Ever since he was 7 years old, Dr. Thomas McDavitt knew that he wanted to become a veterinarian. After his pet Labrador Bear died from poisoning, the young man decided that he wanted to be in a profession that saved animals and brought them back to health.
Watch Me
Dr. McDavitt found that the path to becoming a veterinarian was filled with obstacles. Deaf since the age of 5 due to a bout of spinal meningitis, while growing up he sometimes came across individuals who attempted to discourage him from the profession. Whenever someone told him that he couldn’t do something, his response was a simple, “Watch me!”
As an undergraduate at Kansas State University, he volunteered at the Sedgwick County Zoo, cleaned cages at a teaching hospital, and worked at the immunology lab. He had no doubt that he was going to get into veterinary school. “I was confident in myself and my abilities,” he said.
Communication Methods
McDavitt has been a vet for 14 years. He owns his own practice in Hickory Hills, Illinois, providing services for more than 4,000 clients. Several of his clients are deaf or hard of hearing, and Dr. McDavitt uses sign language to communicate with them.
Communicating with clients can be difficult at times, but he employs three staff persons to assist him when needed and to handle the phone calls.
“About the only area that I have difficulty working with the animals is when listening to the lungs or heart. I use my hands to feel the heartbeat or have a staff person listen to confirm what I feel. If I have any doubt about a diagnosis in those areas, I always refer out,” said Dr. McDavitt. Laser surgery is his specialty, and not many veterinarians in his area have that expertise.
Satisfied Clients
Karen Hanoran is one of this veterinarian’s satisfied clients. “Dr. Tom helped me when no one would,” said Karen. “With my cat Tiger, two vets actually turned us away. I had a sick animal and they wanted nothing to do with it.” Tiger had an infection in the lining of his bladder which Dr. McDavitt found through observation. A few days later, Tiger went home healthy again.
Home Zoo
When Dr. McDavitt closes up for the day, he heads home to his wife and a house full of pets. He has two dogs, five cats, a ferret and a lovebird. He didn’t plan to end up with so many cats, but clients would occasionally abandon their pets at the clinic. One such abandoned cat is a permanent resident at the clinic. Last August, McDavitt found himself caring for one of his elderly dogs after the dog broke his leg. Gangrene set in and he had to amputate his leg. “The dog’s doing fine now, hopping around on three legs!” he smiled.
Today, Dr. McDavitt serves as a role model for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, visiting their schools and talking to them about the challenges and rewards of his profession. “Never let anyone say, 'You can’t,' because you can.”
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Find out how one man, who is functionally deaf, is helping immigrants learn English, in Deaf Volunteer Teacher Hears Student Needs, Not Voices.
See Josh Swiller Shares Experience of Deafness in The Unheard to discover how this author with a hearing impairment connected with deaf children in Africa through the Peace Corps.
