Hospital Services

For more involved procedures that require hospital equipment such as dental care, radiographs, surgery, and anesthesia, and for patients that are difficult to handle at home, we use Norwalk Veterinary Hospital as a base. We set up our own appointments to meet you at the hospital so you can still expect very personal attention. We also arrange for drop offs at the vet hospital if your pet needs to be there for tests and longer procedures, or hospitalization for serious illness. 

 

Surgery

Routine surgeries are referred to our colleagues at Norwalk Veterinary Hospital. Our ongoing relationship with the animal hospital gives us the opportunity to follow up on all procedures done at the vet hospital. 

 

Specialist Referrals

When serious illness occurs, we will refer your pet to an appropriate specialist for further evaluation and treatment. Specialists include cardiologists, radiologists, internists, emergency clinicians, surgeons, ophthalmologists, oncologists, and dermatologists. When necessary, twenty four hour care is provided at local specialty hospitals. 

 

Laser Therapy

We now offer cold laser therapy treatments using our new Avant LZ30 laser. 

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Senior Pet Care

Elderly and disabled patients that are difficult to move benefit from house calls. Many find a house call to be a much more comfortable experience  than a trip to the vet hospital. Our new special house call service, "Your Senior Pet's Vet", focuses on specific medical needs of older dogs and cats. Visit our website for Your Senior Pet's Vet for more information. 

 

End of Life Services

We offer end of life services for elderly, chronically ill, and disabled dogs and cats. As dogs and cats age, their needs change dramatically. Some require changes to their environment while others benefit from a variety of medications, supplements, and special diets. We will visit with families and their pets to assess the quality of life in the home environment for geriatric and ill pets. 

 

We are available to consult with families when they have questions about quality of life and maintaining dignity, and the timing of euthanasia for their senior or ill pets. We offer short and long term in-home palliative and hospice care, Many families eventually must make the decision to euthanize their beloved pet. This is a very personal issue and we take great care to assist owners as they come to this phase of their pet's life.  We will advise and help ease the decision making process, and assist families in coming up with an approach to the final phase of their pet's life.  When necessary we perform euthanasia for pets in their home or make private arrangements to meet at the vet hospital or at another preferred location. We are sensitive to the concerns and emotions of the family during this difficult time and will work closely with the regular veterinarian as the need arises. 

 

Our new service Your Senior Pet's Vet focuses specifically on senior pet's needs. Visit our website Your Senior Pet's Vet for more information. 

 

Rescue

We work with Wildlife in Crisis in Weston, to help with songbird and other wildlife rescue. If you have a wildlife question or emergency, please contact Wildlife in Crisis. Their phone number is 203-544-9913.

We also work closely with The Little Pink Shelter, Animal Nation, and a number of other dog and cat rescues. Many of these dogs and cats are saved from high kill shelters. Please  contact us for referrals to reputable rescue organizations. 

 

Vet School for Kids

Veterinary Workshops for Kids and Adults

We offer a variety of hands on workshops for children and informative talks for adults. Topics include Basic Pet Care, What is a DHPP?, Illnesses of Senior Pets, The Top Ten Reasons to Bring Your Pet to the Vet, First Aid for Pets, Hospice and Palliative Care for Senior and Chronically Ill Pets, Animal Welfare and Rescue. We also offer Veterinary Birthday Parties for Kids. Please check out the dedicated page Vet School for Kids on this website and contact us for details.   

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Kennels, Pet Sitters, Groomers, Dog Training...

For auxiliary pet services, we can make recommendations to help you find a good match for your needs. 

 

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OFFERING NEW VIRTUAL SERVICES!!

We now offer virtual rechecks for a variety of acute and chronic conditions, illnesses, and injuries. Senior and chronically ill pets are well suited for ongoing virtual monitoring with compassionate guidance, keeping track of chronic progressive conditions, especially in old dogs and cats, with minimal stress. Once a diagnosis is made, we are able to monitor response to new medications, adjust dosages, add new treatments, and manage overall treatment plans. We use e-mail, phone, or zoom, depending on individual preference. Continual contact with a veterinarian gives pet parents peace of mind as they care for their pets. 

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Virtual Consulting for pets that are not local patients of the Visiting Vet Service. 

Do you have concerns about your elderly pet's quality of life, or would like an outside objective opinion on managing current health issues? Or maybe you have questions about general pet care, adopting a new pet, or managing chronic illness in your pets?

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In addition to regular in-person veterinary care, sometimes an objective, professional point of view and discussion can be extremely helpful in processing overwhelming situations we are experiencing with our pets. 

While I can't legally diagnose or prescribe specific medical treatment to animals I have not examined in person, I am able to offer virtual consulting via phone, e-mail, Facetime, and Zoom, to caring, committed pet parents. The goal of this type of virtual consulting is to provide objective input, guidance, and to answer questions about pets with disabilities, complicated medical issues, end of life decisions, and other basic pet care.

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Virtual Consults Include:

Basic 30 minute phone or Zoom consult.

Includes an e-mail summary of our visit, plus one brief follow up e-mail within 30 days.

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Extensive 45 minute phone or Zoom consult. 

Includes medical records review in addition to an e-mail summary of our visit, plus one brief follow up e-mail within 30 days. 

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Recheck 30 minute phone or Zoom consult.

Includes an e-mail summary of our visit, plus one brief follow up e-mail within 30 days. 

 

Simple e-mail consults focus on a single, relatively straight forward question. One follow up e-mail within the following 30 days is included. 

 

Custom plans are available.

Contact Dr. Shapiro for scheduling and fee info.
mshapirodvm@gmail.com 

 

Routine and Preventative Care
Routine checkups, vaccines, heartworm testing, tick, and flea prevention are all part of a good yearly preventative medical checkup. Examinations for simple medical issues can usually be provided in your home. 

 

Wellness
We highly recommend and offer a yearly wellness screening package for all dogs and cats. A complete blood count, chemistry panel, urinalysis, heartworm test, and stool check (dogs) and thyroid level (cats) is a comprehensive way to establish baseline blood values in healthy pets. We commonly pick up minor changes in blood values that signal early stages of disease before obvious symptoms occur. The screening identifies underlying disease before symptoms start to show which enables early detection, further diagnostics, and treatment for many diseases. Early intervention can improve the prognosis for many diseases. This screening can be done at any time during the year but is most convenient at the time of the regular yearly checkup.  

 

Microchipping

Home Again microchips are available for dogs and cats.  Consider having your dog or cat microchipped. Most shelters and vet hospitals use scanners on all "strays" brought into their facilities. Microchips provide a unique avenue for reuniting lost pets with their families.It is very important to scan your pet on a regular basis to be sure the microchip is still active. There have been a small number of microchip failures reported.  

 

Diagnostics

We have accounts with comprehensive veterinary diagnostic labs which offer a full spectrum of diagnostics. Samples can be collected at home or at the animal hospital. 

 

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