Acclaimed Veterinarian, Television Personality Receives Colorado State University’s Honor Alumnus Award from Alumni Association

One of television’s most popular veterinarians will be honored as the 2005 Honor Alumnus for Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner on April 29.

Dr. Robert Taylor, who received a master’s degree in surgery from Colorado State University in 1977, has been seen by millions of viewers on "Emergency Vets" on the Animal Planet Network. Taylor is owner and director of the Alameda East Veterinary Teaching Hospital, one of the first model specialty clinics in North America for veterinary medicine. He is internationally recognized for his work on sports injuries in dogs, including rehabilitation and physical therapy.

"In the public eye, Dr. Bob Taylor embodies veterinary medicine through his "Emergency Vets" appearances seen on the Animal Planet Network," said Dr. Stephen Withrow, director of the Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital. "Bob has been a staunch advocate of Colorado State University during these episodes and portrays all the best attributes of veterinary medicine."

Taylor received a bachelor’s from Texas A&M University in 1968 and completed veterinary studies at the same institution in 1970. He opened the Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, where he is a staff surgeon, in 1970. Taylor has appeared on "Emergency Vets," which chronicles veterinarians and staff dealing with real medical traumas, more than 100 times. The program is Animal Planet’s second-highest rated show and is seen by millions of people worldwide.

Taylor has maintained a strong involvement with Colorado State. He has been appointed an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Clinical Sciences, taking time out from his busy practice and volunteering his time to help out the department and the college by giving lectures and conducting laboratories. He is also a member of the advisory committee for the Animal Cancer Center and recently helped the Veterinary Teaching Hospital complete a $10 million addition.

In addition to his veterinary practice and his work with Colorado State, Taylor has donated his surgical skills to the Denver Zoo for more than 20 years and also oversees the bomb-sniffing dogs at Denver International Airport. The Alameda East Veterinary Hospital accepts injured stray animals from Denver and Aurora, stabilizes their injuries and transfers them to appropriate shelters at no cost. Taylor is president of the Recycled Racers Program and is a past board member of the Colorado Humane Association, the Morris Animal Foundation, the Arapahoe 4-H Foundation and C.E.T. Environmental. He also serves as treasurer and board of regents member of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Taylor has published three books, "Manual of Post-Operative Care," "Canine rehabilitation Physical Therapy" and "Canine Sports Medicine," in addition to numerous scientific papers. He often is invited to lecture nationally and internationally on sports injuries, orthopedics and physical therapy. In 1998, Taylor established the Colorado Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic, the first full-time animal physical therapy clinic in the Rocky Mountain region.

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