Veterinarian

McGregor J. Ferguson, an Annapolis veterinary cardiologist, died Sunday of undetermined causes at his Millersville home. He was 41. "We are waiting for a cause of death pending the results of an autopsy," said his father, Dr. Ray Ferguson of Federal Hill. McGregor John Ferguson was born in Baltimore and raised in Arnold. He was a 1989 graduate of Severna Park High School, where he played lacrosse and football. After earning a bachelor's degree in 1993 from Swarthmore College, where he was a member of the lacrosse team, he earned his veterinary degree in 1999 from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, which is part of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg.

Security at Pimlico's historic Preakness barn will be heightened this year, a move that comes amid renewed concern about doping and horse safety in the sport. All visitors, including veterinarians, who want to spend time with horses scheduled to run in this year's Preakness will have to sign in at the barn off Winner Avenue, which will have just one entrance. Those new measures, adopted by the Maryland Racing Commission and Pimlico ownership, come in addition to surveillance measures and syringe-collection practices already in place for the second leg of the Triple Crown, scheduled to be run May 18 this year.

Dr. Benjamin H. Cassutto, a veterinarian and Army veteran, died Thursday of cancer at Nanticoke Hospital in Seaford, Del. The Millsboro, Del., resident was 52. The son of a minister and a Carroll County educator, Benjamin Henricus Cassutto was born in Passaic, N.J., and was raised in the Villa Nova neighborhood of Baltimore County. He was a 1978 graduate of Milford Mill High School and earned a bachelor's degree in 1981 from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Cassutto earned a degree from Old Dominion University in 1983 and his veterinary degree in 1989 from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. He enlisted in the Army and served from 1995 to 1999 as chief of the Veterinary Resources Section, Clinical Research Laboratory.

We would like to say thank you to Countryside Veterinary Clinic.  When we realized it was time to say farewell to our dog Stacey we decided we wanted her to be at home where she was comfortable and felt safe.  When we called our regular veterinarian to set up a home visit we were informed that they were swamped and no longer felt the need to extend themselves for home visits as they had previously offered.  We were feeling lost and not sure where...

Thomas E. Sooy, a longtime Catonsville veterinarian, died from complications following a bone marrow stem cell transplant Oct. 9 in Seattle. He was 58. Dr. Sooy, who lived in Ellicott City, was born March 4, 1952, in Livingston, Mont., where he participated in athletics and the Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at age 13. His interest in veterinary medicine began after a Cub Scouts field trip. His mother was surprised by the announcement because he was allergic to animal dander, said his wife of more than 38 years and high school sweetheart, the former Diane Schultz.

A Mount Airy veterinarian went to Howard Circuit Court yesterday to dispute criminal charges that he mistreated two cows at his farm in January 1992.Richard John Burroughs, 51, is on trial for two counts of animal cruelty, offenses that give him up to 90 days in prison and $1,000 in fines if he is convicted.Dr. Burroughs was given probation, 350 hours of community service and fined $500 after he was convicted of the charges in Howard District Court in May 1993. He then appealed the conviction to Circuit Court for a jury trial.

We would like to say thank you to Countryside Veterinary Clinic.  When we realized it was time to say farewell to our dog Stacey we decided we wanted her to be at home where she was comfortable and felt safe.  When we called our regular veterinarian to set up a home visit we were informed that they were swamped and no longer felt the need to extend themselves for home visits as they had previously offered.  We were feeling lost and not sure where...

A veterinarian convicted on two counts of animal cruelty received a sentence of two years' supervised probation and 350 hours of community service, and was fined $500 in Howard County District Court Friday.Richard John Burroughs, 51, of Mount Airy, faced a maximum sentence of 90 days in prison with up to $1,000 in fines on each count of cruelty to his two cows that, District Judge Louis Becker decided May 18, were mistreated."I have to hold you to a higher standard than someone who's a farmer or a simple pet owner," Judge Becker said.

IF ALL the kids who ever dreamed of becoming veterinarians actually ended up with their degrees, there would be almost as many pet doctors in the world as there are dogs and cats.But it's as hard to earn a veterinarian degree as it is a medical degree. And with just 25 veterinary schools in the country, openings for students are scarce.The result is that most animal lovers settle for different occupations, satisfied to commune with dogs and cats after work.Susan Brennan wouldn't settle.Growing up in Severna Park, she knew from the time she was 10 that she wanted animals to be her life's work.

A Howard County jury has cleared a veterinarian of criminal charges that he mistreated a cow at his Mount Airy farm in January 1992.The Circuit Court jury of six men and six women deadlocked on a charge of mistreatment of a second cow after seven hours of deliberation. The trial lasted three days.The veterinarian, Richard John Burroughs, 51, had been convicted in District Court in May 1993 of mistreating both cows. He was fined $500 and given a probationary sentence that called for him to give 350 hours of community service.

Dr. Benjamin H. Cassutto, a veterinarian and Army veteran, died Thursday of cancer at Nanticoke Hospital in Seaford, Del. The Millsboro, Del., resident was 52. The son of a minister and a Carroll County educator, Benjamin Henricus Cassutto was born in Passaic, N.J., and was raised in the Villa Nova neighborhood of Baltimore County. He was a 1978 graduate of Milford Mill High School and earned a bachelor's degree in 1981 from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Cassutto earned a degree from Old Dominion University in 1983 and his veterinary degree in 1989 from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. He enlisted in the Army and served from 1995 to 1999 as chief of the Veterinary Resources Section, Clinical Research Laboratory.

McGregor J. Ferguson, an Annapolis veterinary cardiologist, died Sunday of undetermined causes at his Millersville home. He was 41. "We are waiting for a cause of death pending the results of an autopsy," said his father, Dr. Ray Ferguson of Federal Hill. McGregor John Ferguson was born in Baltimore and raised in Arnold. He was a 1989 graduate of Severna Park High School, where he played lacrosse and football. After earning a bachelor's degree in 1993 from Swarthmore College, where he was a member of the lacrosse team, he earned his veterinary degree in 1999 from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, which is part of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg.

Veterinarians who examined Preakness winner I'll Have Another before and after the race at Pimlico Race Course said this week that he was healthy and that his medication regimen was not unusual. The New York Times reported that the colt, who also won the Kentucky Derby but scratched with a tendon injury a day before the Belmont Stakes, had suffered from osteoarthritis and was given "powerful painkillers and a synthetic joint fluid" in the days leading up to the final leg of the Triple Crown.

Maryland pet owners would receive a description of the procedures their animals undergo and a cost estimate before their veterinarian provides treatment, under a proposed regulation set to take effect before the end of the year. The Maryland Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners discussed the new informed-consent standards at Thursday's meeting as a way to head off disputes over bills. Board President Chris H. Runde said many veterinarians already ask customers to sign such forms, but the regulation will make it a requirement.

Your article "Some pet owners fight poor treatment by vets" (April 7) is an important reminder that we can never be too careful when entrusting our beloved animal companions to others - even those who are supposed to heal them. Just as parents would never neglect to check a babysitter's references, guardians of animal companions should contact their local Better Business Bureau and state veterinary board to check for complaints before choosing a veterinarian. Always insist upon your right to stay with your animal at all times - if the vet refuses to allow you in the "back room," don't hesitate to take your animal and leave.

A day after the lack of oversight at Maryland race tracks came to light in a hearing before the Maryland Racing Commission at Pimlico Race Course , the commission's executive director, Mike Hopkins, said steps are already being taken to improve the situation. One of the biggest issues in the hearing that resulted in upholding the disqualification of the Rick Dutrow Jr.-trained King and Crusader from the Dec. 17 Maryland Juvenile Championship at Laurel Park was the disregard for a regulation mandating slips for each horse being treated before a race to be reviewed by the stewards or their representatives within an hour of each race.

Did you miss this story? Read it here , and search a Baltimore Sun database to see whether your veterinarian has been in trouble . The Baltimore Sun's recent investigation into Maryland's veterinarians began with a question from Maryland Editor Dave Rosenthal: What, exactly does the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners do? As it turned out, the answer to that question brought to light several recent cases in which veterinarians were found to have provided inadequate care, failed to conduct proper tests or kept poor records.

Jurors got a closer look Friday at Phoenix, a pit bull set aflame in West Baltimore in 2009, in the retrial of the twin brothers accused of the crime. Panel members looked ahead without reaction as they were shown images of the dog almost entirely wrapped in bandages at an animal hospital. One showed the dog lying on its side, with a catheter tube leading to a bag of blood-red urine. Another showed her badly burned face — what would normally be a shiny black nose and pair of lips turned raw and red. Jurors also got a second look at a police surveillance video showing parts of the burning, guided through this time by the police officer who discovered the dog in flames at the mouth of an alley in Sandtown-Winchester.