Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Donald W. Zantop, co-owner of the Fallston Veterinary Clinic who was noted for his avian rescue work, died Oct. 13 in a diving accident off Bald Head Island, N.C. The Fallston resident, who was 59, had been collecting underwater fossils with friends when the accident occurred. Dr. Zantop was airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C., where he was pronounced dead. The incident remains under investigation by the Coast Guard, according to news reports.

Halethorpe resident Francesca Nielsen earned a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. This professional school is operated by Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, and the University of Maryland.

Ticks are a big fan of global warming." - DR. MICHAEL DRYDEN, veterinary parasitologist at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan, on the fact that ticks usually enjoy mild winter temperatures and moist springs

Dr. Donald W. Zantop, co-owner of the Fallston Veterinary Clinic who was noted for his avian rescue work, died Oct. 13 in a diving accident off Bald Head Island, N.C. The Fallston resident, who was 59, had been collecting underwater fossils with friends when the accident occurred. Dr. Zantop was airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C., where he was pronounced dead. The incident remains under investigation by the Coast Guard, according to news reports.

Mr. and Mrs. Leroy W. Parker of Sun Lakes, AZ, are happy to announce the marriage of their daughter, Dr. Shani Lea Parker, to Dr. Jerrold B. Boone, son of Dr. and Mrs. James Boone of Laurel, MD, on June 23, 20007, at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Rockville, MD. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a gala reception at The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The bride graduated from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA...

Karl J. Heldrich, a veterinarian with an animal hospital in northern Baltimore County, died of cancer Friday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The White Hall resident was 42. Dr. Heldrich established Prettyboy Veterinary Hospital 13 years ago in Freeland, and was a member of the American Animal Hospital Association. He had previously practiced veterinary medicine for three years in Sanford, Maine. He worked with a part-time veterinarian at his hospital. "He was a small-animal veterinarian, and he loved what he did," said his wife of 17 years, the former Renee Gravitt.

DR. VED PARKASH, D.V.M., Ph.D., loving husband and devoted father, of Salisbury, MD passed away Wednesday, June 21, 2006. Dr. Parkash was born in Sibi, India, and received his D.V.M. from the Punjab College of Veterinary Medicine in Hissar, India. He then immigrated to the United States to study at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. He received his master's degree in veterinary medicine and surgery and his Ph.D. in reproductive endocrinology from the University of Missouri. Dr. Parkash continued his training as a post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

County library promotes Gilligan Ann Gilligan has been promoted to associate director of the Howard County Library. She replaces Elizabeth Lancaster, who retired in June. Gilligan was most recently manager of the central library for four years, branch manager of the Glenwood library, and assistant branch manager of the east Columbia library. She joins the library's management team: Director Valerie J. Gross and Associate Director Brian Auger. Acupuncturist Eu joins animal hospital Dr. Winsome Eu has joined Columbia Animal Hospital as a staff veterinarian.

DR. DONALD G. MEREDITH, 59 of Boca Raton, FL., formerly of Kingsville, MD, died suddenly on April 12, 2005. Don was born in Bel Air, MD, son of Dr. G.G. and Jane Meredith of Towson, MD. He grew up on his family's Thoroughbred breeding farm, Merry Acres, in Kingsville, MD. When he left the farm he moved to Rockville, MD and became editor of the Horseman's Journal. Don then became the publicity director for Laurel Race Track. He then moved to Delaware to pursue his interest in race horse training, there becoming a steeple chase jockey.

One of the world's foremost marine mammal experts has joined the National Aquarium in Baltimore to chart the future of its biological programs.Dr. Joseph R. Geraci, a scientist and educator who had been a consultant to the aquarium since 1990, has advised the International Whaling Commission and government agencies in Canada, Spain, Brazil and the United States."

Geri and Larry Kalck, of Fallston, announce the engagement of their daughter, Karen Angela Kalck, to Jason Clinton McCormick, son of Dennis McCormick of Louisville, Tenn., and Christy Linke of Plant City, Fla. The bride to be is a 1997 graduate of Fallston High School, and was an active member of the Harford County 4-H Program for eight years. She completed her bachelor's degree in animal science at Michigan State University, followed by her veterinary degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University.

Mr. and Mrs. Leroy W. Parker of Sun Lakes, AZ, are happy to announce the marriage of their daughter, Dr. Shani Lea Parker, to Dr. Jerrold B. Boone, son of Dr. and Mrs. James Boone of Laurel, MD, on June 23, 20007, at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Rockville, MD. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a gala reception at The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The bride graduated from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA...

WASHINGTON -- Federal officials told Congress yesterday that some contaminated pet food probably remains on store shelves and warned retailers to make sure they've removed all recalled products. The Food and Drug Administration said it has identified nearly all of the dog and cat food containing tainted wheat gluten that needs to be recalled, but senators urged the agency to strengthen its efforts to prevent a future scare. "We know that there is not 100 percent of products off the shelves," Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said at a Senate hearing.

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Those immune to Barbaro's mystique looked on in disbelief for the past eight months at the emotion and money being spent on a horse and might well have asked the question Barbaro's surgeon, Dr. Dean Richardson, asked shortly after Barbaro was euthanized Monday. "Was it worth it?" Richardson's answer was that it was, because the Kentucky Derby winner "had many happy days." Yesterday, others not as close to Barbaro had the same positive answer. Barbaro's legacy has a chance to be long-lasting.

Barbaro's death illustrated both the great advances and the continuing mysteries that surround the treatment of horrific thoroughbred injuries. "I think the veterinary profession, from owners, to trainers, to doctors, should be proud of the way that horse was treated," said Gregory L. Ferraro, director of the Center for Equine Health at the University of California, Davis. "The day of the injury, there wasn't a vet out there who thought he had much more than a nil chance of surviving. The fact that they came very close to saving him is an example for other vets to follow.

County library promotes Gilligan Ann Gilligan has been promoted to associate director of the Howard County Library. She replaces Elizabeth Lancaster, who retired in June. Gilligan was most recently manager of the central library for four years, branch manager of the Glenwood library, and assistant branch manager of the east Columbia library. She joins the library's management team: Director Valerie J. Gross and Associate Director Brian Auger. Acupuncturist Eu joins animal hospital Dr. Winsome Eu has joined Columbia Animal Hospital as a staff veterinarian.

Leslie G. Wolsey, 65, computer security analystLeslie G. Wolsey, a computer security analyst for Maryland Department of Transportation, died Sunday of heart failure at his Northeast Baltimore home. He was 65.Before joining the state agency in 1993, he was a senior computer systems analyst at Westinghouse Electric Corp. in Linthicum beginning in the mid-1950s.Born in Henrietta, Okla. and raised in Bellevue, Mich., he graduated from Michigan State University in 1954 and attended the Johns Hopkins University.

It's an old-fashioned way to doctor, but it works for Carin Rennings. When her clients need a routine vaccination, a checkup for an ear infection or a blood test for leukemia, she gathers her syringes and medicines in a tackle box, climbs into her Chevy Silverado pickup truck and heads out to meet them at their bedside - and they don't even try to bite when they see her coming. Rennings, a veterinarian, is the owner of Home Veterinary Service, an in-your-house and at-your-service business that provides routine medical care for dogs and cats in Howard County.

DR. VED PARKASH, D.V.M., Ph.D., loving husband and devoted father, of Salisbury, MD passed away Wednesday, June 21, 2006. Dr. Parkash was born in Sibi, India, and received his D.V.M. from the Punjab College of Veterinary Medicine in Hissar, India. He then immigrated to the United States to study at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. He received his master's degree in veterinary medicine and surgery and his Ph.D. in reproductive endocrinology from the University of Missouri. Dr. Parkash continued his training as a post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

The catastrophic injury that ended Barbaro's Triple Crown bid at Pimlico on May 20 - and the extraordinary effort by University of Pennsylvania surgeons to save him - have turned a spotlight on veterinary medicine in the United States. Enjoying little of the attention that doctors of human medicine receive, veterinary researchers are using much of the same science to understand, prevent and treat animal injuries, and to fight diseases that affect agriculture and the food supply. Veterinarians are also working on such illnesses as avian flu, West Nile virus, Lyme disease and mad cow disease in a joint effort with public health officials to safeguard human health.