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Medication Administration Tips for Pets

Steven Leshem, an associate veterinarian at Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut, is a graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. A board-certified veterinary surgeon, Steve Leshem, DVM, currently helps manage the surgical case load at Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut in West Hartford. When a veterinarian prescribes medication for your dog, it is important to follow the dosage and administration schedule exactly. Do not double up doses if you miss a dose or if some of the pill falls out of your pet’s mouth. Instead, wait until the next scheduled dose to give more medication in order to avoid an overdose. Since crushing or cutting tablets can make the medication taste bitter, try hiding pills in bits of meat or other treats to help them go down more easily. Also, to ensure your pet achieves a full recovery, do not stop the prescribed antibiotic treatment even if your pet seems to feel better. Stopping antibiotics early can lead to recurrence of infection.

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Companion MRI Helps More Pets Survive

After receiving his DVM from Tufts University in 2000, Steven Leshem began his successful career as a veterinary surgeon. Currently working at the Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut, Steve Leshem supports Companion MRI, which promotes the use of MRI in veterinary medicine. Getting an MRI for a pet is one of the most accurate ways of identifying and characterizing problems in the soft tissue. Many of these problems are missed through other imaging techniques such as ultrasounds, myelographies, and CT scans, leaving certain symptoms such as seizures and lameness unexplained. Although medical history is the primary way veterinarians make diagnoses, it cannot always explain why a pet is hurting or acting strangely. MRIs detect many diseases that have previously been impossible to find without an autopsy, helping more pets stay alive and get the proper treatment. There are several reasons for getting an MRI scan done on an animal, including neck masses or brain tumors. Intracranial aneurysms and spinal cord trauma often leave damage that is unseen by other imaging techniques, and an MRI scan can mean the difference between life and death.                            

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Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

In addition to working as a surgeon at the Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut in West Hartford, Steven Leshem contributes his services to various spay/neuter clinics. Steven Leshem has worked in the veterinary field for almost 15 years. There are a number of reasons for pet owners of all kinds to spay or neuter their animal. In fact, if an individual is not an experienced and licensed breeder, there is no reason not to have the procedure performed. First and foremost, animals that have been spayed or neutered pose less of a danger to themselves: females that go into heat attract potentially aggressive males, while males will frequently leave home in search of females if they have not been neutered. Additionally, females that have been neutered live longer on average than those that have not, and neutered males are no longer at risk for testicular cancer. Finally, animals that have been spayed or neutered cannot surprise their owners with a litter of pups or kittens. Puppies born into unsuspecting homes are unlikely to be properly cared for, and in a best case scenario they will pose an expensive inconvenience to the owner.                            

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Vet-Stem Offers Soft Tissue Treatment through Regenerative Medicine

Since its creation in 2002, Vet-Stem, Inc., has strived to better the lives of animals through regenerative veterinary medicine. Using each animal’s regenerative cells, Vet-Stem provides a form of therapy that helps treat soft tissue problems, such as tendon injuries and osteoarthritis pain. Steven Leshem, DVM, is a board-certified veterinary surgeon with Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut. Dr. Steve Leshem is responsible for soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries within the practice. With a strong dedication to offering the best treatment possible to his animal patients, Dr. Steven Leshem has maintained Vet-Stem certification since 2011. By using a concentrated form of adult stem cells taken from the adipose, or fat, tissue of animals, Vet-Stem Regenerative Medicine is able to treat degenerative and traumatic diseases in dogs, cats, and horses. Treatable ailments include osteochondral defects, ligament injuries, and tendon injuries. Compared to traditional treatment approaches, Vet-Stem Regenerative Medicine has several benefits. The mixture of regenerative cells can be directly or systematically delivered because the therapy does not rely on a single-action pathway. The regenerative cells are also able to communicate with local cells, allowing for natural healing.  The regenerative cells for Vet-Stem medicine are derived from adipose for a variety of reasons. Adipose cells are readily available and can be collected in higher concentrations than cells harvested from bone marrow. Adipose-derived cells are also able to differentiate between multiple types of tissue, enabling potential healing of cardiac, bone, and cartilage tissues. Vet-Stem Regenerative Medicine has been used to treat over 7,000 animals. 

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HOPE Clinic Strives to End Euthanasia and Homelessness among Animals

Steven Leshem, DVM, a veterinary surgeon at Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut, provides high-quality surgical care to pets. Committed to the well-being of animals, Steven Leshem volunteers his free time to several animal-related charitable organizations, one of which is the Halting Overpopulation Preventing Euthanasia (HOPE) Spay/Neuter Clinic. While in college, Steve Leshem founded a Tufts University chapter of PAWS, a program designed to help individuals with HIV keep their pets. Since 2009, the HOPE Clinic has been committed to ending the overpopulation and homelessness of cats and dogs through its low-cost spay and neuter services. By providing affordable sterilization services, the organization strives to reduce the amount of animal euthanasia, stray animals, and unwanted litters within the state of Connecticut. The HOPE Clinic is opposed to euthanasia as a means for population control.  In addition to spay and neuter services for cats and dogs, the organization hosts several programs that help low-income pet owners and rescue organizations with further discounted rates and transportation options to get pets to the clinic. Another initiative targets the state’s most homeless and euthanized dog breed, pit bulls, for reduced surgery costs. 

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Steven Leshem, D.V.M., is a Veterinary Surgeon at the Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut, in West Hartford. Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut is a full-service small animal veterinary hospital with a staff of primary care veterinarians, specialists in medicine and surgery, and a physical therapist. The clinic includes a pharmacy, x-ray capabilities, surgical facilities, and outdoor areas for walking pets. Steven Leshem, D.V.M., is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and is a member of the American, Connecticut, and Hartford County Veterinary Medical Associations. After obtaining his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in 2000, Steven Leshem, D.V.M., completed a one-year rotating internship in medicine and surgery with the Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut. He then spent several years as a general practitioner veterinarian in Colorado, during which time he also trained for several years under experienced veterinary surgeons at the Veterinary Specialists of Northern Colorado, and Colorado State University. In 2004, Dr. Steven Leshem did an internship in Veterinary Surgery in Nevada, before completing his residency at Iowa State University in 2008. In addition to his work as a full-time veterinary surgeon, Steve Leshem, D.V.M., has volunteered his time and money to a variety of community-centered and charitable organizations, including the Solomon Schecter Day School, the Beth Israel Synagogue, UNICEF, East Hartford’s Protectors of Animals Adoption Clinic, and Connecticut’s H.O.P.E. Clinic, the state’s only high-quality, reduced-cost spay and neuter clinic for cats and dogs. In his time away from work and charity, Steve Leshem, D.V.M. enjoys outdoor recreation, including hiking, cycling, skiing, and snowboarding, as well as all manner of sports. He also enjoys reading and listening to music.

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Connecticut’s H.O.P.E. Clinic Combats Dog and Cat Homelessness

Steven Leshem, surgeon and associate veterinarian at Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut in West Hartford, specializes in performing complex veterinary surgery, including orthopedic, soft-tissue, and neurosurgical procedures. Steve Leshem, DVM, is a member in good standing with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association. In addition to his professional work, Dr. Steven Leshem enjoys supporting charities that serve the animal community, including the H.O.P.E. Clinic in Waterbury, Connecticut. Founded in 2009, the H.O.P.E. Clinic is the state’s first high-volume, low-cost spay and neuter clinic for cats and dogs. Through spaying and neutering nearly 20,000 animals over four years, the clinic is working to fulfill its goal of reducing animal suffering caused by overpopulation, homelessness, abuse, and euthanasia. The high-quality and affordable services that the clinic offers assist stray animals as well as pet owners who cannot afford regular veterinary care. The head veterinarian at the clinic has more than 30 years of experience, and the entire surgical staff has received specific training in high-volume and early-age spay and neuter procedures.