Pet Parent Library

  How much food should I feed my puppy? "About 1/3 less than whatever the bag recommends; usually about 1 cup per 10 pounds of dog". Don't panic if your dog won't eat as much as the bag says. In…

~~ by Kristen Thomas, Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2020 and Dr. Magnusson, owner of Leo's Pet Care ~~ As of spring 2018, Leo's Pet Care is now recommending yearly screening blood tests for tick-transmitted diseases, and year-round…

With all the talk of pet food recalls in the last few months, pet parents ask me all the time what I recommend for "treating" their cat or dog. Once upon a time I discussed Vet Recommended Safe Dog and…

I get asked by my clients all the time which toys and chews I recommend, that are safe, inexpensive, and keep their pets happy. The following is a list of my personal favorites. RULE #1: A toy must be soft…

The most common presenting dog symptoms to our Indianapolis veterinary clinic are allergies and itchy skin, vomiting, and diarrhea. Dog diarrhea causes - Parvo Parvo is a very contagious viral diarrhea of young, unvaccinated puppies. Parvovirus attacks rapidly dividing cells…

Cats are glorious creatures. Motion optimized, aesthetically pleasing, low maintenance, warm, fuzzy, furry, cute, and they purr. I mean, come on, could you ask for a more perfect pet? In this cat lover's opinion, cats have only one major design…

Glucosamine Research into glucosamine for the treatment of arthritis in dogs, cats and humans has been ongoing for over 15 years. There is some laboratory evidence that taking a glucosamine sulfate supplement may slow down the development of arthritis in…

This is my fourth clinic post about euthanasia. Why is euthanasia such a big deal? Because euthanasia is a veterinarian's most powerful tool; used judiciously, euthanasia gives the ultimate release from pain. Euthanasia has the capability of relieving more suffering…

The top three presenting complaints for dogs in every small animal veterinary clinic are ear infections, itchy skin, and vomiting. The Vomiting Dog is Difficult for Veterinarians to Diagnose Working up the vomiting dog is a diagnostic challenge for veterinarians…

Dogs cough in one of three basic ways: purposeful, warning, or nuisance. #1: A purposeful cough is productive; either coughing up a foreign body, or coughing out bacteria and pus from pneumonia. ALLOW ME A MOMENT TO RELIEVE MANY CLIENTS…

OK, I get it, feeding your dog your leftovers is fun. Makes them feel more like family, right? You know, nine times out of ten, I'm cool with that, as long as you're not overfeeding anybody, or feeding more people…

There exists a dog symptom so severe in its presentation, that I'd wager more calls are made to veterinary emergency clinics for it than any other symptom in creation. This particular symptom happens randomly, totally without warning, often in the…

We met Truman and his dad, a very nice older gentleman, today. Truman is a 7 year old, neutered male, 133lb Rottweiler. Truman's dad had used the services of his previous Indianapolis veterinary clinic for over 20 years. During that…

We are all taught from very early on in veterinary school, that there is no such thing as a "cure" to most, if not all cancers. Oncologists describe tumor therapy in terms like "survival time", with graphs that imply if…

Itchy skin is one of the most common presenting symptoms at our Indianapolis animal hospital. Having treated many hundreds of these dogs over the years, we've developed an 8 week plan for you and your pet, that has had a…

Finding a quality diet appropriate for your pet's body condition and life stage can be a challenge, and basing your choice on the pretty pictures on the front of the bag of food won't help. Neither will basing your choices…

Even on a mild day, even with the windows slightly opened, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly rise over 100 degrees. When it's 70 degrees outside, it's too hot to leave a dog in the car. Why do…

Pets age 7-10x faster than humans do. A year in your cat or dog's life is about the same as 7-10 years for you. With age, a pet's body organs start losing normal function. Kidneys shrink, thyroid glands start under-…

Leo's Pet Care is NOT an emergency clinic We are a full-service veterinary clinic open routine office hours (M-F 8a-6p, Sat 9a-12p). If you need to establish a relationship with a vet during regular office hours, please call us at…

Vaccines are cheap and easy Here at Leo's Pet Care, we think vaccines are SO cheap and easy, that after a one-time fee, you'll never pay for vaccines again. We call it Vaccines for Life. So please, for the love…

You probably don't want to read this post. It’s not warm and fuzzy. Fair warning. There are a few topics that routinely rattle around my brain, day in and day out, because I’m not just punching the clock here, I’m…

Good veterinary medicine is expensive Most vets would give up almost anything to keep our patients healthy, as long as we could keep our doors open. Many of us decided to be veterinarians when we were in kindergarten. We had…

IMPORTANT UPDATE as of January 12, 2016!!! According to changes to the Indianapolis Animal Care and Control ordinances... " In addition to the general requirements for animal care and treatment in this article, every owner or keeper of a dog…

Our pets are communicating with us all the time, we just need to know what to listen for. 1. LIMPING - Let's think about this one for a moment. Say you're a cat a thousand years ago, and you're living…

There are other options besides surrendering your dog or cat to the Hamilton County Humane Society or the Humane Society of Indianapolis Dog or cat rehoming or surrendering to the Hamilton County Humane Society shelter is something that most people…

This post was written by our friend Melissa R. Shyan Norwalt, Ph.D., CAAB Bringing home a new baby? Pregnant? Thinking of becoming pregnant? Adopting? Training your dog to accept a new baby is helpful and a very good idea. It…

Hi there! If you've come here on Dr. Magnusson's recommendation to learn about prednisone, you're in the right place. Prednisone is a very powerful anti-inflammatory drug. Prednisone temporarily blocks the symptoms of allergies in dogs and cats. The more allergens…

Oy vey, this topic's a mess, isn't it? I tell you what, researching this article revealed a TON of misinformation. I'm going to attempt to clear it up. Quick rule of thumb - any time there's a million suggested treatments…

This question comes up pretty much EVERY time a dog comes in with a bladder infection, and I totally understand why. Humans like to know cause-and-effect for things. Like, I ate a yucky dinner, so now I have a tummy…

Anal Glands are gross, but every dog and cat has them. Today, we're going to get all up in your cat or dog's business. I'm sorry, but it's gotta be done. Dogs and cats have scent glands, called anal glands,…

The kidneys filter blood, selectively keeping in water and salt, and eliminating waste. Sure, some water loss is required to carry the waste out of your body in the form of urine, but for the most part, your water tries…

Cats sneeze a lot. 99% of the time, when your cat randomly sneezes, it's because they got a bit of fluff up their nose, just like when you or I sneeze. It's not a big deal. Unless, of course, the…

Orphan Kitten Care - What to Feed a Kitten That Is Only a Few Days Old? By: Jen Sloan - Veterinary Technician at Leo's Pet Care veterinary clinic in Indianapolis So you’ve taken on a litter of orphan kittens…now what? Hand-raising…

YEAST infection, NOT ear mites, are the primary cause of ear infections in dogs Dogs love to get yeast infections in their ears. I can count the number of dogs with ear mites I've seen during my practice career on…