Thanks, Doc
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Eric Lee
Team Cliff & Vi
Lee Hinson grew up on a cattle farm down the road in St. Clair, Mo. Now the 58-year-old is one of Union’s few large animal veterinarians, caring for cattle, dairy cows, horses and anything larger than a goat.
With his phone ringer on and truck loaded with supplies for any large animal emergency that may happen, Hinson is always on call. After tending to his own animals on his day off, Hinson hopped into his truck to meet a woman with a 35-year-old horse in Londell with an eye ulcer. But “Doc,” as Hinson is known to his long-time clients, quickly diagnosed, prescribed medication and took his time writing the receipt. There wasn’t another appointment on the schedule yet.
During his childhood, Hinson remembers seeing veterinarians come and go on his family farm and admired the work they did – explaining procedures and caring for the animals. As some veterinarians enter the profession because of their love for animals, Hinson had different reasons.
“My passion for vet work is not these,” said Hinson gesturing to the cattle, horses and goats on his property. “It's the people that own these. That's the people I'm passionate about. Those old men that have been raising cattle their whole lives, raking our food and they're out there on their tractors planting corn for us. Those guys I want to take care of.”
As the open land around Union has begun to turn into housing and business developments, many local farms and ranches are beginning to close. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, the national herd of cattle is at its lowest level since 1970. “We’re growing houses on these farms instead of cows,” Hinson said as he drove from one farm call to another. But it doesn’t discourage Hinson. He continues to serve the 20 miles surrounding Union Veterinary Associates, making sure the community has the care they need.
Earlier in the week, Hinson visited a cattle farm in Villa Ridge for a pregnancy check. After checking on six cows, Hinson sat in the driver’s seat after chatting with the owner for ten minutes. But they had more questions about cattle, land and what’s happening across town. So “Doc” rolled down the window to his pickup, shifted into park and leaned against the door to answer questions and talk.
Dr. Lee Hinson, 58, sits with his cat after completing his morning chores: feeding the horses, cleaning the stables, corralling the goats and checking on the cattle at his home in Union. Dr. Lee grew up in St. Clair, Mo., about 10 miles south, on a dairy farm and returned to Union in 1994 after working at other clinics across Missouri.
Dr. Lee feeds the family goats during his morning routine at his property in Union. Dr. Lee isn’t a fan of the goats, who were rescued and brought home by his wife, Dr. Pam Hutchinson, DVM, several years ago.
Dr. Lee Hinson drives by a shed surrounded by dried corn that’s ready for harvest after completing several farm visits in Dutzow, Mo. The shed is Dr. Lee favorite location for photos since both corn and green beans have grown in the field over the years. Every time he photographs the field, he sends the picture and updates to his daughter who resides in Virginia.
Dr. Lee leads Poncho, a horse, toward his truck with surgical supplies before a planned surgery at a client’s home in Union. While feeding Poncho earlier in the week, the owner realized the horse had a mass on his genitals and required further inspection from a veterinarian.
Dr. Lee, second from the left, talks with Cynthia Rapp, left, the owner of Poncho, after a successful growth removal on his genitals as neighbors gathered after watching the procedure at Rapp’s home in Union. Dr. Lee has worked with Cynthia for over 20 years.
Dr. Lee puts his work boots on at the tailgate of his pickup truck, which holds antibiotics, surgical tools and other supplies, before a pregnancy check on a local cattleman’s Texas Longhorns in St. Clair, Mo. Hinson keeps a powered hose in the pickup truck to wash his boots after working in cattle pens and grazing fields.
Dr. Lee sutures Poncho after performing a mass removal on the horse’s genitals at a client’s home in Union. Dr. Lee noted the dangers of working under a horse during surgeries and made sure to sedate Poncho and numb the area before operating.
Dr. Lee holds a syringe with green colored dye in his teeth as he sanitizes the eye on Scooter, a 35-year-old horse, in Luebbering, Mo. Dr. Lee has been working with Scooter and its owner for over 20 years — this time for an ulcer in the horse’s eye causing pain and a potential infection.
Dr. Lee braces himself against a cattle shoot during a pregnancy check in Villa Ridge, Mo. Wearing his University of Missouri Tigers cap and shoulder deep into cattle, Dr. Lee and the cattlemen talked about Mizzou football’s hot start to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) season.
Dr. Lee crosses a bridge he constructed at his home in Union. Passing through several gates early in the morning, Dr. Lee completed his morning chores of feeding the horses, goats and cattle before the sun rose in the sky. He would eventually respond to two horse-related incidents even though it was his day off.
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