Mountain Empire Veterinary Services

This vet clinic has an extremely kind caring staff and you cannot ask for better prices if you tried. They took care of my 11 year old sons dog today. He had a large growth which needed to come out. They took care of it for a more than reasonable rate, the dog is doing fine and is nearly ready to come home. My son is beyond happy that his dog is okay. \r \r As for the people claiming the staff is rude, they aren't. They have to be fast and abrupt because in\r order to make a profit, and still be able to do this at a very low cost, they have to take on a lot of clients. So although they would love to talk with you for hours on end they simply lack the time to do so. \r \r They do love animals and treat your pet well while there but they also have to be fairly quick. \r \r Thank you to the staff of mountain empire for your kind loving care to my sons beagle, Petie today! You are a great clinic I would recommend anyone to go to! more

I absolutely do not recommend this vet, and would advise you to call around before making your decision. If the staff is going to be impolite to their customers, then God only knows how they treat the animals in their care when we leave. The moment I walked in was when I should of turned around and walked back out. That first impression was really what gave it away. The staff at a Veterinarian's establishment should be kind, patient and compassionate. The staff did not exhibit any of these traits. As a dog owner, I should feel at ease when I leave my loving companion in the hands of a doctor and their staff. A woman who works there named Jennifer was either completely overwhelmed with herself or hated her job. She presented herself unprofessionally, and it looked to me like she had just woken up out of bed, literally. She rushed me through the check-in process and had an unpleasant demeanor. She weighed my dog and took him into the back so fast I couldn't say goodbye to him. She then snatched the candy jar from my daughter and said ""You can't have that!"" Right then I wanted to say something but I kept my mouth quiet. Then she proceeded to ask me the ""basic"" check-in questions. She tried to upsell me with a kidney and liver test prior to my dog's surgery. My dog should automatically have that testing done, it shouldn't be an option. Not only that but she was speaking so fast, I mean over the top fast, that I had to hurry up and answer them without thinking about my answers. Her tone was overall agressive. My daughter and I left and right way I had second thoughts about leaving my dog there, so I came back immediately and spoke with the manager named Kimmie. When she walked into the room, I was shocked because she also looked like she had just woken up, like she was too tired to be at work. She demonstrated no management skills whatsoever and gave me some bogus spiel, it wasn't worth my time or intelligence to deal with stupid. After meeting with the manager was when I knew forsure there was no way I was leaving my dog there, no way. I honestly feel bad for the other animals who have to be in the hands of those people. I hope you continue to read the other comments because you will also see that I am not the only person who feels this way about my horrible experience at this vet. more

I recently bought a Mini Dachshund from Grace Stumpff owner of Town & Country Dachshunds the sheet of paper the beeder gave me for his Health Certification said Mountain Empire Veterinary Services with Dr. Leese signature at the bottom. The breeder told me about a medication that he (my puppy was recently on but told me not what it was for) so I called the clinic to out more information about the medication and to verify that the shot record given to me was accurate, the receptionist said they couldn 't give me any information about it (my puppy that I bought and now own) without clearing it though the breeder. (which honestly I have NEVER heard of before in my life *for people yes but not for pets but anyways). If the were smart about it they would have took my # call the breeder to get the information released and then called me back. Makes me think that both Breeder and Vet has something to hide. Well I will know in a couple of days when I take him to MY vet who of which is awsome, and get the records faxed over to her. If they are not turned over to her I will begin to take some legal and file dissaplinary actions to be taken. Some to me that this vET is more about the $money than the care and help of the pets here. They cater to the vass Breeders in the area all while giving second rate service to the pets and the real pet owner who actually care and love their pets greater. I just called because I have 2 other mini doxies at home and did some research about the medication given and some of the uses for the medication is Communical Diseases. My other concern was that I his puppy food is chicken Blue Buffulo, and I feed my Doxies Nature's Recipe and wanted to make sure he had no food allegies that would prevent me to gradually switch him to Nature's Recipe Puppy (Lamb) or Nature's Recipe Farmers Select (for All life stages)(Turkey + Chicken). more

To Paul H. That is the most inappropriate comment I have ever seen. It is offensive, rude and probably illegal. I sincerely hope that the police track you down and lock you up for threatening another person. Must not have been hugged enough as a child! more

I hope that Bitch Jennifer get beat up again and again by her red neck man... well done beat that bitch, may she die the next time!! dont go there they are a bunch of dumb ass rude honky's!!!!!!!!!!!!! more

Our 2 month old puppy walked in with 4 legs and 6 weeks later walked out with 3. They amputated the puppys leg because they let gangrene set in to the leg. The whole 6 weeks that she had the splint on i dont think they checked the splint once. Its sad that a simple broken knee led to our puppy losing its leg. They are to busy to give the proper care to each animal. more

i have tried other vets over the years but will forever go to mountain empire vet, the staff is kind and curtious, yet effeciant and on top of things. they offer an ""open clinic"" from 11 to 1"" to existing clients, it is your decision whether to use it or not, there is no office visit cost and the convenience is awesome for us that want our pets vaccinated without all the hidden costs that so many other vets charge. if you want to be with your animal then by all means make an appointment and you will pay the (low) office visit cost and get to talk to the vet. just amazes me that so many people want to sit and talk to the vet for the $16 per shot walk in clinic without the office visit charge, come on people are you really that stupid? she is offering you a convenience and you are trying to go around that by saying the animal was in and out and i didn't get to talk to the vet....waaahhhh. if one on one is what you want then MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!! if not then go there and your animal will still be treated with love. even though i read the negative reviews from last year they still upset me when all that vet office is trying to do is make it easy for US and our pets! not to mention AFFORDABLE!! for those of you that have animals that hurt themselves there, why don't you stop and think about it, your animal is in a kennel and may not be used to it so of course YOUR animal is trying to break free by biting the doors and such, maybe your animal is not the sweetest when you are not around, OMG, yes pull your head out and think about it. duh, really think about it. if your animal is hurt there, they take care of it at no cost to you. also the sperm donation people, come on, do you want to actually be there when it is collected??? think about how it has to be collected....if it were that flippin simple you would just do it at home, so stop putting down mountain empire or do it yourself. NOW the drop off in the morning is also convenient, you just drop off your animal tell them what the problem is and the vet fits your animal into her VERY BUSY schedule and then SHE calls you with the solution, those that say she did not call are full of it, maybe, just maybe you gave a wrong number?? you are not perfect and if you want to do a drop off with special treatment to you then wait till after 5 and go to pet emergency and pay the enormous price and they will sit with you one on one and explain everything to you like the children you are acting like and then you can still bitch. i will and do reccomend MOUNTAIN EMPIRE VET to any and all that will listen. THEY ROCK! thanks so much for making it easy for me to get my animals vaccinated, looked at, medicines, and so much more! I LOVE MOUNTAIN EMPIRE VET SERVICES!!!!!!!!!!! more

Mountain empire is such a wonderful place,i would recommend it to anyone who likes to be ""well informed"" about their animal. My cat recently just (out the blue),ran underneath my bed and started crying.I was so scared,i didn't know what was wrong with her! She came out limping and then fell over onto the ground breathing heavily.I immediately called Mountain Empire and begged for them to see Her.They told me that they had a very busy scheduled that day, but that they would make time to see her.I was so happy to be able to bring her there right away,if i couldn't i don't know what i would of done. My cat ended up having to stay there for the night,i was so well informed from the vet and the staff there,they didn't mind my questions at all and they always kept me up to date with my cats health.Sadly the next day they told me that she wouldn't make it.When she died, they where even thoughtful enough to take a 100$ off the money that i owed them and supplied a coffin for her that had her name on it. Thanks to them letting me bring her in right away,she was able to live her last hours very peaceful.I'm so grateful towards them,i will always go to them when my animals need help.And i suggest anybody who reads this to do the same.Thank you Mountain Empire. more

I have an old dog that has had numerous health problems. Dr. Leese has pulled her through twice when I thought she didn't have a chance in the world. I had gone to other vets on the south hill and did not care for them and was in despair of finding a vet that looked at my animals as part of my family. Not something they could make money off of. This go round, I had treatment options that would have cost a lot of money and the outcome would have been the same or worse. Dr. Leese was realistic about what was possible and what the outcomes were. I really appreciated that. I love this vet. She actually hears what you are saying. Some day it will be time for my old dog to leave me but I'll know I did everything I could. Thank-you to Dr. Leese and her staff. more

We have adopted two rescued cats in the last two years. They both came with free follow-up examinations at Mountain Empire. I dropped my cats off and the Doctor called me to give me the status of both of my cats exams. One of my cats has a chronic respiratory condition that requires he gets a shot about every six weeks. All I have to do is take him there during the walk-in period and they give him his shot in minutes. IT IS GREAT! For the reviewer that questioned how long it took to give their pet a vaccine, get over it and be thankful they did not make you wait 30 minutes like at other places. I am a working professional and do not have a lot of time to sit around waiting rooms, this veterinary practice is professional, efficient and affordable. We just rescued an abandoned kitten yesterday. I will be taking him to Mt Empire to ensure he is in good health and get him fixed when its time. more

I have been recommending Dr Leese/Mountain Empire Vet for quite some time so I was shocked to see the negative reviews here. I have used her services for years (she even worked on my horses in the '90's prior to having her own practice) and have used the clinic many (MANY) times over the past 3 or 4 years. YES, there is a different format to the office if you just want vaccinations or if you want to get your animal in without an appointment (how many vets do that at all?). You will NOT get ""one on one time"" with the vet for those things but you will NOT be charged an office visit either. She doesn't hit you with a big bill for the privilege of walking into her clinic like every other vet in town. The reason they are so busy and the reason they allow for a larger amount of clients to be served with drop offs and quick vaccinations is because she is IN DEMAND. She's good. If you want face time, make an appointment and pay for an office visit next time, then quit whining. I have NEVER had a problem with her staff. But I'm patient and I don't get bent out of shape if they're busy. Quite frankly, this vet has enough fans who love her work that the staff shouldn't have to put up with someone who pitches a fit because their $15 doesn't get them star treatment. If I do not have an appointment and do a drop off, Julia still calls me every time to talk to me personally about what is wrong with my dog, or results for tests, etc. and answers any questions for me at that time. If she sat down face to face with everyone who dropped their dog off or had their pet vaccinated, she wouldn't have any time to serve many of her clients. The staff is only assuring that she has time to serve everyone without constant interruption. Go to a doctor's office and try to chat with the doctor outside of an appointment and see how far you get. Vaccinations don't take more than a minute or two... that's the beauty (not the negative) of the service. There are some vets who will stretch it to a 20 minute appointment with another 15 minutes sitting around the waiting room and feeling special when they finally call your name, then charge you $80 for the exact same service if that's really what you want. And yes, sometimes the animal can develop a lump or soreness from a vaccination. It happens. That doesn't make them negligent. I would (and with some, have) trust the life of any one of my dogs to Julia Leese and the staff at Mountain Empire Vet. They are compassionate when needed, they allow my dogs to be seen with very little notice, they do quality work, they have gone above and beyond for me on many occasions, and when I walk up to pay the bill, I don't feel taken advantage of because they charge me only for the work that has been done and not bogus padded charges. Combine that with her efforts in local pet rescue and you have a truly ETHICAL vet. more

We have went to Dr. Julia since 2001, we have seen them many times for the many dogs and puppies we have had, because we bred and raised Pomeranians. She is a great Veterinarian, very kind and knowledgable. Over the years, she has become a good friend, we will go no where else, she is a Great Vet ! more

I agree with other comments- they deserve 0 stars. We dropped our dog off for a simple sperm donation. My fiancee volunteered to stay with our very excitable male pittbull but they said it would be fine. After hearing from the owner of the female we were breeding with that our dogs were ready to pick up- note that the vet did not call us when he was done- my fiancee returned to pick up our dog. They let us know that he had ""hit his chin on the kennel"" and may be sore. However, when we got him home we realized that he had broken a toenail above the quick. Later, after he refused to eat dinner we looked in his mouth and saw a 1 inch cut on his gum that was extremely swollen and obviously painful and the tooth in front of his canine was broken about halfway down. Furious, we called the next morning and the receptionist said that it was in the notes that they cauterized his toenail because it had bled so heavily and were aware he broke his tooth because he had also broken the kennel. She said she would get more info and call back and suggested we come in for ""ointment"". We wondered if the had been aware of his multiple injuries, including permanent tooth damage, why they didn't give him the ointment when we picked him up! When she did call back, it was with a scripted defense and she tried to say that maybe ""he fractured his tooth when he had lock-jaw (which is a myth btw) and broke it and cut his gum while chewing on a bone at home"". Really, after admitting during the first call that she knew exactally what we were talking about? So in summary, they knew that my dog incured injuries while in there care including a severely broken toenail that had been bleeding uncontrollably so they had to cauterize it (painful I'm sure), broke a tooth (permanent damage), and has a noteable cut with extreme swelling on his inner lip/gums and neglected to inform us when they happened and when we picked him up. more

I wish that zero stars was an option because one star really gives Mountain Empire vet clinic more credit than they deserve. This is the kind of vet office where you never get to speak to the veterinarian... EVER. All messages are relayed through her staff of receptionists and vet techs, and it is very common to get a different answer each time you call depending on who picks up the phone. I went to this vet office based on recommendations that they were inexpensive, and I wish I had paid more attention to all of the negative reviews. My cat would up getting sick from way too much anesthesia. I called them as soon as she started acting strangely, and I was told by a staff member that her reaction was normal. When I called back a few minutes later to tell them she had gotten worse, I was told that I could not bring her in because they were too busy. I had to go to the emergency clinic. This ""cheap"" vet wound up costing me $750 in emergency vet fees to keep my cat alive. There are a lot of friendly and inexpensive vets in the area... the low cost here is not worth the terrible service. more

I completely agree with the other negative reviews. I took my dog to them for vaccinations, and was surprised that I was not able to go with her to an examination room. They took her to the back and brought her back to me in under 30 seconds (no exaggeration... 30 seconds!). How did they measure out the correct dose for her weight and deliver the vaccinations in under 30 seconds? The answer is -- they didn't! My dog had a horrible reaction to way too much active virus in her system. When I called them about her condition the next day, I was not allowed to speak with the vet and was told by a member of her reception staff that the reaction was normal. They said nothing needed to be done, and when I asked to come in for a check-up anyway just to be sure I was told that their office was too busy to see us that day. Given that I called in to get a vet's opinion (not a receptionist's opinion), I called an emergency vet and was told to bring my dog in immediately... her reaction was not normal and they were able to stabilize her and give her some shots/meds to help control the bad reaction to too much vaccine. The emergency clinic contacted Dr. Leese at Mountain Empire about her staff's negligence, and she accused us of ignoring her recommendation to bring the dog in immediately! The emergency vet did not seem surprised that her reaction was to blame the client, and said they hear horror stories about Mountain Empire all the time. They told us (off the record, which is why I have not listed them by name) that we should find a new vet asap. Please be careful when choosing a vet. I saw the mixed reviews for Mountain Empire on this site and chose to give them a try. I regretted it! In all my visits to this vet, I never actually made it into an exam room, and never once spoke with the vet face-to-face (even after asking to speak with her). I was shocked that they do business this way, and will never return because they hurt my dog and then blamed me for it. more

I must say I adopted a great dog from Julia's Jungle, but the ajoining Mountain Empire Veterinary Clinic leaves much to be desired. I've never seen a group of employees who seem less interested in doing their job or satisfying a customers concerns than this group. The first time they gave my Rat Terrier her rabies shots the spot swelled up like a golf ball, yesterday we had to go back for her year old shots and they wouldn't allow us to go back with our dog, which made me uncomfortable and I should have left. They took the dog and came back in about 30 seconds, we didn't even think they'd given her the shots yet it was so fast. We still don't understand how they could have eve measured them out into the syringe that fast. Last night our baby yelped and whined whenever she moved and couldn't walk, she's still doing so today and a phone call got little show of concern from Mountain Empire Veterinary, they just stated, ""it'll pass."" \r \r This crew did nothing right, after four requrests to us on how to spell our dogs name they still didn't get it right, and on the paperwork we brought home there was another error too, it showed the shots were for one year instead of three as they said they were in the office. I think they've got their heads where the sun doesn't shine. They're suppose to be mailing us the correct papers, but I no longer trust these people. I'm not sure it's the vet herself, but obviously it's her company and she's not paying attention to her staff so the bad falls on her shoulders. I look at my dog like my child, they dare not hurt her again, actually they won't be offered another chance, I've learned my lesson, I wouldn't take anything to them. Be warned of this place, don't let them injure your animal too. more

Very unprofessional staff. Each brings their personal attitude to the clinic and none are consistent with customer service. The staff operates as a barrier with Dr. Leese, so good luck actually talking with Dr. Leese. The staff is giving out treatment information for your pet, but are not licensed to do so. Our 13 year old dog has been declining in health. We've asked for consults with Dr. Leese to know when to make the quality of life decisions, but we don't get to speak to the good Doctor; only the ""staff."" more

I got my service dog from the rescue associated with MEVS and he is wonderful--has obviously never had a moment's trauma in his life (he was 10 weeks old when we got him). We also take our elderly pomeranian and our cats here--we have had a number of unfortunate emergencies with our cats but we have always been able to have them seen immediately (through drop off visits) and are MORE than satisfied with the care that all our animals have received. The only drawback is that the practice is so busy that it's sometimes difficult to get through by phone. Pros: Caring, compassionate Cons: Can be a little hectic more

We have been going to Mt Empire Veterinary ever since they opened in 1999. I have always had a positive experience everytime I have taken my dogs in. The staff has always been attentive and truly seemed to care about my dogs welfare. Dr. Leese is very compasionate and knowledgable, I trust her compleatly when it comes to her diagnosis of any problems my dogs have had. I even refered my sister to her to have her look over my sister's dog for a second opinion. Dr. Leese was very professional and was in no way condesending or insultiong of my sister's vet. I highly recomend Mt. Empire Veterinary to anyone looking for someone to take care of their pets medical needs. If she ever decides to move away or retire while I still have pets, I will truly miss her, and I am sure that I will not find a better replacement! Pros: Very professional and kind. Cons: Can be busy at times. more

We have a sick puppy that has had to have been hospitalized twice in the last year and have been taking her to Mountain Empire since September 2008. Although they seemed great at first things quickly changed. Everytime we would speak to their staff we would get told something completely different than the last person we spoke with. It became a battle just to get a straight answer. The office staff is very inconsistent and they are extremely unknowledgeable. It seems that the doctor just hired girls off the street with no experience. I would get relayed the wrong message from Dr. Leese and when I would leave a message for her, Dr. Leese was always given the wrong message. Although Dr. Leese seems like a very good vet, interacting with her staff is EXTREMELY difficult. It is nothing but one huge headache and what's even worse is that Dr. Leese doesn't care. If you bring any of your concerns to her she takes her staff's side. That's good to a degree but when they are so difficult, inconsistent, mistaken, and are always having problems on a consistent basis, you would think that the vet would care and want to try to help to do something about it but that's not the case with her. She just blames you! Just recently they overcharged us when we bought a case of food by more than TWICE the correct amount and when I called, I was told that price was correct. When explaining to them that it was more than twice what we had paid before they blamed my husband for allowing them to charge him too much as if it was my husbands fault that they charged us wrong. After what became a battle they finally found the correct price and gave us a credit. Out of the three times we have bought this food, we have been charge three different prices. There are so many good vets in the Spokane Valley so please do yourself and your pet a favor and DO NOT take them to Mountain Empire. I am finding a new vet ASAP! Cons: Terrible, unprofessional, unintelligent, dirty more