I took my Pom-chi, who I considered a daughter, for her yearly check up. They said that there was an extended wait time. We go home and they called and said that the vet wanted to talk about Sadie. She had a lump on her jaw. We got everything taken care of. I told her that I wanted to be there since I watched her be born. The vet said no at first because of the chemicals they were using. I told her that I watched her be born. The excuse changed to she didn't want her staff to deal with me holding her during her last moment. That one denial was the hardest thing I've been through. I wish I could bill them for the year and half of counseling I had to go through. We had her cremated and returned to us. I get there to pick up her remains. I tell them that I was there to pick up her ashes and all they did was set the bag with her ashes and memorial box on the counter and went back to talking with one of the techs. I had been taking her there for almost 12 years and had nothing had no problems with her office. The experience we had with Sadie was beyond traumatic. I no longer refer her. I know that for a fact I'm never going to take another pet to her clinic. read more

Mountain Empire Veterinary Services - Me saying goodbye to her while crying and tell her that she couldn't be with me. - Veterinarians Near Me - Spokane Valley, Washington

I had to have my baby put down, the original chick who helped me there was horrible!!! I think she was a vet helper not a receptionist. Impatient and just plain rude!!! I hope someday she is treated the same way when she is going through something as heart breaking as this!!! And I hope someone posts it so I can see it!!!!! ZERO compassion!!!! read more

We've been bringing our animals here for years. While the staff can sometimes seem a bit grumpy, it's clear they're simply overwhelmed and understaffed. Despite that, the care our pets have received has always been excellent. I'd much rather deal with a slightly overworked front desk team than a flashy, overpriced vet. This clinic is straightforward--no sugarcoating, just honest and effective care. I don't understand many of the negative reviews because it's obvious they're doing their best with limited resources. A little patience and respect go a long way. read more

I have been with Dr. Leese for over 10 years. I love her and the tech that has been there for many, many years. HOWEVER, in the last couple years the front staff has taken on a rude gatekeepers attitude. Don't even think about letting the staff know about something that missed last time. They don't want to hear it!!! I am appalled that Dr. Leese has employees that are so comfortable putting a hand up in a customer's face and saying "bye! bye! have a nice day. BYE!" Yes, it was the girl with the round glasses. Maybe Dr. Leese will say bye to her! read more

I've gone to this vet for years for my show dogs, and before that, my horses. She's knowledgeable, ethical, and cares about the animals. The office doesn't have high overhead or a half dozen vets on staff, so the prices are not insane. But it's also BUSY. And it's BUSY because she's GOOD and in high demand. If you don't want your pet to be worked into the existing schedule through a "dropoff", then make an appointment and wait several weeks. But don't expect them to fit you in at the last minute AND get a full one on one appointment ahead of everyone else who booked weeks ago. I have had two other vets, in large pricey clinics misdiagnose my dogs with something Julia was able to rule out in a drop off appointment. We are considering moving out of state and a huge consideration is whether I'll ever find another vet like Julia Leese somewhere else. If you value a quiet/slow waiting room with scented candles and hugs over experience, ethics and caring, there are many big clinics with massive overhead and fresh out of vet school veterinarians waiting for you. If you want a vet who knows what they're doing and puts the animals ahead of padding the bill.... then take a seat and hush up and wait your turn to see Julia and her hardworking underappreciated staff. read more

We recommend. We were able to get 1 of our 3 dogs dental (no serious issues) cleaning done and the price was amazing. Staff were great as well. It does get busy, so come early. read more

We have an albino boxer with numerous health problems that we've been taking here. We brought him in today to be put down and the first thing they did when we got in was bill us for the euthanasia only to turn around and say the dr wants to do hundreds of dollars more in tests. The dog has lost 1/4 of his weight in the last few months and is visibly ill. The doctor never even came in to examine him or talk to us, we sat in a waiting room for nearly an hour sobbing thinking we were putting the dog down only for them to say no we want more money. We asked if the dr would come in and exam the dog but the tech said the dr was busy and couldn't see us during our appointment. Not sure why they would schedule our appointment with no doctor available to see us. Would not recommend this vet as they are just looking to get as much money out of you as possible.. read more

Terrible customer service when I asked a question they could not help me or ask someone else to help me. Will not go back there

i think dr. leese is wonderful and very caring and the most reasonable vet in spokane ..its always busy there and she does care about her pets and owners..at first i did not meet her so asked to do so..and after that all was fine..i think she likes to stay out of the limelight and is kinda shy..she does not accept any more dogs i know for now as so busy so she must be doing something right..i had one attendant be quite rude to me and told dr. and she made sure it did not happen again..i am just lucky paddy and i have her but wish i lived closer as go there from south side..kc i wish i could email her about something that happened today tho with patrick! very strange..did not knkw if he had a seizure or steoke! he seems ok now tho..kc read more

We've been taking our dogs here for years. We've been very happy with the level of care and attention our animals have received. Thank you Mountain Empire! read more

Never again will I use Mountain Empire. I get she is much cheaper then most vets, but the fact the she has made it all about money and has lost sight of what being a Caring Veterinarian truly is breaks my heart. Having 30 + people drop off their pets every day is okay for routine procedures, but in all the while ignoring TRUE emergencies from LONG time clients. You REALLY need to talk to and eliminate the people who work for you that are destroying your business when clients call. Julia, you need to look in the mirror and think about how you got here. read more

Dr Julia has cared for numerous dogs and cats of mine. I trust her expertise and empathy for my pets She a has a caring staff read more

Julie has been my vet for 15 years absolutely the best absolutely the best. She saved my 2.5 pound Yorkie.. and doesn't charge you an arm in the leg she deserves every bit of five stars read more

Julia's Jungle and Mountain Empire Vet adopted us a KITTEN DYING OF CANCER, then said we'd have to pay them a surrender fee to take him back. My son's care team recommended he get an emotional support animal so we began looking and he adopted a five month old kitten from Julia's Jungle. The kitten looked a little sick but we were told there was an upper respiratory infection in the kennels and it was nothing to worry about. We were told all animals are examined by Dr. Julia Leese, who owns both Mountain Empire Veterinary Services and Julia's Jungle, prior to adoption and if he wasn't better in a week Dr. Leese would take another look at him. Just over a week later, after two calls requesting Dr. Leese see him and being told once it was unnecessary (we were prescribed meds and asked to pick them up without an exam) and once that it would be another four days before he'd be seen, HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LYMPHOMA at the emergency animal clinic where we took him because he was so obviously sick and getting worse. The Dr. said every lymph node in his body is swollen and lymphocytes are extremely high. She said he's visually very sick, never should have been released for adoption, likely only has a couple months to live, and she advised us to take him back to the shelter. I called to tell them what the vet said and the woman on the phone quickly said, "If you bring him back you'll need to pay a $25 surrender fee." I was shocked at the uncaring way she spoke, she didn't ask about the kitten or my son, absolutely NO compassion, NO empathy, NO apology. I asked her if she was seriously telling me we paid $100 to adopt a kitten that's dying, paid his emergency vet bills, and now the only thing they have to say is we need to pay them more money if we bring him back? Her answer was simply, "That's our policy" and the best line of all, "You waited too long." Eight days which included two requests and two denials for Dr. Leese to see him. I won't say don't adopt here, I understand things can be missed and his poor health was likely, at least in part, incorrectly attributed to an upper respiratory infection circulating in the kennels, but I will say the way they handled the situation, the complete lack of caring and compassion, is absolutely unacceptable. We didn't change our mind or decide he wasn't a good fit for my son, THEY ADOPTED OUT A SICK AND DYING ANIMAL, an animal the diagnosing vet believes to be so medically and visibly unhealthy that Dr. Leese never should have made him available for adoption, and it was never about the money. I didn't demand the adoption fee back or even mention money; we hadn't even decided what to do when just days after Christmas we learned the kitten my son fell in love with was dying. And, we didn't take the kitten back, we're getting him stabilizing medical treatment, we'll love him and give him the very best life we can during the time he has left, and we'll hopefully be able to arrange home euthanization when the time comes. But I hope the business owner reads this review and coaches their employees about how to handle these difficult circumstances so no one is ever again treated with such a lack of compassion and in such an heartless, uncaring way. For all their talk of Dr. Leese considers all these animals family, if you can't keep them for any reason they need to come back here, etc., their actions say they're more interested in collecting $25 than caring about the life of an innocent kitten or the emotional wreckage my son is now enduring. read more

Mountain Empire Veterinary Services - My son's and Johnny's first night together. - Veterinarians Near Me - Spokane Valley, Washington

I wish I could have had the chance to take my dogs here. I was referred by my sister and her boyfriend who had nothing but good things to say. So I call, and before I was even able to finish my sentence, a woman cut me off coldly and said, "we aren't accepting new patients". You guys offer such a wide array of services, I didn't even get to tell her the reason I was calling. I told her thank you for rudely interrupting me and I ended the call. read more

Amazing job on the dentistry for my chihuahua. Very affordable as well. Thanks mountain empire!

I have been going here for many years. The past few years I've been questioning their service and thinking of finding a different vet. I was there recently to get my dogs nail trim. The young couple in front of me were having an issue with the cat they adopted. I was shocked how rude she was treated by the front desk. The gal even brought up her deceased cat and her deceased boyfriend which was apparently a suicide. The gal treated this customer like she kills people and animals and the issue with the cat she adopted was another on her list. She had this young girl in tears and even told her she was a liar. I have been treated rude several times by staff at the front desk. I'm not sure why I kept going back. Loyalty maybe. I have googled and see that they are cheaper than most vets. Explains why my dog has had an ear infection for 2 years and I keep getting the same meds that do no good. After this experience I took my dog elsewhere. I will never support rudeness especially when it comes to cruelty about death and eye rolling. Business should be shut down!! read more

I have been going the Empire mountain for years and I have notice a decline in caring and courtesy/professionalism. I was called recently and told the cat groomer quit so the appointment I had made 3 months prior was canceled. No idea when they would get another groomer. I was told to "keep calling ". Yesterday I asked if the vet could see my kitty as she was acting like she was in pain and I could tell she had a puncture wound to her chest and felt crepitus. They told me to bring her in and I did. I received a call from staff saying that "kitty was pretty sick and hospitalization wouldn't really help. She told me the Dr. recommended euthanasia". I would think the Vet would call and give me the details not the staff. When I agreed she should be euthanized she said ok I'll tell the Dr. I asked if I could see her one last time and they asked how soon could I get there..... I told her 15 min and she said "OK". I wasn't asked if I wanted to be with my kitty during the procedure. Got the paperwork to sign, the cremation paid for and was told that they would give me 5 min. I felt they wanted me out of there ASAP! I have been with my fur babies when they cross the rainbow bridge and I wanted to have my kitty comforted by being there . Euthanasia means "good death". I wanted her to know I was with her and not surrounded by strangers . That was not an option offred to me . Never again! read more

2 Strikes now. Horrible organization and treatment. Horrible communication. We gave them a try b/c where we adopted gave a coupon for a first visit and rabies vaccine. Maybe they just arent interested in us for that reason .. it's a freebee? I can't even speak to whether they are a decent vet or not b/c every time you go to an appointment, they want you to drop your pet for the day and that's not what we signed up for so we leave. The place is disgusting to boot. No way I'd trust my cats and dogs to those folks. Don't know how they stay in business. Completely sketchy outfit. read more

For yrs i had Julia for my horses vet one day someone shot my horse/mare with an arrow - me and my horse trainer got the arrow out but not the arrow head..Called my vet Julia Mountain Empire Vet Clinic & Spokane County sheriff Fred Morford . Julia knows i am capable been my APHA paint horse vet for years and has talked me through many emergency's for years...she told me the arrow head would work its way out and hopefully not hit any vital organs .. Well few weeks later SCRAPS got involved and gave me a ticket for not calling vet..Arrow was working its way out like Julia said .. For Julia to defend me against SCRAPS she wanted $5000 dollars...to put the whole incident in writing ...appalling read more

I see some poor ratings some people saying there rude.people don't understand they are extremely busy continuously. Its got to be stressful. Everyone is allowed to have bad days. mountain empire Veterinary clinic dr Julia and her staff are truly a blessing . They have always been very sweet to any animal ive brought in .I can't thank them enough for the incredible job they do. I truly has meant the world to me all they have done for me and my fur family! read more

I have used Julia for my vet needs for decades. She does an incredible job for very reasonable rates. Highly recommend.

Julia Lease has known my husband for a long time and the relationship couldn't be better. We've trusted her and her staff with our exotic parrots and she hasn't done wrong by us. One year we had to leave our newly weaned parrots with her over Christmas. She watched over them with the care and tenderness that I would have done. I was so impressed. I worried about them so much on that trip and came back with all my worries gone. She has always taken care of our health certificates for traveling whether it's domestically or internationally with our birds. She is one of the few vets that does not make us sign anything that is a "ship at your own risk". Plus, her prices are fair and she always makes time for us. I couldn't say enough good things about her. We now live in Sandpoint, Idaho and we still drive the hour and a half to see her for general services. read more

Picked up my cat's records a couple days ago for transfer to new vet due to poor communucation, hostile staff and that I could never seem to have a convo with the actual vet. Now I'm reading belligerent personal notes techs added to my file- " called and was hostile, requests to speak with doctor since I don't know how to do my job". Really?? Asking to have a convo about my cat with the actual doctor means I think the tech doesn't know how to do her job? Absolutely ridiculous. If you take your pets here, count on allot of misinformation, info being omitted completely and speaking with the actual vet rarely or never. read more

I thought initially it was a decent place , a week after my dog was fixed and received shots I noticed a big lump on the nape of her neck. She was shivering a lot and it felt like her glands were swollen so I called mind you its a Saturday I was excited to see they were open. I spoke to a lady told her the situation and she said to come in but get here quickly. I said I live far itll probably be like an hour but I'll try to push to 40min. In my rush to get there I got pulled over got a ticket for speeding great right. Anyway I finally made it there and was met with an attitude immediately. You were told to be here by 11 , um no I wasn't told to be there by 11. She never said those words but whatever ok I get your closed soon so all I want is just for someone to check her to make sure she doesn't have an infection or something. She walks away comes back and says I know for a fact you were told to be here by 11 , well I wasn't but again I just need her checked real quick. She's my 1st dog I was worried. So i told her what was happening and she said well the lump is normal after shots ok well that makes me feel better , that would've nice to know over the phone I live in hayden. It's a long drive , so with this fabulous attitude says well then what do you want us to check. At that point I'm just kind of shocked how aggressive she was being and just took a big breath and she says very loudly I dont need your attitude. Im so confused at that point and my husband had seen enough and gets up off the bench and says nope im not gonna let her talk to you like that and we left. So I don't know if she was having a bad day but it was really unprofessional, I do not recommend this place. They're not good people. Im going to have to take her to the emergency vet cause she's not doing well , thank you for not giving a crap about my dog and being more worried about getting off work. read more

The staff is rude and nobody there seems to know what is going on. Really unorganized and horrible customer service.

I've been going to Dr. Leese for over 15 years now. She used to be a decent Vet with a lousy staff. Now she is a terrible Vet that no longer cares about the animals or their owners. She misdiagnosed my dog with some form of pancreatic cancer and put him on Prednisone. I also told her I was going to start making him a fresh chicken breast every night. She said great idea. 7 months later my dog started acting strange and his hair started falling out. I took him back and her incredibly rude and arrogant staff told me he had a septic infection. It didn't make sense so I asked to talk to Dr. Leese and they refused to let me talk to her. In fact the larger of the three rude women up front told me a wrong diagnosis on my dog. I took my dog to another Vet and found out that not only had my dog been misdiagnosed but the the prednisone was killing him and his diet was basically poisoning him as dogs can eventually eat too much chicken and become allergic to it. Turns out no cancer and that DR. Leese didn't put the diagnosis in his chart so basically she lied to me and was too ignorant to know his diet was bad for him and then misdiagnosed the septic infection. She was killing my dog and had her three rude front desk girls refuse to let me talk to her. I will never be back. Shame on Dr. Leese and shame on her front desk staff. From the time you call and talk to that incredibly rude woman til you pay for a misdiagnosis that damn near kills your dog, this place sucks. read more

Helpful staff. They have taken good care of our pup & 2 kitties. Thanks also to Jennifer's Jungle next door for excellent summertime lion's cut for our long haired kitty! read more

Very happy with the staff , prices totally awesome, and a very sweet and great vet. Took her time with my questions. Was happy enough to schedule teeth cleaning for my Pom. The cleaning and teeth removal went better than I expected. My Pom is 16 yrs old and doing great. read more

This clinic and pet grooming service is great. They always take such wonderful care or our long-haired kitties when they need their "lion's cut" and vaccines. read more

Rude staff, called to get my cat in who had been injured. I was put on hold immediately and was on hold for several minutes before the rude receptionist answered. She asked if I was a current client and when I wasn't rudely stated they were not accepting new patients then hung up. If this is how they treat people on the phone I can't imagine how they treat animals. I definitely would not take my beloved pet here. read more

I have used this clinic ever since I moved to Spokane 6 years ago I am very happy with Dr Julia and her staff they have been wonderful I have taken my service dog who is now 15 years old there I took my little Yorkshire Terrier and my Papillon to her for spaying and shots I have never had to wait a long time for service and I know that my for babies are in good hands I no longer live in the valley so I'm not sure what I'm going to do in the future read more

Love this place, its cheap and all the staff are nice. Edit: after going here few years the only real issue we had were other customers not queuing properly to pick up their animals. People would cut in line and others would not be too happy about it. We decided to go to cat only clinic that was closer to home and a lot quieter. read more

They care more about the animals than the money. The prices are very fair and everytime I've brought a pet here, I've been happy. I got my bunny fixed here and he was perfectly fine and now doesnt pee on my cats lol. When my one cat had a stray cat bite her they let me do a drop off visit and pick her up when she was done or at the end of the day. The receptionists have always been sweet to my pets and funny. I highly recommend!!! read more

Recommend without hesitation. There is an excellent support staff that is thorough and helpful. The rescue/pet supply adjacent to the vet office is handy if you think you might want to adopt. Not a bad idea to check out for great vet services. read more

My dog has an obstruction and cannot keep food or water down. She has become severely dehydrated and has lost an obscene amount of weight. I usually take her here for routine shots, and they did her cherry eye surgery no problem. They're cheap. But they would rather see my dog die than work out some kind of payment plan for this $200 emergency. I simply cannot afford to drop money that I don't even physically have in my possession to treat my dog. I can't even afford to have her euthanized, so she's now going to die a slow and painful death. This has been very emotional and I have done everything I can to keep her alive and comfortable, holding out until I get paid, but I don't think she's going to make it. So, thanks guys. You're REAL animal lovers. read more

I adopted 2 kittens and took them to the clinic for spay and neuter. The office is short handed with telephone calls not being answered throughout the day or placed on hold for minutes at a time. My female cat developed edema under her sutures and I ended up spending 175 for emergency visit and meds. I phoned Mt Empire to inform them and inquire if there were problems with the surgery. The staff was uncaring and defensive. I will not return to their clinic. read more

Mountain Empire Veterinary Services - Poor kitten less then 24 hrs after surgery. - Veterinarians Near Me - Spokane Valley, Washington

Whoever checked us in in the morning was not awake enough to hear me, then when I tried to share with her the actual problem, she knew more than me and ignored what I was telling her. I made the appointment 6 weeks ago. When I picked my dog, the service was not done. Her #204 Canine Infraorbital nerve was still exposed, but her teeth were cleaned. Her comfort was NOT addressed. Now I have to continue to sedate her to keep her from attacking the other animals when her mouth hurts. She continues to tongue #204. I am currently looking for another vet to remove #204. The Vet has been wonderful in the past, but the staff is incompetent and unhelpful. I would have thought that the Vet would have seen the problem, but apparently the Vet was unable to see through the sedation half life since the dog didn't respond to pain stimulus, because she had been partially sedated waiting for her appointment all month. Perhaps if the check in staff actually heard me, we wouldn't have this problem, but here we are. I will be taking her to small claims after I find another dvm. Not cool. read more

Took my sick puppy in to get looked at, Told us they couldn't see him because they are not taking new clients so don't take your dog here if you never been there before , I guess they have enough clients and business they don't want anymore , so if your dog gets hit by a car or eats something he shouldn't have and needs help don't waist your time bringing him here they won't take him. read more

It's hard to find a good vet with common sense and Dr. Leese is one of those rare finds. She knows what she's doing and respects the client's opinions as well, never trying to push anything unnecessary or pad the bill with fluffed up charges. She knows my breed and has helped with solving issues other vets had misdiagnosed. The office is BUSY, so you may not get long warm and fuzzy talks with the staff or with Dr. Leese herself, but that does not make the care any less professional and knowledgeable. I have used Mountain Empire for over a decade now and would recommend her to anyone who asks (and have!). She's just flat out a great vet who uses common sense, which unfortunately isn't always very common. read more