Veterinarian

Prosecutors will be permitted to use evidence seized from a barn owned by a Mount Airy veterinarian accused of mistreating two cows, a Howard Circuit judge said yesterday.Judge Cornelius Sybert Jr. ruled that a Howard County AnimaControl warden did not violate the constitutional rights of Richard John Burroughs by going to his barn three times in January 1992 to inspect the cows and seize evidence.Judge Sybert, citing rulings from several federal cases, said privacy laws apply only to a citizen's home -- but not to Dr. Burrough's barn in a vacant field about one-third of a mile from the veterinarian's house.

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.

A veterinarian accused of mistreating two cows at his Mount Airy farm plans to appeal his Howard District Court conviction on two counts of animal cruelty.Dr. Richard John Burroughs, 51, faces a maximum sentence of 90 days in prison plus fines of up to $1,000 for each count if his conviction is upheld.Daniel Green, an Eldersburg attorney for Dr. Burroughs, said he believes his client's conviction by District Judge Louis Becker on May 18 was based only on circumstantial evidence."We feel the court was in error," Mr. Green said.

There's no doubt I demand more of a veterinarian than many people do. My vet has to be not only technically brilliant but also a good communicator, with a personality I can live with.In a pinch, my vet also has to help me move.Fortunately, I found such a vet years ago. Unfortunately, his practice is 25 miles from my house. No matter: He's worth the drive. I know my pets will get the best of care, in a caring, professional environment.Because I am so picky, I'm astonished by those who shop for a vet based on proximity alone, or on price, without checking further.

The New York Racing Association confirmed yesterday evening it will allow horses from Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and the Bowie Training Center to ship to New York racetracks beginning next Saturday. "It's one step in the right direction," said Georganne Hale, the Maryland Jockey Club racing secretary. "I think this begins to put the virus issues all behind us. It just takes one state to make the move and the others will begin to drop their restrictions too. I've already heard [a rumor]

A beloved pony that provided therapy to hundreds of disabled children at the Therapeutic and Recreational Riding Center in Lisbon has died, leaving saddened riders as well as veterinary bills that are eroding the center's scholarship fund.The gray Connemara, named Jerry Mallon, died last month. The popular, 18-year-old pony had developed an intestinal illness earlier this year, and when it suddenly worsened in July the horse was put to sleep.The pony's expensive care has left riding center owners John and Helen Tuel with $25,000 in veterinarian bills and an empty stall thatwill bring a tear to many a child's eye."

Look for the Triple Crown races to adopt the same stringent pre-race veterinary procedures that the Breeders' Cup instituted this year at Santa Anita Park.During race week, a team of veterinarians performed thorough daily examinations of all the horses in order to help insure there would be no catastrophic breakdowns on race day.There was grumbling from some trainers, but no one can argue with the results. The races went off without a hitch, there were no serious injuries and no grisly television pictures of a Union City or Prairie Bayou being carted off the track in a horse ambulance, incidents that marred the 1993 Triple Crown.

Chamber holding breakfast meeting in Columbia The Howard County Chamber of Commerce will hold a breakfast for new and prospective members from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday at chamber offices, 5560 Sterrett Place, Columbia. A light breakfast will be provided. A Business After Business networking event will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 22 at the Belmont Conference Center, 6555 Belmont Woods Road, Elkridge. Admission is $10 for members; $20 for nonmembers. New board members will be installed at a general membership luncheon at 11:30 a.m. May 30 at Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center in Ellicott City.

The cows are losing ground to dogs and cats as suburbia takes over farmland in Carroll County, but even rarer is the veterinarian who will see creatures great and small."

ELMONT, N.Y. - The death-defying ordeal started with a routine abrasion. While romping with another colt in their Florida paddock in March last year, Invisible Ink cut his right hind ankle. A thousand other young horses could sustain the same minor injury, receive treatment and return to normal within a week. But for Invisible Ink, who races tomorrow in the Belmont Stakes, the seemingly harmless incident nearly cost him his life. The 2-year old apparently had a severe allergic reaction to his medicine and plunged into a pathetic state.