Carl Osborne, veterinary internist and urolith researcher, dies at 76

Carl Osborne, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, 1940-2017Carl Osborne, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine professor and longtime dvm360 columnist and contributor, died on March 5 at the age of 76 in the presence of his family and service dog, Chloe, according to a university release.

Osborne was born September 17, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1964, he graduated from Purdue University with his DVM and joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, where he served for 53 years. An expert in nephrology and urology, Osborne founded the Minnesota Urolith Center in 1981, a research facility specializing in companion animal urinary system diseases.

Osborne's career includes more than 50 teaching and research awards, including the Robert R. Shomer Award for Outstanding Achievements in Veterinary Medical Ethics in 2005, the release states. A One Health pioneer, Osborne also worked to use learnings from dissolving urinary tract stones in dogs and cats to help paralyzed veterans.

In a 2012 dvm360 column, Osborne shared a school essay written by his granddaughter, Zoe Osborne, who was 14 at the time. “Magnetism is a word that may be used to describe a pull or attraction toward someone you admire,” the younger Osborne wrote. “This is what I feel toward my grandpa. He suffers from Parkinson's disease, which I believe makes his qualities stand out even more. … I admire him because he's generous, determined and loving.”

Osborne's granddaughter went on to provide several examples to illustrate her grandpa's admirable qualities, including a story about an impoverished woman who had to sell her cherished pet parrot of 70 years because she needed the money. After paying the advertised price, the altruistic Osborne returned the bird to its original owner.

“Look around from now on,” Zoe wrote in closing her essay. “Are you drawn to someone in your life? Do you feel that magnetic pull towards them? If so, why? I hope you're drawn to someone too, because they have something truly beautiful and just as amazing to offer the world as my grandpa.”

To read Osborne's work for dvm360, visit dvm360.com/osborne.