Meet the Veterinarians & Team of Lone Star Animal Hospital in Victoria! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!

Please call us at 361-570-7297 to speak to one of our caring veterinary staff members!

Veterinarians

Dr. Lee Zeplin

Owner/Veterinarian

Dr. Lee Zeplin was born and raised in Victoria, then attended Texas A&M University, graduating from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996. She practiced small animal medicine in the Houston area, eventually moving back to Victoria and opening Lone Star Animal Hospital in December 2004. She and her husband, Drew, have been married since 1996 and have 2 children; Tanner and Jordan who are attending college. Their family includes 3 rescue dogs and a polydactyl cat.  Outside of practice, Dr Zeplin enjoys spending time with her extended family, parents, 2 brothers, sister and their families and troupe of nieces and nephews. She also loves saltwater fishing, travelling, crafting, and building projects and anything outdoors including working on her family’s country place near Hallettsville.

Dr. Amber Matula

Associate Veterinarian

Amber grew up in Schulenburg, Texas and knew from a young age she wanted to be a veterinarian. She has an Animal Science degree from Texas A&M and graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. She has one dog, Wrigley, that she adopted while in college. Aside from work, Amber enjoys traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with family and friends

Dr. Haley Daniel

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Haley Daniel grew up in Rockwall, Texas where her father and grandfather served the community as veterinarians. After growing up in the practice, Haley headed to Texas A&M to follow her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She graduated from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. During vet school, she met and married her classmate, Dr. Paul Daniel. They have 3 dogs and a new son who has brought pure joy to their lives. Outside of work, Haley enjoys Aggie football games, running, traveling, reading, and spending time with her family.

Hospital Administrator

Drew Askew

Hospital Administrator

Drew Askew (Dr Zeplin’s husband) may be seen at the hospital behind the scenes. Though he refers to himself as “Just the Husband”, he has the important job of handling the business finances as well as his full time “real job” as a President of Patterson Veterinary Supply, a veterinary distribution company. Drew grew up on a large cattle ranch close to Richmond, Texas, graduated with an Animal Science degree from Texas A&M in 1994 where he and Dr Zeplin met, and has been in the veterinary sales industry professionally since graduation. Since he married Dr Zeplin June 1, 1996, he has been endlessly supportive and patient in understanding the demands of the profession. Outside work, he enjoys hunting and spending time with his family. Much of his free time is spent on their Hallettsville property, checking cows, accompanied by his trusty "ranch hand", their 3-legged rescue dog, Levi.

Practice Manager/Licensed Veterinary Technician

Holly Janak

Practice Manager/Licensed Veterinary Technician

Holly was raised in College Station, Texas. Her husband brought her to his hometown of Hallettsville in 2009, she has been a resident since. Holly has been in the veterinary field for 15+ years. In 2015, she graduated from Vet Tech Institute of Houston, where she was secretary of their student organization, on the deans’ list and received the vet tech award. She has an associate degree in applied science and became a licensed veterinary technician in 2016. She is currently taking online courses to further her education. Holly’s 10-year-old daughter is also interested in the veterinary industry. She has a family of animal lovers. They have a variety of animals including 5 dogs, 5 horses, 2 cats, 1 donkey, 1 turtle and a herd of beef cattle. Outside of work, she spends time volunteering with organizations that are close to her heart, spending time with her family and showing her horse.

Receptionist

Amy Prince

Receptionist

Amy moved back to South Texas several years ago when her husband who retired from the military. They have one son; he currently serves in the military. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her dogs, reading and being outdoors. She likes to freshwater fish with her husband whenever they get the chance.

Jessica Brewer

Receptionist

Jessica rejoined the team at Lone Star Animal Hospital as Receptionist in 2022. She was a Lone Star client long before being a part of the staff. Jessica has had a special love for animals since childhood – especially dogs. She loves that her job enables her to help pets and their people receive the best service and veterinary care available. She and her husband Jason live out in the country in Meyersville and have a daughter, 5 rescue dogs and 1 donkey. In her spare time, Jessica loves spending time at home with her family and their dogs. She also enjoys fishing, crafting, and watching movies.

Lindsey Lara

Receptionist

Lindsey has been with Lone Star Animal Hospital since November of 2006. She has worked in every aspect of the clinic beginning as a kennel attendant then to technician and now front desk receptionist.
Born and raised in the Amarillo area, Lindsey relocated to South Texas in 2005 to expand her horizons and attend college. She is married with 2 children and lives on a little farm in Nursery.

Veterinary Assistant

Brittany Hempel

Veterinary Assistant

Brittany was born and raised in Victoria, Tx and then moved to Houston, Tx to pursue her career as a vet tech at Vet Tech Institute. She started at LSAH as an intern to finish her degree. She has since graduated and decided to join our team late spring of 2020. She will soon take her test to become a licensed vet tech. She has two dogs, one three-legged blue tick coonhound and the other is a corgi mix both she rescued. In her free time, she loves spending time with her friends and family.

Barbara Bear

Veterinary Assistant

Barbara is from the Victoria, Tx area. She has been in the vet med field for 2 years. She attended Victoria College to obtain her Veterinary Assisting Certificate. She is looking forward to pursuing her career and knowledge in the veterinary field.

Paige Thrash

Veterinary Assistant

Paige was born and raised in Cedar Park, TX. She moved to Victoria in June of 2022 with her husband and their three rescue dogs, in search of a new adventure and wanting to move out of the Austin area. Paige received her bachelor’s degree in 2017 from Texas State University with interdisciplinary studies in interior design and business administration. However, after graduation she realized she had a strong desire to work with animals. She started working in veterinary medicine in November of 2018 at the Austin Animal Center, where two of her three dogs happened to be adopted from. She started working at Lone Star Animal Hospital shortly after moving to Victoria where she has since adopted a fourth dog who came into the clinic with injuries to his front legs. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, spending time outdoors, taking her dogs on adventures with her husband, and renovating their 120-year-old home.

Certified Veterinary Assistant

Kelly Bueno

CVA1

Kelly grew up in Meyersville, TX and joined the LSAH team in January of 2021. She came to the LSAH after spending 2.5 years at Dorothy O’Conner Pet Adoption Center to further her knowledge and gain more experience in treating and caring for companion animals. Animals play a huge part in her life. Kelly has a greyhound name Camo, a lab named Macy and a cat named Tigger. Kelly and her husband Victor recently added a new member to the family, a maltipoo, they named Marley. In her free time, she enjoys hunting, spending time with family and friends, and of course her fur babies.

Animal Care Attendant

Cami Patek

Animal Care Attendant

Cami grew up in Victoria, Texas and joined the LSAH team in December of 2021. Since she was a preschooler, she always dreamed of taking care of animals, and working at Lone Star is solidifying this goal. She plans to enroll in an online program to become a veterinary assistant to facilitate animal care and grow her knowledge about veterinary medicine. Cami enjoys volunteering for her community through the National Honors Society and plays soccer for Victoria West High School. Cami will be attending Texas A&M University in 2023 and is majoring in Animal Science. In her free time, she enjoys painting and spending time with her two cats; she has a calico named Patches and a shorthair named Luna.

Anah Mullins

Animal Care Attendant

Anah wants to become a veterinary assistant. She enjoys spending time with her husband and dog Bart. She just rescued a new dog, Pepper. She is a very proud dog mom. She has always had an interest in working in the veterinary field. She is just starting out and has a long way to go, but is very excited to further her education!