By Martha Burdick

Every volunteer makes a special contribution, but Dr. Thomas Sullivan’s gift would be especially difficult to replace.

Sullivan is one of a handful of board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists in Washington state, and he makes his expertise available to the PAWS Lynnwood Wildlife Center virtually as needed. This expertise can be critical to an injured animal’s prospects for release. Opossums, raccoons, seal pups, and bear at the Center have benefited from Sullivan’s generosity; he’s also seen some cats from the companion animal shelter. But his most critical patients may be the center’s raptors, who must have excellent vision before they can be released back to the wild.

One such raptor—a bald eagle—is among Sullivan’s most recent patients. The adult female was found lying on a road in rural Western Washington, probably hit by a car or truck. She was bleeding from the right ear, and suffers from a number of problems as a result of the head trauma. One troublesome question: whether she was blind in her left eye. Sullivan’s examination found the eagle’s eye to be structurally sound but nonvisual. A decision on whether to release her depends on her progress in other areas, such as the neurological problems that prevented her from standing or perching for several weeks, said Dr. John R. Huckabee, Wildlife Veterinarian at the Lynnwood Center.

Sullivan is low-key about his work at the center and the special issues it may involve. For example, he downplays any difficulties in examining a fully conscious raptor; it’s Center staff who restrain the powerful bird, he says. As for any special knowledge he may bring to the work—no big deal, he suggests.

Not to Huckabee. From his point of view, eye anatomy differs quite a bit between species, and he finds Sullivan’s expertise invaluable in the center’s efforts to rehabilitate injured animals. Center staff try to consolidate patients so that Sullivan is able to see a number of animals during each visit, thus making the most efficient use of his time, Huckabee said.

The most challenging case to face Sullivan thus far: an orphaned bear cub found clinging to her twin brother and brought to the center a year ago. A foxtail was lodged behind her inner eyelid and penetrated through her cornea, requiring a conjunctival graft. Sullivan’s delicate surgery went well, and the cub was released back home in Southeastern California. Left untreated, the tiny plant part would have further injured the eye potentially causing blindness, Sullivan said. It could also have led to an infection threatening the cub’s overall health.

Sullivan, 36, puts in long days—he practices at the Animal Eye Clinic in Seattle and lives in Edmonds, with his wife, two children, a 20-year-old cat, 15-year-old dog, and 1-year-old dog.

“He’s always very generous and very gracious with his time,” Huckabee said. “He’s a wonderful resource to have.” Center staff would do their best without access to Sullivan, but wouldn’t have the confidence his expertise lends, Huckabee said.

“I’ve just told them to call me anytime I could help,” Sullivan says. “I like them down there. They’re great folks.”