Doctor Steve Violanti has served his pet friendly community for 23 years and also has made a huge difference as a member of the McAfee Animal Hospital team. By taking an alternative knee surgery course, Violanti has, in addition to his other highly honed skills, made comfort more of a possibility for dogs and their families.
“Dr. Steve Violanti has grown so much as a person and a vet. I think he fits here at McAfee very well and is perfect for our team. My dad (Larry) loves working with him and I love working with him. I never had a doubt in my mind that I would eventually be his partner,” Dr. Brooke McAfee Clements shared.
Violanti and his wife, Catey, have three highly active and driven children; Matt played baseball and took up weight lifting while Andrea and Nick preferred soccer and ran in track. Andrea will be playing soccer for Wright State University this coming fall and will be earning her Business Degree as well. Violanti plans to travel and watch his daughter shine as one of the two freshmen on the team.
Catey works as McAfee’s Financial Manager, while also keeping their family focused on the road ahead.
“She has always been the one with excellent time management skills. She has been able to follow everything that happens with our children event-wise and I couldn’t be more thankful for her. She is always there for anyone to help with whatever they need,” Violanti said.
The Violantis also have two Cavalier Poodle (“Cavapoo”) mixes, named Jack and Rudi, to further keep up with their family's athleticism and friendly nature.
Ever since Violanti was a child, he wanted to be a veterinarian. He wasn’t into actively showing animals, but he focused his time and effort into learning about them and eventually graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University.
Working at McAfee Animal Hospital has made Violanti thankful for so many reasons. He is especially grateful for a wonderful team who are as dedicated to animals as he is and are also able to learn from each other.
“The growth is basically learning how to work together; there are times where we don’t get along, but we get past the differences and it overall makes us stronger. Part of working as a team is figuring out what works and what does not and we actively take a part in that every day,” Violanti said.
Surgery experience has helped Violanti build on his own knowledge which also helps families acknowledge that their pet is in the hands of a devoted surgeon. Time and time again, Violanti has bounced thoughts and ideas alongside Larry McAfee which always furthered both in their endeavors.
“Larry and I are great partners because we both do our own thing while also helping each other and it somehow balances everything out. I’m sad he is retiring soon, but I’m happy that he and his daughter, Brooke, are alike in being active in our community,” Violanti said.
The McAfees and Violanti have been partners for about 14 years and all are very happy with the work ethic everyone brings to the table. It makes everything easier and that much more enjoyable. There are no I's or me's; it’s all about the “we” which makes a big difference and also drives their client relationships positively.
In closing, Dr. Brooke added, “We appreciate everything that Steve has done and still does for this clinic. It’s been neat to see how much we all have grown together.”