Renowned equine veterinarian dies

Longtime equine veterinarian, Doug Byars, DVM, DACVIM, died July 7 at his home in Georgetown, Ky. He was 70 years old.

Byars had a long and prosperous career in equine medicine. In 1983, Byars joined Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates, now known as Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, where he worked as head of equine medicine for 25 years. There, he was among the first equine veterinarians to deal with mare reproductive loss syndrome when it hit the equine industry in Kentucky in 2001. In recent years, Byars offered his services at Old Friends, a nonprofit thoroughbred retirement center in Georgetown.

Byars also served on a number of horse industry councils and advisory boards during his career, including the Kentucky Horse Council and the Equine Health and Welfare Alliance. Additionally, he held offices in national professional veterinary organizations, including the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, American Association of Equine Practitioners and the American Veterinary Medical Association Executive Boards Advisory Committee.

In 2007, Byars became the first private equine veterinarian to receive the Robert W. Kirk award, which honors an individual with outstanding contributions to the profession.

A memorial service is scheduled for Byars' family and friends on July 19.