You’ve probably seen him on a screen at 2:00 AM while scrolling through cable channels or maybe you caught his set at a comedy club in Denver. Dr Kevin Fitzgerald vet is a name that carries a weird, wonderful weight. He isn't just "the guy from Emergency Vets." He is the living embodiment of why you should never, ever let anyone put you in a box.
Honestly, how many people do you know who have spent forty years as a high-level veterinarian while simultaneously opening for Joan Rivers? Not many.
The Keith Richards Wake-Up Call
Before the white coat and the stethoscopes, Kevin Fitzgerald was a bouncer. Not just any bouncer. He was muscle for the biggest rock stars on the planet. We’re talking The Rolling Stones, The Who, Parliament-Funkadelic, and even Elvis. Basically, he spent his youth making sure people didn't rush the stage or get too rowdy in the green room.
It was actually Keith Richards who supposedly nudged him toward his true calling. The story goes that Keith looked at him and basically asked if he wanted to be a bouncer at fifty. When a guy like Keith Richards tells you to get your life together, you listen.
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Kevin headed back to school, but he didn't just "get a degree." He went all in. He snagged a PhD in comparative endocrinology from CU Boulder before getting his DVM from Colorado State in 1983. He didn't take the easy path. He chose the one with the most math and the most science.
Life at Alameda East
For the better part of 40 years, dr kevin fitzgerald vet has been a fixture at VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver. If you grew up in the late 90s or early 2000s, this hospital was the setting for Emergency Vets on Animal Planet. It was one of the first "prestige" reality shows that actually showed the grit, the blood, and the heartbreak of veterinary medicine.
Fitzgerald was the heartbeat of that show. He wasn't just a TV personality; he was a specialist in exotic animals. One minute he’d be treating a golden retriever with a broken leg, and the next, he’d be performing surgery on a 15-foot python or a literal ocelot. He’s published over 150 scientific articles and dozens of textbook chapters. He’s a nerd in the best way possible.
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Why the Comedy Matters
Some people think the stand-up is just a hobby. It’s not. Fitzgerald performs about 10 to 12 shows a month even now. He’s opened for legends like Bob Hope and George Lopez. He once said that in comedy, "no one is dying but me."
Veterinary medicine is heavy. It's stressful. You're dealing with people on the worst days of their lives, holding their pets as they pass away. For him, the stage is a pressure valve. He uses humor to connect with clients, too. He’s big on the idea that if you can’t explain a complex medical procedure to a 60-year-old who has no science background, you’re failing at your job. You have to know your audience, whether they're sitting in a comedy club or a sterile exam room.
What’s He Doing in 2026?
He’s still at it. He’s 74 years old and has the energy of someone half his age. In 2024 and 2025, he was touring for his memoir, It Started With a Turtle. It’s a wild read that covers everything from his Irish Catholic upbringing in Denver to his conservation trips in Antarctica and Mongolia.
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He’s also a massive advocate for rattlesnakes. Yeah, snakes. He’s spent years tracking them in Jefferson County, Colorado, to prove they aren't the monsters people think they are. He’s basically the patron saint of the "unhuggable" animals.
Actionable Insights from the Good Doctor
If there's anything to take away from the career of dr kevin fitzgerald vet, it’s these three things:
- Diversify your brain. Don't just be one thing. If you're a scientist, learn how to tell a joke. If you're an artist, learn how things work.
- Listen to the weird advice. If a "Keith Richards" type in your life tells you you’re wasting your potential, they might be right.
- Empathy is a skill. Whether you’re a vet or a bouncer, the ability to read a room and make someone feel safe (or laugh) is the most valuable tool you have.
If you ever find yourself in Denver, check the schedule at Comedy Works. You might just see a man who spent his morning fixing a turtle’s shell and his evening making a room full of strangers howl with laughter. It’s a rare thing to see someone "suck the orange dry," as he likes to say, but he’s doing it.
Check out his memoir if you want the full, unvarnished stories of the rock-and-roll years—it's way more chaotic than the Animal Planet edits ever let on.