Essex Veterinary Clinic

05/26/2025

🇺🇸Happy Memorial Day!🇺🇸
Don’t forget to remember and honor the men and women (and animals) who have fought so bravely to defend our country.

Just as a reminder, we are closed today for the holiday. Our emergency services location, Pieper Memorial Veterinary Center, is open for their regular 24/7 schedule.

05/23/2025

We’re wishing You a Safe & Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Please note that Essex Veterinary will be closed on Monday, May 26th, in observance of the holiday. Pieper Memorial Veterinary Center at 730 Randolph Rd in Middletown will remain open 24/7 in the event of an emergency, and can be reached at (860) 347-8387.

As we enjoy this long weekend, let’s also pause to remember and honor the brave people and animals who have served and sacrificed for our country. From soldiers in uniform to the loyal military working dogs by their sides, we are forever grateful. ❤️🐶🎖️

05/13/2025

Is your calendar reminding you that your pet is overdue for vaccines, needs a medication refill, or has a health concern you’ve been meaning to ask about? Now it’s easier than ever to schedule an appointment - online!

Visit 👉 www.pieperveterinary.com

Pieper Veterinary
Pieper Veterinary is CT's pet emergency & specialty center, providing compassionate, cutting-edge care
www.pieperveterinary.com
and click “Book Appointment” in the top right corner to get started. With summer plans and vacations around the corner, now’s the perfect time to get your pet up-to-date and ready to enjoy the season with you! ☀️🐶🐱

Questions? Just give us a call - we’re here to help, and we can’t wait to see you and your pet!

Pieper Veterinary (formerly Pieper Olson Veterinary Hospital) is CT's pet emergency & specialty center, providing compassionate, cutting-edge care

04/28/2025

It's Heartworm Awareness Month and because of that, we wanted to spread the word on heartworm in FELINES. Yes, that's right, cats can get heartworm too.

Heartworm disease is transmitted through mosquitos. It is a blood-borne parasite that lives in the heart or major blood vessels of infected animals. The symptoms in cats can be confused with asthma, i.e. coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing and can often be partnered with vomiting and a decreased appetite. There are no disease specific signs and testing is required to confirm the diagnosis in cats. Testing includes bloodwork, x-rays, and cardiac ultrasound.

Unfortunately, there is no known treatment for heartworm in cats, which is why monthly preventatives are crucial even for your feline friends. Talk to your vet today to discuss the options and decide which medication works best for the both of you.

04/22/2025

Happy Veterinary Receptionist Week!

This week we are taking the time to recognize and appreciate the role that veterinary receptionists play in animal healthcare. They are just as important, if not more, as any other position here. They are the face of the hospital and the frontline to all inquiries, questions and concerns. They spend most of their day interacting and assisting clients to ensure a positive and worthwhile experience for all.

To express our gratitude for receptionists everywhere, here are a few kind words from our fellow coworkers:

🌞"Thank you for all the compassion and hard work you put in everyday to make our clients feel appreciated."
🌞"Veterinary receptionists often have the hardest job in the hospital. The contributions they make are invaluable. We are lucky at Essex Vet to have some of the best!"
🌞"For all the warm welcomes and compassionate check outs, we are so grateful for our vet receptionists who care so deeply for our patients. Thank you for all your dedication everyday as our frontline, farewell committee and overall face of our hospital"
🌞"I appreciate all of the excellent client communications our receptionists are able to provide when we are busy. You are all very good at helping them understand/get info they need."
🌞"Veterinary receptionists are the first and last person the clients see. They are the face of the clinic. I appreciate all you do everyday."
🌞"Veterinary receptionists are amazing! They do so much more than simply answering the phone. They are the biggest communication point for the clinic and help ensure pets are cared for by all aspects of the veterinary team. They are invaluable and we love them!"

Make sure to say 'Thank you!' to our three receptionists Megan, Madison and MJ this week when you see them, they are a vital part of our team and we wouldn't be able to do what we do on a day to day basis without them!

04/11/2025

With the weather starting to get nicer (this week excluded), it’s a good time to start getting out and taking your dog for their daily walks. There’s a lot of Do’s and Don’ts that come with walking your dog,
and we want to make sure you and your pets stay as safe as they can be.

🐶DO use a 4-6 foot long leash - shorter leashes are safer than retractable ones.
❌DON’T let your dog off leash unless otherwise noted that it’s safe to do so in that area.
🐾DO put booties on your dogs feet - with the warmer days coming soon the pavement is going to become very hot to the touch. If you can’t put your hand or bare foot on it for more than 10 seconds, it is too hot for your dogs little toe beans.
❌DON’T leave your dogs droppings wherever they go, bring doggy bags with you to clean up their mess.
🚰DO bring water with you, its always important to keep both you and your dog hydrated throughout the walk.
❌DON’T let your dog have free range of the open road. Make sure that you always put yourself between your dog and the road or any passing pedestrians/animals.

Remember that while walks can be enjoyable for all involved, there are still many safety precautions to be made in order to avoid turning an exciting outing into an emergency room visit. Don’t forget to have fun and embrace the bonding time for you and your pet!

04/04/2025

🏋️‍♀️Happy Canine Fitness Month!🏋️

🐕Fitness for dogs is becoming increasingly more important as obesity rates are rising in canines. There are a lot of risks that come with obesity, including increased potential for diabetes, cancer, joint injury and osteoarthritis (OA). Obviously, we do not want this to happen to any of our furry friends, so we want to spread awareness on the benefits of a healthy regimen for your pets.

🐕‍🦺A simple walk around the block can make a major impact on your dogs life. It can help burn all those excess calories, keeps their joints moving which in turn improves their function and it also helps to regulate their digestive tract. Beyond physical aid, going outside can provide mental stimulation for your pet. It can help them sleep better at night by getting out any extra energy they may be storing and the one on one time with each other deepens your bond. This can also improve your own personal health - you are exercising too!

🐕Just remember, 20 minute walks everyday is significantly more beneficial than a 2 hour walk one day a week. There are a vast variety of activities that you can do with your pets, but it's important to make sure that you choose one that you BOTH enjoy. Your veterinarian can also help in directing you towards a fitness plan that works for the two of you.

03/31/2025

Over the past month, we have been keeping track of all our first visits. We are always accepting new clients and we love seeing new faces in the office. Feel free to scroll through the pictures of a few of our new pups that came and visited us throughout the month.

03/27/2025

Be sure to check out the answer to our Joke of the Month when you’re here for your visits! It’s a real doozy this month.

03/17/2025

🍀🐾 Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Whether you’re Irish yourself or just joining on in the celebration, we hope you and your pets have a lucky and fun-filled day!
🌈 If you’ll be serving up some tasty Irish soda bread, please be extra careful about keeping it out of reach of your pets – soda bread often contains raisins, which can be highly toxic to dogs.

🍇 We’re still not quite sure what it is about raisins and grapes that make them so dangerous – some dogs can eat just one raisin and suffer severe or deadly kidney damage, while other dogs may eat many and experience only mild symptoms. Because there’s no way to predict the effects, any raisin ingestion should be treated as an emergency and addressed with your veterinarian ASAP.

Don’t spend your pot of gold on vet bills - keep those tasty treats out of reach, and if your pet sneaks a bite, contact us or an emergency vet to plan your next steps. Wishing you all a safe and festive St. Patrick’s Day! 💚🐶🐱

03/15/2025

🌸Spring is coming!🌸

Make sure you get your refills on your pets preventatives. We’ll be happy to put them together for you as long as they’re up to date on their physical and necessary vaccines. The Lyme vaccine, in particular, is very important this time of year.

🐶Did you know that Lyme disease was first discovered in Lyme, CT? Lyme disease is caused by a type of bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Common clinical signs in dogs of Lyme disease include limping, decreased appetite and lethargy. In some cases, Lyme can affect the kidneys and be fatal. Lyme disease can be diagnosed with a quick and simple blood test performed in hospital but sometimes more advanced testing, like a C6 or PCR, are needed.

🐶The best way to prevent infection is to limit exposure. Did you know that a tick needs to be attached to skin for 24-48 hours before transmission occurs? Quick removal of ticks can help reduce transmission of disease.
We also recommend using preventatives for fleas and ticks year-round. There are multiple topical and oral products available but we recommend talking to your veterinarian to decide which is best for your pet.

🐶 Dogs that spend a lot of time outside may benefit from vaccination against Lyme. Vaccination can help to reduce the likelihood of infection. The initial vaccine series does require a booster about 4 weeks after vaccination.

🐶 While dogs are not a direct source of infection for humans, they can bring ticks into your household which can then attach to you. We recommend doing a thorough check of your pet before bringing them inside after a walk.

03/12/2025

Just a friendly reminder, we welcome little notes on the white boards in our exam rooms. Please feel free to have your pets let us know how their visit was. We love seeing the messages that our patients leave for us.