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.
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