Health is for everyone: not just us humans, but our pets, too. This belief is what led Philip Putter to become a veterinarian. “I often hear from my colleagues ‘I knew I was going to become a vet when I was five years old,’” he says. “My primary interest was always medicine—for animals and humans.” It was actually his now-wife Becky who first suggested becoming a vet to marry Philip’s interest in healing with his affection for animals. As it turned out, she was exactly right.
After getting his degree in veterinary medicine at Ross Veterinary School, Becky and Philip moved to Connecticut. They started a business doing veterinary house calls in 2015, traveling all over Fairfield County treating animals, with Becky acting as the director of operations. “We did that for several years, but what we identified was we wanted to provide service at a higher level, with more attention to individual clients and patient needs,” says Philip. The couple had a vision for a one-stop-shop with not just basic veterinary services, but boarding, daycare, training, grooming, integrative medicine, acupuncture, Eastern medicine, and the best of Western medicine all under one roof. When they finally found the perfect place to do it, Spot On Vet opened a brick-and-mortar location in Stamford. “Our phrase is ‘one spot for all your pet’s needs,’” says Philip of the name. Spot On in Stamford was an immediate hit with the community when it opened in 2017. “And once we established ourselves in Stamford, we decided we wanted to branch out to Westport,” says Philip. “We like to say our son born in 2015 is our first baby, Stamford is our second baby, our daughter born in 2019 is our third baby, and Westport is our fourth,” says Becky.
Philip and Becky say that they chose Westport because they already had a host of clients traveling from our area to Stamford for appointments. Their new facility, which offers the same cutting-edge veterinary care as their Stamford location opened in the summer of 2024. “One of the things I love most is integrative medicine, and Westport is a perfect community for that. We happened to find a building across the street from Earth Animal, which is a Mecca for people who want to delve into nutrition and holistic healthcare [for their pets],” says Philip. “We’ve been so welcomed in Westport,” agrees Becky.
And now that Spot On is here, animals that visit the office for care are in the most dedicated hands. “What I’m always after is getting to the foundation of a problem for an animal,” says Philip. “I could see an animal who comes in with watery eyes and ear infections and bad skin, and I could give them antibiotics, but they’re gonna be back next season with the same problem. I wanted to venture out into identifying the foundational reasons and by using the best of Eastern and Western medicine and technology we can diagnose and treat symptoms in a way where hopefully that pet never has that problem again.”
More than anything, Philip and Becky want you to know that you can trust that your beloved family members are in good hands with their family (you can often find their 9-year-old son greeting folks at the front desk!). “You have to trust [your vet] enough to interpret for your pet that you love, who can't speak. And you have to trust that I know what to do to help your animal. And maybe I'm recommending things that don't make sense to you. But where we thrive is we are willing to spend time with each of our patients and their owners to figure out what path they want to follow. I want to improve the quality of life for people and their pets in a luxurious, calm, trustworthy environment.” If you’ve ever set foot in Spot On, you’ll know they really do provide that. ““People tell us ‘I didn’t know you could elevate veterinary medicine to this level,’” says Philip. “That makes it all worth it.”
Spot On Vet Westport is located at 950 Post Road E. For more information or to make an appointment, visit spotonvet.com or call/text: 203-303-9933. New clients receive their first vet exam free.
“I love integrative medicine, and Westport is a perfect community for that."
"We've been so welcomed in Westport."