Stephanie Cuneo's Blog

Veterinarian from India Helps Animals in Philadelphia

September 6, 2009 at 1:55 pm (Uncategorized)

Twenty years before Michael Vick was signed to play for the Eagles, and Sticky the cat was found duct-taped, and a Port Richmond woman was found with 20 cats and dogs living in inhumane conditions, Sajeesh Thomas was just a 10-year-old when the pet dog he grew up with died.  Thomas and his brother built a tomb for the dog, buried him in the back yard, and marked the grave with a flower.  The experience had a great impact on his life.

“It was an emotional feeling,” Thomas said.  “I still have that in my mind.”

Thus began Thomas’s life-long pursuit to help sick, abused, and abandoned animals.  Now he is Sajeesh Thomas, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Thomas’s veterinary career began at the College of Veterinary Science in Khanapara, India.  During college he developed an interest in horse riding, and eventually represented his college in a national riding competition.

“I would ride from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. every morning,” Thomas said.  “I enjoyed it and it gave me confidence.  It’s also good physical exercise.”

Thomas received his Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in 2003, and his Master of Veterinary Science in 2005 in India.

Thomas now provides veterinary care to abused animals at the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA), some weeks working 50 hours.  Abused animals found in Philadelphia are taken to PSPCA.

A surgeon at PSPCA, Thomas sometimes operates on 90 animals a month.

“The most difficult part is putting animals to sleep,” Thomas said.  “That is a very sad part of the job.”

His work starts at 7 a.m.  For two hours he admits animals for surgery.  This includes any blood work they need, vaccinations, and making sure they are fit for surgery.  From 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. he does clinical work, tending to animals that have fevers, fractures, and other problems.  He may have a few minutes to spare for lunch, but most of the time he’s too busy and skips lunch and starts the cycle over again, ending his day with paperwork.  Three times a month he spends the entire day operating on animals, usually 30 in one day.

“If you work here, you get to serve people in a better way,” Thomas said, adding that PSPCA provides low-cost veterinary services for pet owners.

Thomas grew up in a middle class home in north east India surrounded by pets, mainly cats and dogs, fostering his passion to help animals and especially their indigent owners.

His mother, a school teacher, taught him to respect all living creatures.

“It is important to understand that there are other living things that cannot talk but have the same emotions we do,” Thomas said.  “They show love.”

But Thomas’s family is rare, and in many cases in India, pets are not given the care they need.

“There is a huge contrast of animal care in developed and undeveloped countries,” Thomas said.  “Here, the pets are like your children.”

In India, healthcare for pets is a luxury that many cannot afford.  Only the wealthy are able to spend the money needed to properly care for their pets.

“In India proper veterinary care is mostly in the cities,” Thomas said.  “Most have pets but they don’t get the attention they need because of the lifestyle.  It’s a tropical country so animals live outside.”

However, Thomas said people in India are becoming more aware of the need for veterinary care for animals.  Thomas even worked as a veterinarian at the Humane Society in Assam, India for two years.

At the Assam Humane Society, Thomas’s job was to help find animals new homes, conduct spay and neuter clinics for dogs and cats, perform surgery, and treat animals for diseases all at a low cost for pet owners.  During that time, Thomas also participated in the Captive Elephant Health Care Program (CEHCP).

Through the CEHCP, Thomas, along with his colleagues, provided free healthcare and education on proper elephant care for elephant owners.  The elephants were once used for logging.  During that time the elephants received the healthcare they needed to keep them healthy enough to continue logging.  Restrictions on logging forced the elephants and the owners who drove them out of work.  The owners wanted to help their elephants, but were poor and could not afford their healthcare without the logging operations.  Because the elephants were captive for so long, release into the wild was no longer an option.

Thomas said he was fascinated by the elephants because of their enormous size, but he was never scared and remained calm when he worked with them.

“Animals are really sensible,” Thomas said.  “If you show your fear, they will try to scare you more.  They have a tendency to scare you if they know you’re afraid of them.”

After working at the Assam Humane Society and with CEHCP, Thomas moved on to work for Milgram Milk Specialties in Kerala, India for two years.  Milgram is a dairy farm with the objective of providing Kerala with their own milk supply rather than rely on other states.  Milgram also had a veterinary center were Thomas did many surgical procedures like cesarean operations for cats, dogs, goats, cattle, and buffalos.

“It was 95 percent large animals, and 5 percent small animals,” Thomas said.

At the time, Thomas had no plans to come to the U.S., and thought he would eventually open a private practice in India.  His plans would soon change though when he met his soon-to-be wife at the wedding of his cousin in India.  Six months later, they married.  In 2007 the couple moved to Philadelphia.  Born and raised in Philadelphia, Sandy Thomas helped her husband acclimate to life in Philadelphia.

“I think where he was it was somewhat western, but I did help him in terms of general knowledge,” Sandy Thomas said.  “There was a slight adjustment, but once he started working he blended pretty well.”

When he moved to Philadelphia, Thomas continued the trend in working for agencies devoted to providing low-cost veterinary services and helping abused and abandoned animals.  He volunteered at the Philadelphia Humane Society, and started working for PSPCA in May of 2008.

For almost two years, Thomas worked 60-hour weeks at PSPCA as a veterinary technician, using his free time to study for his veterinary certification exam so he could practice in Pennsylvania.

“When I was working 10-hour days and preparing for exams, that was a tough time for me,” Thomas said.  He received his certification in June.

Dr. Eric Jacobs, a former surgeon at PSPCA, performed several surgeries with Thomas while he was still studying for his certification.

Under Jacobs’s supervision at PSPCA, Thomas performed his first amputation.

“It was a shelter animal with non-reparable damage on the knee,” Thomas said.  “It wasn’t treatable so there was no other option.”

Thomas said doing his first amputation was a little scary, but with Jacobs there he knew he had someone to help him.

“[Thomas] is an incredible, pleasant person,” Jacobs said.  “He’s a very nice human being and I found him to be a very conscientious person.  He ended up being one of my favorite people to work with.”

Thomas’s work is also being recognized in his country.  The Global Society for Health and Educational Growth in New Delhi nominated him for the Chikitsak Ratan Award, also known as the National Gem of Physicians Award.  He eventually won the award.

The win surprised Thomas.

“I don’t know how they got my name,” Thomas said.

Thomas is unable to receive the award in person, so his mom may receive the award in his place in India.

Though Thomas said it was easy for him to adjust to life in America, he still sees a future in India.

“I want to go back and do volunteer services,” Thomas said.  “There are so many animals suffering.”