POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Agriculture plays a big role in Polk County's local economy including farms and ranches that have cattle, but the area is in dire need of veterinarians that work with large animals.
“She has several stitches in her head, where she almost scalped herself. So about three inches of her skull was exposed,” said Dr. LuJean Waters while checking up on a horse named Marilyn.
Taking care of farm animals has been a lifelong dream of Dr. Waters, who works at Heartland Large Animal Services.
“When I was six, our family vet came to our place to help us treat some of our cattle. I met him and knew immediately that's what I wanted to do and never looked back,” Dr. Waters said.
Dr. Waters makes up a handful of vets in Polk County and surrounding areas that treat large animals. Over the past few years, several vets have retired or passed away.
“It’s very, very hard to find a local large animal vet. Unfortunately, the vet that I had ended up retiring and moving,” said barrel racer Taylor English.
Polk County is home to more than 92,000 head of cattle, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A new report from the USDA said there is a critical shortage of vets that are trained to treat large animals in the county.
The agency said vets across Polk County have expressed concerns about burn out, including Dr. Waters.
“I have not had a day off since January 2 and it is March 1. So two months now with no days off,” Waters said. “I get called out almost every single night and weekend, both days Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes 12-16 hours on both days. So, there is a huge need.”
Dr. Waters said a major factor is recruitment and retention. Large animal veterinarians earn less money than small animal vets and human doctors, but the cost of education is similar.
She believes increasing salaries and student loan repayment programs could make the career more attractive for younger vets.
“With what we are charging and what our salaries are, it doesn’t make any sense. It's not realistic. So unless you love this with everything in your soul, nobody would do this and nobody is doing it,” Dr. Waters said.
