Kevin Fitzgerald facts for kids
Kevin Terrel Fitzgerald (born September 23, 1951) is an American veterinarian. He works at the Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in his hometown of Denver, Colorado. Many people know him from the Animal Planet TV shows Emergency Vets and E-Vet Interns. Besides being a vet, Kevin Fitzgerald also performs stand-up comedy. In 2001, People magazine named him one of the 50 most eligible bachelors.
Kevin Fitzgerald's Early Career
Before becoming a full-time veterinarian, Kevin Fitzgerald had several interesting jobs. He used to teach at the University of Hawaii. During his summer breaks, he worked as a security guard for many famous music artists. These included Elvis Presley, The Who, Bob Marley, Willie Nelson, George Clinton, and The Rolling Stones.
On an episode of Emergency Vets, Fitzgerald shared a story that made him think about his future. Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones asked him if he wanted to "still be a bouncer at 50." This question helped him decide to focus on becoming a veterinarian. In 1985, he joined the team at Alameda East, a hospital that offers 24-hour emergency animal care. He also served as president of the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society.
Dr. Fitzgerald's Current Work
Kevin Fitzgerald is a veterinarian at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. This is where the popular Animal Planet TV shows Emergency Vets and E-Vet Interns were filmed. For over 25 years, he has also been a professor at the University of Denver. He teaches a class called "Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine."
Dr. Fitzgerald also helps the Aurora, Colorado police department. He works as a veterinary consultant for their K-9 division, which includes police dogs. He has written parts of medical books about topics like emergency vet care and reptile medicine.
Comedy and TV Appearances
Kevin Fitzgerald is known as "the hardest working veterinarian in show business." He regularly performs stand-up comedy in the Denver area. An episode of Emergency Vets called "Fitz's Day" even showed clips of his comedy act. He once joked, "Everybody laughed when I said I wanted to do comedy, but no one's laughing now."
On August 11, 2007, Fitzgerald was a guest on NPR's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me" radio show. He shared stories, including the one about Keith Richards. He also talked about his fear of spiders. He correctly answered all three questions about BALCO founder Victor Conte. This segment has been replayed many times on the show's "best of" episodes.
After Emergency Vets stopped making new episodes in 2002, Fitzgerald appeared in short TV messages. These "Animal Tips With Dr. Fitz" reminded people about pet health. He also appeared in messages for Animal Planet's "ROAR" project, which helps animal welfare.
In 2007, Fitzgerald and the Alameda East team returned to TV with E-Vet Interns. On this show, Fitzgerald often highlights the importance of young vets working with exotic animals. These include snakes and other reptiles. He also shows them how to help their community by caring for "working animals" like police dogs.
