LONGMEADOW — Longmeadow pet parents now have a comprehensive veterinary clinic to provide the best care for their four-legged family members. On Aug. 5, the experienced trio of Caroline Joos, Kristin Lappetito and Angela DuBois officially opened the doors of Longmeadow Veterinary Clinic, the town’s only veterinary clinic.
“We have long noticed the absence of a veterinary clinic in Longmeadow. We believe opening one will provide pet owners with access to high-quality medical care and exceptional customer service,” explained DuBois, a certified veterinary practice manager and the director of business operations. “Our knowledgeable and compassionate doctors and staff are dedicated to offering comprehensive information and support, ensuring owners feel confident and informed about their pets’ care.”
The new facility, located at 916 Shaker Rd., has been carefully designed to prioritize the care and comfort of both the pets and their owners. The facility has state-of-the-art digital radiography and ultrasound, an in-house laboratory that returns results on the same day and specialized diagnostics.
“When designing this facility, we carefully considered all the features we wanted but couldn’t implement at our sister locations,” said DuBois. “We invested significant time in planning a building that prioritizes the well-being of pets and the comfort of their owners. We created a dedicated cat room equipped with low classical music and comforting pheromone diffusers, connected to a cat treatment room for cats staying with us for the day, separate from the dogs.”
And that’s just the beginning. The trio hopes to have a surgical suite and semen-freezing center to provide general surgery, dentistry and reproductive medicine.
The trio also has two other locations, Feeding Hills Veterinary Clinic and West Springfield Veterinary Clinic, served by Joos and Lappetito. All three have years of experience in the veterinary world.
“We consider our clients to be clients of all our locations,” noted DuBois. “If we are unable to see a pet at one location, we have two nearby clinics where we can look to provide care to our patients.”
Joos began working at a clinic at age 15 as a kennel attendant and worked as a veterinary technician through high school, college and veterinary school at Cornell University. Joos met Lappetito there, and both graduated in 2009. Joos worked around the northeast before purchasing the Feeding Hills location in 2020. Lappetito moved to California to work with horses after graduation before moving to Pennsylvania and then to Massachusetts in 2012 to work in a small animal emergency room. DuBois and Joos have been business partners since 2022. Du Bois has been in the veterinary field for 23 years, working her way up from a kennel technician.
“Our goal is to help pets live longer, healthier lives and enjoy time with their owners. We do this by providing high-quality medical care for pets and outstanding education and service to our clients,” explained DuBois. “We want to gain our client’s trust because honesty and integrity guide all of our actions. We want our clients to know that we are committed to the health of their pets.”
Longmeadow Veterinary Clinic is a woman-owned and privately-owned business, an increasingly rare feat in the veterinary world.
“Many corporations have acquired numerous privately-owned businesses,” said DuBois. “We have put in tremendous effort to provide the best care for both owners and patients in our area. We are strong advocates of supporting local businesses and fostering relationships within our community.”
More information can be found on the clinic’s website, longmeadowvetclinic.vet.
