About Airport Veterinary Center

Our story begins with Dr. Jay Marshall Weiss, DVM, whose lifelong passion for helping animals started in the most unexpected place — on the road. Back in 1974, Jay Weiss hitchhiked all the way from Kingston, NY, to Anchorage, Alaska, with a backpack and a lone companion: an English Setter puppy named Oatmeal. But on reaching Anchorage, Oatmeal got loose. Worse, she got terribly sick after discovering discarded salmon intestines at a fish cannery dump.

With no veterinarian available, Jay sought help on his own and learned that a drug called tetracycline could save Oatmeal’s life. Once he found some and administered it to his puppy, improvements came quickly, and Jay discovered the indescribable reward of nursing an ill pet back to health.

Years later, with a newly earned DVM in hand, Dr. Weiss returned home to New York state and founded Airport Veterinary Center in early 1980, turning what was once a practice mainly for dairy cows into a full-service companion animal clinic. To this day, he continues to lead his team with expertise and compassion, serving the communities of Wappinger, Poughkeepsie, and the wider Dutchess County area with essential veterinary care and the friendly, sunny attitude you’d expect from a trusted neighborhood clinic.