Country Companions Veterinary Services

01/25/2025

Avian Influenza Update (Please read even if you do not have chickens):
This year so far there have been 2 cases of High-Path Avian Influenza (H5-N1) in flocks in CT. Avian influenza is spread mainly through wild birds, but also can be spread through contaminated surfaces or equipment. Avian Influenza can potentially be spread to humans and other mammals including cats and cattle, so it is important to remain vigilant, especially if you have backyard flocks. Making sure that wild birds cannot get into your chicken coops or runs can also decrease, though not eliminate, your flock’s risk.
Avian Influenza can also be spread through contaminated raw meat or milk, so we do Highly advise staying away from raw diets and treats for your cats and dogs. If you have a cat that has become sick and has had access to raw meat, raw milk, or sick/dead birds, please advise us of this fact when calling our office for an appointment.
If you do have backyard flocks, please monitor for signs of Avian influenza including sudden death, respiratory sings, or hens acting ‘off’ (puffed up feathers, separating from the herd, etc.). If you have any birds that pass, especially if you have more than one that pass or are sick in a short time period, you should bring deceased chickens to the UConn Diagnostic Lab in Storrs, CT (860) 486-3738. They are open M-F 8:30-4:30, and offer $25 necropsies for poultry that includes Avian Influenza testing. Please call them first for instructions. If you have birds dying, please also contact us and the department of Ag State Vet. 860-713-2505.
If you see dead wild birds, please report them to the DEEP at https://www.cfwwildbirdmortalityreporting.ct.gov/ If you see multiple dead birds in 1 area, please also call DEEP at 860-424-3011
Please be aware, that if you call and make an appointment for a sick chicken (or cat or other animal), that we have any suspicion may be sick from Avian Influenza, we will have you wait in your car until we have an exam room open to take you and your pet directly into. Our staff also will be wearing full PPE for their protection (Gown, face mask, eye protection, etc).
Feel free to call us at 203-393-7387 during business hours with any questions or concerns. More information on Avian Influenza can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/doag/regulatory/regulatory/avian-influenza-information

01/25/2025

This is very concerning to us. We have updated our policy on how we will handle chickens that we see and keep you in the loop. Please be vigilant!

Preliminary testing found highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1, in a New Haven County backyard flock of birds, officials said Friday.

01/23/2025

Is your dog as unhappy as poor Tw***ie here with this weather or as happy as Nollie? Let us know ✌🏼. Few more days of this…

01/11/2025

It’s a beautiful couch potato kind of day 💗❄️ Well, the cats are potatoes 🥔 anyhow 😆

01/07/2025

Cold today! Chickens and pigs got warm oatmeal and water this am. Remember to check water at least 3 times a day in the extreme cold. Goats got extra hay and a little extra feed. What are your things you do/ tips to share?

01/02/2025

We feel the same way, Max. Is it Monday or really Thursday?🤪

01/01/2025

Reflecting tonight on this past year and the holiday season. We want to thank our clients for their thoughtful and fun cards and gifts through the season. We also wanted to share a funny veterinary medicine story 😆. This happened to our technician :

Client (calling in): Hi, you all were in a meeting so I left a little present outside and wanted to make sure someone got it.
Me: OK, is it labeled?
Client: Yes, it’s a pig.
Me: Is someone expecting the sample?
Client: No, it’s a present!
Me: OK…is the pig having diarrhea or is this an annual f***l sample?
Client: It’s a ceramic pig, it’s not having diarrhea, it’s a present
Me: *seeing what is indeed a ceramic pig on our porch* OHHHHH it’s a literal pig, I thought you meant a f***l sample when you said “present.”
Owner: I’m sure in your industry that’s what most people mean when they say “present.”
Me: Yes, that’s always what that means to anyone in vet med
*both laughing hysterically*
Thanks again for the kindness you’ve shown us- it is truly appreciated 💗🎄🙌🏻

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! We celebrated this week with ugly sweaters 👚. Enjoy your time with family and friends🎄. Thankful for the warmer weather and some snow❄️

12/22/2024

Wicked cold this am!! Pet should not be outside longer than to use the bathroom. My pigs and chickens got oatmeal this morning 🙂. Make sure your livestock have access to water and extra hay today- this weather is hard on them too✌🏼

12/20/2024

Holiday hazards for your pets… candles are a big one for the curiosity factor and not recommended if you have an asthmatic cat in your household ✌🏼🎄

12/12/2024

They’re HERE! Come get your 2025 calendar! Please know we try to include every picture submitted but sometimes there are formatting issues etc. One calendar per household for initially until we have an idea that most who want them get one. Happy 2025!

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for our wonderful clients and patients🫶🏼
Remember to keep your pets away from table food today so you don’t have to see us tomorrow ✌🏼

11/11/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rsCt5rUxxjesDQpG/
Thinking of our veterans, human and animal, who have served our country. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ❤🇺🇸

Today we remember all who served, both humans and animals, that gave their lives in order to protect us. 🌹🇬🇧

“When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today"

📸 Beautiful drawing by Charlie Mackesy

11/02/2024

A shout out to our dogs ...

Sometimes it’s your dog who pulls you back from the edge when life and relationships have worn you down. They have this way of grounding you, bringing you back to earth with their simple presence.
While the world spirals with complications, your dog shows you a different way of living—one that isn’t bogged down by the weight of what-ifs or past hurts. They love without hesitation, live without worrying about tomorrow, and somehow, that brings you clarity.

If only we lived more like them, we might realize that not everything has to be so heavy. They find joy in the present moment, and in their eyes, nothing is ever as dire as we make it out to be. Through their perspective, healing becomes less about overthinking and more about letting go, about being in the here and now. Maybe if we stopped taking life so seriously, the way they do, we’d feel lighter, more open, and capable of bouncing back from whatever life throws at us. They remind us to simplify, to focus on love and connection, and to let the rest fall away.

R.M. Drake 🍂

Artist Credit : Jo Grundy

10/31/2024

From the staff of Country Companions, we wish you a happy and safe Halloween. Please keep your pets away from your candy and enjoy your evening and be safe!

10/31/2024

Is your pet dressing up today? Let’s see their costumes 🎃Tw***ie is a skeleton🫶🏼

10/25/2024

We don't offer care for horses but I do appreciate the sentiments of this article ❤️‍🩹 I was reminded recently at an educational meeting that animals have no concept of longevity- they are not living for an event in a month, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/zwy7xv3hKqJnAq48/

A tough topic about an even tougher decision.

It would be easier if they just made the decision for us. Laid down to rest one warm fall afternoon surrounded by their herd mates, never to wake again.

Easier also is in the face of dire emergency, where the only choice is clear, the path to quick mercy.

Unfortunately for us as horse owners, there are blessed few who have that decision made for us. Most of the time, it’s up to us to make that last call.

The majority of us are left with the horses who served us well right up until the end, maybe even enjoying years of retirement. When you see them out in the pasture and wonder, “is this the end, or just a bad day? A bad few days?” “Oh – they look perky today, maybe things are looking up. What I thought I had to think, I don’t have to – today. It’s a good day.”

But the writing is on the wall. Their eyes are less bright, their weight hard to keep. Their gait shuffled, surviving, but no longer thriving.

All symptoms of the fact you have the hardest decision of your life to make, and soon. I wish it on no one and grieve the day I have to make the decision I advocate here for; the decision to let them go on a good day.

We are having a blessedly long and beautiful fall, but time is waning if you are only beginning to contemplate whether your trusted partner can face another barren, brutal, frostbitten winter.

You are the only advocate your horse has. His health is and has always been in your hands. In loving him as hard as you have for all these years, I hope you can love him hard enough to let them go on a good day, while there is still time.