Cook named best vet in America

By Campbell Massie

Published May 6, 2008

Correction Appended

People often joke about how they are the best at what they do. Veterinary orthopedics associate professor Jimi Cook can back it up. Cook, the Orthopedic Research Director of the Comparative Orthopedic Laboratory, has received many accolades over the course of his career, but none quite like being named America’s best veterinarian. The award was meaningful to him, and he was humbled because it came from the recommendations of people he has helped, he said. In an open nomination contest held by the Morris Animal Foundation, Merial and BowTie Inc., Cook was named America’s best vet for 2007 based on essays from people around the country. Three of Cook’s clients wrote in to the competition to nominate Cook for his work with their dogs. Cook attributed his win to the compelling letters the owners wrote. Cook said he is not changed by receiving the award but feels more motivated. He said he hopes to continue to make a difference with his training in veterinary surgery as well as improve the quality of the lives of animals and their families through veterinary care. “It motivates me even further to optimize how we can help them and their families,” Cook said. One of the recommendation letters came from the family of a dog in New York that was diagnosed with cancer. Cook was able to remove the cancer while preserving the dog’s leg. Another recommendation came from a woman from Kansas City whose dog has had several surgeries over a six-year period. Another of the letters came from the owner of a dog named Eagle who was a service dog on which Cook performed an arthroscopic surgery for a paralyzed Florida man. The surgery was made necessary by a rotated cuff tear, as happens in humans, a type of injury that Cook has done research on for diagnosis and surgery. The surgery was pioneered by Cook, who repaired the dog’s shoulder and elbow without big incisions therefore allowing the dog to get back to work as soon as possible. Through this experience with Eagle, Cook said he saw how important service dogs are to the people they serve. Service dogs range from helpers for the blind to the deaf and the handicapped. According to the nonprofit organization Canine Partners for Life, which provides dogs for clients in 40 states, service dogs will receive up to two years of training to customize their skills for the needs of their future owner before they start training with them. “What they really need are for people to devote the time and money to raising the puppies for them until they can get their dedicated training for service,” Cook said. Cook said he and his wife have been raising a puppy for the past three months that will start more training once it is around one year old.

Due to a production error, the May 4 report "Cook named best vet in America" included a sub-headline that should have run with the story below, "Fraternity woes continue."

The Maneater regrets the error.