Nutrition Faculty Veterinarians
Elena Leavitt, DVM
Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Instructor and Director of the Nestlé Purina Endowed Program in Small Animal Nutrition
Residency trained in Small Animal Nutrition
Elena Leavitt is originally from the state of Washington. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology with minors in business and zoology from Washington State University Vancouver in 2015. She then attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and completed her clinical training at Mizzou in 2020. After graduating, Leavitt completed an intensive small animal rotating internship in North Carolina before completing her nutrition residency back at Mizzou in 2023. Her special interests include the gut biome, client education and renal disease. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cats, Scribbles and McClain, as well as reading, gardening, PC gaming and cooking.
Leavitt offers Nutrition Consultations to VHC clients and pets for feeding tubes, esophageal disorders, home cooked diets, weight loss plans and more. She is particularly passionate about optimally managing chronic conditions with diet such as GI conditions and chronic kidney disease. There is not a “one-size-fits-all” diet plan with Leavitt — every pet is treated as the unique individual that they are.
Robert C. Backus, MS, DVM, PhD, DACVN
Associate Professor Emeritus
Board-Certified Specialist in Veterinary Nutrition
Robert Backus specializes in small animal clinical nutrition with special interests in nutritional aspects of feline diabetes and obesity. Backus is a graduate of the University of California Davis, where he received his veterinary and doctoral training. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition and director of the Nestlé Purina Endowed Program in Small Animal Nutrition. When not working, he enjoys playing with his grandsons and sharing anecdotes about his cat, DT, who is now retired from research.
