Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University
Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University
Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University
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Alumni News<br />
Weicht wins Morris Animal Foundation Award<br />
Dr. Kirk Weicht, a 1983 graduate<br />
<strong>of</strong> the <strong>Texas</strong> A&M <strong>University</strong> <strong>College</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> & Biomedical<br />
Sciences, has been chosen from more<br />
than 370 nominees as this year’s national<br />
and southwest regional winner<br />
<strong>of</strong> the “Thank your vet for a healthy<br />
pet” contest. The contest is conducted<br />
by Morris Animal<br />
Foundation, a nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
organization dedicated to<br />
funding research studies<br />
to protect, treat and cure<br />
both companion animals<br />
and wildlife. It is also<br />
sponsored by Hill’s Pet<br />
Nutrition and BowTie Inc.<br />
Winners are nominated<br />
by their clients for their<br />
dedication to veterinary<br />
medicine demonstrated<br />
through outstanding care<br />
and treatment, commitment<br />
to promoting the<br />
human-animal bond, and<br />
community service.<br />
Weicht received the<br />
award at the North American <strong>Veterinary</strong><br />
Conference in Orlando, Florida,<br />
in January.<br />
“It feels very nice to be recognized by<br />
the people you serve,” said Weicht, who<br />
50 • CVM Today • Summer 2010<br />
has been associated with Brown Trail<br />
Animal Hospital in Bedford, <strong>Texas</strong>,<br />
since 1977.<br />
Excellence, compassion, and devotion<br />
to his pr<strong>of</strong>ession have earned<br />
Weicht a reputation <strong>of</strong> being an<br />
exceptional veterinarian among his<br />
clients, staff, and community. It was<br />
“Dr. Weicht is an amazing<br />
person to work for” and<br />
“he’s always there for his<br />
staff,” said Gina DeGennaro,<br />
a long-time employee,<br />
who also nominated Weicht<br />
for the award.<br />
these qualities that Diana Beck, one <strong>of</strong><br />
Weicht’s clients, wanted to honor him<br />
by nominating him for the award.<br />
“He’s just relentless in his quest for<br />
the right diagnosis,” said Beck, who<br />
Dr. Kirk Weicht has been associated with Brown Trail Animal Hospital, in Bedford, TX, since<br />
1977.<br />
has consulted Weicht for treatment for<br />
her pets for more than 20 years. “He<br />
doesn’t stop when he runs up against a<br />
brick wall. The health and well-being<br />
<strong>of</strong> the animals in his care are always his<br />
first priority. Without his intervention,<br />
our dogs would not be alive today.”<br />
For Gina DeGennaro, Weicht’s longstanding<br />
employee, the<br />
award is fitting recognition<br />
for a veterinarian<br />
whose skill at his work<br />
is surpassed only by his<br />
kindness to his staff.<br />
“Dr. Weicht is an amazing<br />
person to work for,”<br />
DeGennaro said, who also<br />
nominated Weicht for<br />
the award. “He’s always<br />
there for his staff, whether<br />
it’s encouraging them to<br />
pursue continuing education<br />
courses or comforting<br />
them when a pet has to be<br />
put down.”<br />
Beck and DeGennaro<br />
have also been moved by<br />
Weicht’s willingness to set aside time<br />
for charitable causes. For example,<br />
Weicht has helped raise funds for food<br />
and treatment for Weimaraner Rescue<br />
<strong>of</strong> North <strong>Texas</strong>, Inc. Also, on learning<br />
from the Meals on Wheels charity<br />
that elderly pet owners were splitting<br />
their food with their pets, Weight got<br />
together with his staff, clients and pet<br />
food companies and donated several<br />
hundred pounds <strong>of</strong> pet food to the<br />
charity.<br />
Whether it’s <strong>of</strong>fering free first-time<br />
examinations for pets from rescues<br />
or holding weekly meetings to evaluate<br />
and improve the clinic’s services,<br />
Weicht’s devotion to his work is evident.<br />
In the future, Weicht aims to continue<br />
to sets high goals for his practice,<br />
one <strong>of</strong> which is to <strong>of</strong>fer new diagnostic<br />
modalities.<br />
“Updating diagnostic services makes<br />
the practice interesting and helps you<br />
to not stay in a rut,” Weicht said.<br />
For Weicht, who has been involved<br />
in veterinary medicine in one way or<br />
another since he was 14, being a veterinarian<br />
is a job he can’t believe he gets<br />
paid for.<br />
“I love walking into the clinic every<br />
morning,” Weicht said. “As long as I<br />
stay healthy and do a good job, I will<br />
continue to work as a veterinarian.”