Dr. Michael Kaplan, owner of Ruxton Animal Hospital. has loved dogs and cats since he was six years old. A native of the Baltimore area, he has more than 30 years of clinical experience.

Dr. Kaplan graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1964 and from the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1967. Dr. Kaplan opened Valley Animal Hospital in Owings Mills in 1969. Valley was Maryland's first veterinary hospital located in a shopping center. It won a design award from the "Veterinary Economics" journal in 1971. Dr. Kaplan opened Perring Animal Hospital in Parkville, Maryland in 1975 and Baltimore Animal Hospital in Baltimore City in 1983. In 1996, Ruxton Animal Hospital was opened. He is no longer affiliated with the Valley or Perring hospitals.

Since 1968, Dr. Kaplan has been a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Washington, D.C. Academy of Veterinary Medicine which is a continuing education group, and the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), where he was on the Board of Directors from 2002-2005. He headed the insurance committee of the MVMA in 1997 and 1998. Since 1975, Dr. Kaplan has been a member of the Greater Baltimore Veterinary Medical Association (GBVMA), served as the treasurer from 1992 to 1994, the vice-president from 1995 to 2007, and is currently the president of the association.

Due to his pursuit of excellence, all of the hospitals Dr. Kaplan has developed have been certified as members of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), a select group of hospitals that must meet 260 individual standards of accreditation. Dr. Kaplan has an abiding interest in continuing education. In 1991, he started a veterinary study group which continues to meet once a month to discuss interesting and difficult cases. In May, 1997, he was listed as one of the "Best Vets" by Baltimore Magazine.