Emergency And Specialized Care For Pets Comes To Newtown

By Nancy K. Crevier

Situated on a knoll overlooking Church Hill Road in the former Taunton Press building, Newtown Veterinary Specialists (NVS) opened Wednesday, May 9, bringing to the area specialized veterinary and 24-hour emergency services, all gathered under one roof.

The dream for many years of board certified veterinary surgeon Dr Debra Weisman and brought to fruition through the business skills of her husband, Scott Schifilliti, NVS is 15,000 square feet housing eight examination rooms, a surgery unit, an ophthalmology unit, and state-of-the-art equipment in the hands of skilled veterinary specialists.

“Let me be clear,” said Dr Weisman, one week into the opening of the specialty clinic, “without Scott’s expertise, we wouldn’t be here. My dream that he brought to reality, is through his business background.”

Mr Schifilliti, CEO and president of NVS, has an MBA and a background in business, and is responsible for the operating and financial aspects of NVS. He was previously vice president of sales for a computer electronics firm. Mr Schifilliti and Dr Weisman have worked hand-in-hand since 2006 to find the ideal space for the clinic, thwarted at times by the economy and by the availability of property to suit their needs.

Since receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and MS from Clemson University, followed by her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1995 from the University of Georgia, Dr Weisman has known that she wanted to own her own surgical center one day. Being able to include several other animal specialists in her business, clustered in the same space, is an extension of that dream.

“Scott was certainly the visionary for this,” said Dr Weisman, who received her postgraduate training at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester and a surgical residency at Ohio State University.

Mr Schifilliti performed a demographic study of the state to pinpoint areas that were in need of specialty veterinary services. The region surrounding Newtown stood out as one of dense population with a high ratio of pet ownership and a higher income. Additionally, there are more than 250 general practice veterinarians in a 50-mile radius of NVS, said Dr Weisman.

After a few false starts, the couple found the space at 52 Church Hill Road and began renovations in October 2011. It has resulted in a bright and spacious clinic that in just one week of business “is growing faster than we expected,” Dr Weisman said.

“The greatest difficulty we encountered was in finding financing in this particular economic climate,” Mr Schifilliti said. “My hat is off to Newtown Savings Bank. They started with us four years ago and stuck with us. We had a tight schedule to get in here,” he said.

He praised the efforts of Claris Construction and the subcontractors — some for whom were still on site May 16 to complete work — Advantage Realty, and Taunton Press in assisting NVS. “They all worked together to help us get in here on time,” said Mr Schifilliti. “Two weeks ago, this was still a construction site. It is amazing how fast it came together.”

Additionally, said Mr Schifilliti, the cooperation of the town was remarkable. “Newtown wanted us to be here as much as we wanted to be here,” he said.

It is also due to the support of the staff that the opening day went smoothly, added Dr Weisman. NVS had purchased Danbury Emergency Clinic business on Route 6, the same day in October 2011 that they signed the lease on the 52 Church Hill Road property. They ran that clinic until the morning of May 9. “We closed that business in the morning and moved here. Our amazing staff had us up and running when we opened at 6 pm that night,” she said.

The 17 part- and full-time staff members that joined Dr Weisman from Danbury has been increased to nearly 30 already, and Mr Schifilliti expects that support and technical staff will eventually number between 60 and 70.

NVS is not a clinic for day-to-day, year-to-year basic care, stressed Dr Weisman. Dedicated to providing critical and compassionate care to dogs and cats for unforeseen and emergency illnesses or accidents, it is “the next step” when services beyond those offered by a patient’s general practice veterinarian are needed.

“We do not do vaccinations, or well care, or flea prevention. We’re an extension of the general veterinarian. We are a partner in the care of pets,” she said. “We are a clinic for extremely ill pets, or for emergency situations,” she said.

NVS offers emergency assistance 24/7, 365 days of the year. “If you are concerned enough about the health of your pet to call, you should come in. If you’re concerned, I’m concerned,” said Dr Weisman in defining an emergency situation. There is always at least one veterinarian in the building at all times to handle emergencies.

The specialists see nonemergency patients, usually by referral from the general veterinarian, by appointment only. The practice is intended for primarily dogs and cats, but the ophthalmologist will occasionally see horses or other animals.

In addition to veterinary surgeon Dr Weisman, the team includes veterinarians specializing in neurology and endocrinology; internal medicine;, oncology; ophthalmology; dermatology; emergency medicine; and diagnostic imaging.

NVS is fully equipped with state-of-the-art tools to analyze, diagnose, and treat debilitating and life-threatening illnesses, including endoscopy and laparoscopy equipment, a surgical suite equipped for everything from neurological to soft tissue to thoracic surgery, an operating microscope for eye surgery, a phacoemusification machine for cataract surgery, and specialized laser equipment to aid in glaucoma and retinal reattachment surgeries. NVS is also home to a 7,000-pound CT scan machine that allows staff to check for spread of cancer and other life-threatening diseases with 200 times the accuracy of an X-ray, said Dr Weisman. “We can scan an entire dog with it in just three minutes,” she said.

IDEXX Laboratories, the equivalent of the human Quest laboratories, is on site at NVS. IDEXX is staffed during the daytime hours, but NVS is able to run blood work at night, as well, using its own blood work machines to analyze on an emergency basis.

Because critical care can be an unexpected expense, NVS accepts not only cash and major credit cards, but also offers the CareCredit program as well. Applications can be made online at www.carecredit.com, or information can be provided at the office.

Space is available for up to 50 animals in the hospital, if need be. NVS also provides hospice and supportive care.

Mr Schifilliti and Dr Weisman are pleased with the location, the staff, and their vision made real. They are also pleased with the reception by the community and fellow veterinarians in the area. A special invitation-only reception held May 2 for town officials and referring veterinarians provoked a reaction that Dr Weisman said was “overwhelming. They were as excited as we are.” The May 5 open house drew close to 300 visitors, she estimated.

Mr Schifilliti and Dr Weisman look forward to offering a service that fills a gap in the area, they said, and to partnering with pet owners and primary care veterinarians to provide optimal care to pets in need. “We are,” she said, “an extension of that general care.”

Newtown Veterinary Specialists is at 52 Church Hill Road, and is convenient to I-84. Parking and entrance are at the side of the building. It is open for emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days of the week, every day of the year. Appointments with specialists are by appointment only. For emergencies, call 203-790-6383. NVS can be reached at 203-270-VETS(8387). For more information about NVS, visit www.newtownvets.com.