Winnie Veterinary Clinic

Meet the staff

The Winnie Veterinary Clinic was founded in 1964 by Dr. Aaron H. Long. Dr. Sarah Matak purchased the clinic in 2007 and has partnered with Dr. Lamon Custer to ensure Winnie Veterinary Clinic maintains it’s reputation for compassion and quality care of your pets.

Sarah Matak grew up in Morgan City, Louisiana. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from LSU in 2003. She is a mixed animal practitioner with a special interest in small animals. She is a Winnie Vet partner alongside Dr. Custer. Dr. Matak and her husband Michael live in Hamshire, with their daughter, Katie and son, Sam. Outside the clinic, Dr. Matak enjoys spending time with her family and trail riding. Dr. Matak has quite a few pets and livestock. She has dogs, fish, cats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, horses and cows.

For Dr. Matak there is nothing more satisfying than helping a sick or injured pet and bringing joy to an owner. Dr. Matak strives to provide excellent care to her patients and clients.

Meet the Doctors

Dr. Sarah Matak
Veterinarian | Owner

Owner of the Winnie Veterinary Clinic Since:

Fur Babies at Home:

Biography
Sarah Matak grew up in Morgan City, Louisiana. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from LSU in 2003. She is a mixed animal practitioner with a special interest in small animals. She is a Winnie Vet partner alongside Dr. Custer. Dr. Matak and her husband Michael live in Hamshire, with their daughter, Katie and son, Sam. Outside the clinic, Dr. Matak enjoys spending time with her family and trail riding. Dr. Matak has quite a few pets and livestock. She has dogs, fish, cats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, horses and cows. For Dr. Matak there is nothing more satisfying than helping a sick or injured pet and bringing joy to an owner. Dr. Matak strives to provide excellent care to her patients and clients.

Dr. Lamon Custer
Veterinarian | Owner

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2004
Fur Babies at Home:
Chumlee, Boston Terrier | Rowdy, Boston Terrier | Ripley, Frenchie | Katie, Greyhound | Nookie, Pug | Frank, Weiner Mix
Biography
Dr. Lamon Custer is a Winnie Vet partner alongside Dr. Matak. He is originally from South Texas, he received his bachelor’s degree in animal science in 2000. He graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 and has spent the last 10+ years practicing in Beaumont. He spends his spare time relaxing at home and binge watching Netflix. He became a veterinarian because he loves challenges and animals and what better way to spend his days. He has a particular interest in orthopedics, exotic/non-traditional pets as well as dogs and cats. His knowledge and experience are a great benefit to a mostly under served group of animals in this area. Dr. Custer enjoys providing care to a variety of small animals.

Dr. Julia McElwee
Veterinarian

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:

Fur Babies at Home:

Biography
Dr. Julia McElwee, a native of SouthEast Texas, received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M in 2023. She is a small companion animal practitioner who also has an interest in small exotic animals such as reptiles, rabbits, birds, and pocket pets (hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, rats, etc.). Dr. McElwee lives nearby in Beaumont, Texas with her two cats, Crested gecko, and Western Hognose snake. When she is not helping the pets and their owners at Winnie Veterinary Clinic, she can be found tending to her many indoor plants, reading a good Sci-Fi/Fanatasy novel, hosting Lord of the Ring movie marathons, or traveling to one of the many beautiful national parks throughout Texas with her family. Though Dr. McElwee has an interest in many different fields of veterinary medicine, currently, she focuses on companion animal preventative medicine, small exotic animal husbandry and preventative medicine, and companion animal soft tissue surgery.

Front Office

Mike Matak
Co-Owner & Maintenance

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:

Fur Babies at Home:

Biography
Mike is not only Dr. Matak's husband but he is also our man of all trades. He takes care of keeping the clinic running without anything breaking down. He was born in Hamshire and graduated from Hamshire Fannett High School. Before working full time at Winnie Vet he was employed at Exxon Mobil.

Morganne
Assistant Manager & Technician

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2020
Fur Babies at Home:
Belle 13, Blue Heeler | Jewels 14, Beagle Mix | Raven 7, Black Lab
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Helping sick animals and handling emergencies. Learning new things!

Chelsie
Receptionist

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2023
Fur Babies at Home:
Reba, Blue Heeler | Barbara Jean, Chocolate Point Siamese | Hazel, Dwarf Roborovski Hamster | Barn Cats: Tux, Batman, Bruce Wayne, & Cat Woman.
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Animals make me happy!

Christy
Receptionist

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2024
Fur Babies at Home:
Dexter, German Shepherd | Hunter, German Shepherd
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
I love all animals. Animals love without limits and are great companions.

Vet Technicians

Kristen

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2023
Fur Babies at Home:
Link, Chihuahua
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Helping the animals feel better and being an advocate for the ones that extra love and care.

Blair

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2023
Fur Babies at Home:
Cat: Gilly, Maine Coon | Bird: Niko, Quaker | Bird: Wuigi, Conure
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
I love animals!

Myah

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2024
Fur Babies at Home:
Dog: Hoot, Red Dudley Lab | Dog: Pinky, Pitty Mix | Cat: Spike 16 years old, Gray Tabby
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Helping the animals.

Katy

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2015
Fur Babies at Home:
Athena, Shih tzu | 2 Cats Pheobe and Maia
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Being able to help pets in need and seeing the love that people have for their pets. The energy and movement involved are an improvement for me from my previous jobs.

Natalie

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2023
Fur Babies at Home:
Dog: Benny, German Shepherd | Dog: Tito, Terrier Mix | Dog: Luna, Chiweenie | Cat: Tiddy, Domestic Long Hair
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Veterinary medicine gives me the opportunity to help animals in distress, bring them back to health, and help them live a long happy life. I get to be a part of a wonderful team that saves lives everyday!

Tracy

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2023
Fur Babies at Home:
2 Cats: Doc Emmett & Nurse Sugar
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Caring for our fur babies and helping them live happy healthy lives.

Lexi

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2022
Fur Babies at Home:
Dog: Tuffy | Cat: Simon
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
The pets and the family you get with the owners.

Candace

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2019
Fur Babies at Home:
Dog: Nala, XL American Bully | Dog: Zeke, Lab/Vizla Mix Cat: Tigger, Orange Tabby
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
My favorite part of vet medicine is being in ICU and seeing animals recover from various illnesses. It feels good to know that I can help animals heal.

Kennel Technicians

Kurstin
Kennel Lead & Vet Tech

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2021
Fur Babies at Home:
Cat: Knox, Domestic Short Hair | Cat: Opal, Siamese | Cat: Gnocchi, Domestic Short Hair | Cat: Apollo, Flame Point | Cat: Toothless, Domestic Short Hair | Dog: Kisses, Rat Terrier | Dog: Ghost, Husky | Dog: Molly, Pocket Pit
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Helping the animals and seeing the different breeds of animals.

Brittany
Kennel Lead

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2024
Fur Babies at Home:
Arlo, Husky | Rosco, Catahula Curr Mix
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Being active 24/7. Connecting with the animals. Developing relationships with clients. The variety of challenges with vet medicine.

Cody
Kennel Technician

Part of the Winnie Vet Family Since:
2024
Fur Babies at Home:
3 Horses: Fenway, Grandpa, and Skippe | 3 Dogs: Leroy Brown, Tupac, and Babsrona | 2 Cats: Rocky and Baby Kitty
What do you love about Vet Medicine?
Helping Animals.