stenting of stenotic vessels
Making an appointment
A referral from either a general veterinarian or an emergency veterinarian is necessary to make an appointment with TAHMU Cardiology service. Your veterinarian can do this via the referrals page on our website. Common reasons for cardiology referral include familial history of heart disease, heart murmur, irregular heartbeats, weak, bounding, or irregular pulses, breathing difficulty, unexplained lethargy, exercise intolerance, and wobbly or collapsing episodes (syncope).
Other general information
TAHMU Cardiology service works closely with other specialist teams to provide the best care for your pet. This means that the TAHMU cardiology team may recommend a consult with another service (e.g., internal medicine or surgery) if the pet appears to have a non-heart related illness that may interfere with the pet’s cardiac tests or treatment, or if such illness is compromising the pet’s quality of life.
Clinical Research
Many of the TAHMU Cardiology team members are active researchers in the field and are devoted to find better diagnostic tests and treatment options for pets with heart disease. Therefore, our team may discuss an emerging treatment option or clinical trial, especially when the disease is incurable with traditional medicine or has limited treatment options. The family will be provided with all information so they can make an informed decision about the clinical trial following the discussion with the clinical researcher.
Our team
BVSc, MVetMed, PhD, DipACVIM (Cardiology)
Joon graduated with Bachelor of Veterinary Science from Massey University in 2013 and completed a joint Master of Veterinary Medicine and Cardiology Residency at the Royal Veterinary College in 2020. Following the completion of the clinical cardiology training, he returned to New Zealand and worked as a full-time cardiologist while completing a PhD on feline cardiomyopathy. Joon completed his PhD at Massey University in 2026 and subsequently moved to Australia to join Murdoch University.
Joon is devoted to managing cases with state-of-the-art veterinary care while focusing on the quality of life for the patient. By working closely with the family, Joon aims to provide therapeutic plans that are tailored for each pet.
Joon is an active researcher with strong interests in feline cardiomyopathies, cardiac arrhythmias, advanced cardiac imaging, critical care cardiology, and translational medicine.
The Small Animal Medicine, Oncology and Cardiology teams have a dedicated group of registered veterinary nurses and support staff that are an integral part of the hospital and teaching facility. Our nurses exhibit an expert level of care to their patients and provide support to the veterinary team.
Our Cardiology team works closely with our small animal internal medicine team, details about their services and team members can be found here.
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