Mercer Island Veterinary Clinic

I don’t have enough good things to say about Mercer Island Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Corker, Dr. Mulvaney and the rest of the team. I began taking my pets to them back in 2009 and have been a loyal customer ever since. I’m honestly shocked by the other reviews that rate them other than excellent.
While they are certainly not a «budget vet,» I have found their prices to be competitive in the market and worth it due to the excellent care, communication and customer service that they provide. Their recent switch to electronic health records has enhanced the customer service experience further.
I always feel comfortable and confident with the diagnosis and information I receive from the MIVC team. I think what gives me the most peace of mind is the fact that I believe they genuinely care about my animals. They are always asking about them, remembering details about them and treating them so well when we are in the office.
I recommend MIVC to my friends and family and will continue to do so in the future.

It’s OK.
The main reason why we started taking our two puppies here was that it was across the street from where we used to live in Mercer Island. It was convenient at the time, but I agree with other reviewers who described it as expensive.
Staff members and doctors who have seen our pooches have all been very pleasant to deal with, though. They have all been attentive and really good with following up either via telephone or email or both. They double-​billed us for something in error one time, and they took care of the problem right away.
I’m not sure how I feel about continuing to take them there just yet. I might shop around for a lower-​cost vet clinic that will give the dogs the same level of care and attention.

Two stars only because this is the only weekend and dog vet option on Mercer Island, but VERY expensive (they take advantage of the zip code) and could use some serious customer service training. We switched our cat their mid-​2014 when he had gotten in a cat fight. He was in rough shape, so $ 1500 later we walked out with a surgically repaired cat.
Cat got in another fight, but this time it wasn’t bugging him that much. Tech looked at it, vet came in with an estimate for another $ 1000 to $ 1100. Again, needs surgery and no other option was offered until we questioned why they needed to do surgery on a less than 24 hour old cut/​wound that wasn’t even bothering him. They ended up giving him antibiotics, cleaning him up and he’s fine. Out the door about $ 200.
But that’s not all…
At the same time we took our new puppy in for shots. They took him in the back room for shots (no owners allowed back there) and he began to cry in pain for mare time than I had heard an animal cry since my dog was hit by a car as a kid. Very unnerving. Vet (who was with us and our cat) checked on the pup and explained that pup was fine, some shots just feel like a bee sting. Nothing about what to look out for (e.g. allergic reaction). Off we went.
Later in the afternoon, our pup couldn’t even get up off the floor, when we went to pick her up she screeched in pain. Off to the vet we went. Into the back room the pup went, again, owners not allowed. We listened in the waiting room as she screeched in pain more. We asked if we could be with her to comfort her and were informed «we don’t allow owners in the procedure room». Not a good experience. When we looked at the bill later (for the shots) we had also been charged for a prepaid procedure that we will do in the future. What the heck? You think someone would of told us we were prepaying for pet care not to mention that I can never remember prepaying for pet care in my life.
Weird experience, won’t be back.

Vet, techs, and receptionist were all amazing. Very affordable and so good with my dog. But the facilities were pretty dirty and I had a monday morning appt so there isn’t much excuse for that :-\

They were amazing. My cat needed surgery due to a massive infection in his leg. They were honest efficient and very helpful and speedy. even better that when a surprisingly expensive surgery came that they allowed us to pay in two payments.
My cat is doing much much better now and we are very pleased.

We took our elderly cat here on a weekend after our regular vet had not succeeded in fully aspirating a facial abscess she developed. Dr. Crocker was more aggressive and drained the abscess thoroughly. He spent a long time explaining treatment options to us. Another cat needed drainage of an infected scratch, and again, Dr. Crocker took great care in detailing the rationale for the tests and the procedures. He’s obviously well trained. My husband and I are highly impressed by his expertise and bedside manner. I think the cost was appropriate to the high level of care. Our animals are part of our family, and we are willing to make the needed financial commitment to their health.

This vet was able to get me a same day appointment for my dog who has a mass. The Dr. was very kind and walked me through my options. Test results came back in 24 hours, very impressive, and I got a call that evening with the results. The staff and physician are kind and compassionate. Next steps will be to determine what course of action to take. Also, initial consultation and exam was the cheapest on the Island so great prices, great service thus far.

I’m very disappointed with this clinic. Our dog has been a regular patient for years — and she’s typically been treated well. However, when we really needed to see a vet, when my dog was injured, they told us they were not available to see her for several days. It seems rather strange (and frustrating) that my dog’s doctor could not make time to see her. They did offer to have us drop off our dog in case they had a few minutes to see her during the day. However, they would charge an ‘extra fee’ for for drop off service, they wouldn’t guaranteed if or when the vet would see her, and our dog would likely be waiting all day. Seriously?! Not good at all. Instead, we contacted another well-​regarded vet who was caring, understanding, and offered to see her the same day — even though we’re not patients. It turns out that my dog’s foot was badly infected, and waiting for Mercer Island Vet would have resulted in harm. The other vet clinic said that it always makes sense to leave a little extra room in the schedule for same day emergencies/​problems with patients («like pediatricians») — which is something I assumed any reasonable vet should offer. I don’t understand why Mercer Island Vet does not. Maybe Mercer Island vet doesn’t have a large enough staff, but it certainly fell short of providing care and service to their patients when they need them.

I have always had great service with Mercer Island Vet Clinic. I appreciate that they always seem to take the time to answer all my questions, and I never feel rushed. The exam fee seems reasonable to me. They have helped with various issues with our dog over the years and she’s doing great at 12 years of age. It does seem that very thorough workups are recommended at times if our dog has a health issue, but with further questioning and discussion, I feel informed enough to decide how much to pursue. That approach helps contain the costs. So, I am happy with MI Vet Clinic and will continue to go there.

I have been going to this vet for years. Actually spent over $ 5000 for my dog’s teeth ALONE. I took her into have her annual exam a few months ago and they told me that in a month or so she would due for her rabies shot. Apparently, they called to remind me but I don’t recall… BUT I have been in there at least 5 times since that appt for nail trims. When I went to Petco a few weeks ago for a nail trim they turned us away b/​c she was due for her rabies shot. When I returned to MI Vet for the rabies shot they told me I needed to have another «exam». When I was just there a few months ago — $ 150 for a rabies shot? Why didn’t they remind me the 5 times I was in there for nail trims that she was still due? They refused to waive the exam fee — but told me I could come back in March for her «senior exam». Really??? She just had an exam three months ago. After the thousands of $$$$ I have spent at this vet — this is how they treat me? I walked out that day and I will not be back. Don’t go here.

I really like this vet… they love my dog, remember what he needs and are always so excited to see him. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the price of getting him neutered, but other than that their prices seem reasonable and the staff is very friendly. I have never had any problems.

Mercer Island Veterinary Clinic gets a firm «average» from me. When we moved, I was aware that my dog needed an update of his vaccinations right away. So, I looked for a vet nearby. The closest vet to us is a «holistic» vet that rang bells for using nonscientific methods of treatment. Not for us. MI Vet Clinic was the next closest.
I transferred our pets’ records from our vet in our previous city with little trouble. The office staff was very nice. When I realized I had run out of wormer for the dogs, I stopped by early one morning before catching my bus. The staff saw me waiting and let me in prior to office hours and got me the needed wormer. It was a different brand than we’d been using and it was more expensive. When we ran out again, I called the office, but they could not get us more without a clinic visit for a heartworm test. It does seem they constantly want us to come in for visits for everything. It gets a little old and spendy. I did ask on this call about side-​effects of the new wormer. This earned me a call back from the vet later in the day. I did not request the call back, which actually led to a somewhat awkward phone conversation. I appreciate that they were trying to stay on top of things, but as I don’t want to keep my dogs on the only wormer the clinic offered and there were just too many hoops to jump through to get in, we took an alternative path (using a vet in Bellevue) to meet our needs.
While I haven’t been unhappy with the care my dog received there, the cost is high. The cost of our vet in Omaha was also high, so maybe I was inured to it. My husband, however, would rather go to a lower priced vet in Bellevue.
Overall, the care is fine, the price is high. It’s really just an average situation. Not stellar, not awful.

Although I’m not a vet I would say they care about your pet and provide appropriate care. However, I would certainly get a another quote before having them do any procedure. I had a quote for teeth cleaning and a small mass removal. Their quote was $ 1099 — 1300 and a vet in Bellevue did all of the above for $ 355. I received several quotes with all three vets within $ 50 so I felt comfortable that all three were providing the right standard of care. Do your homework…

I have always had a dog (or dogs) over the past several decades and have used a number of vets as we’ve moved around the country. This office (there are a couple of vets) was the least impressive of any vet I’ve ever used. In addition to being underwhelming, they are also the most expensive vet I’ve ever used.
Our experience was consistent with the experience of other posters with regard to the vet pushing extras at additional cost.

I’ve waited years to write this review. Finally I’m GIVING UP on Mercer Island Vet Clinic. I should have switched to another vet years ago. In fact, in the past when the chips were down and I needed a vet fast, I always ended up having to go somewhere else. Too bad Mercy Vet on Mercer Island has a long waiting list. They have a great reputation. The only other place on Mercer Island is Island Cats, so if you have a dog and want to remain local, you’re kind of stuck with MI Vet Clinic.
The vets themselves seem okay, although one of them misdiagnosed a disorder with one of my dogs years ago. The vet wanted to do a great big expensive neurological work up when all that was really needed was a change in the dog’s food! But I really find the office staff absolutely infuriating. They give you the hard sell on all sorts of things like pet insurance. I had to firmly tell them to STOP. I’m not interested. The other day, I brought in a stool sample to be analyzed because my dog contracted worms and was treated by them. I wanted to be sure the treatment had worked. When I called for the results, the girl said «No news is good news!». That’s a bunch of BS. I wanted the results! She put me on hold and came back and after hemming and hawing she hinted that the results were negative. I said that I would stop by the office for printed results and she gave me a hard time about it. I began to doubt that she ever DID the analysis so I had it repeated at a pet hospital that day. Sure enough, the dog still had worms.
When I brought a new puppy in for second shots, I realized that I forgot my wallet in the car and was heading back out the door with pup when the office girl said, «I’ll hold your dog for you». I thought that was friendly so I let her hold the leash while I ran out to the nearby car. When I returned, the puppy was gone and was Unilocaling in a back room. My puppy didn’t make a sound when she got her first shots because I was in the room with her keeping her entertained while the vet gave the shot. There was no problem, no stress, no Unilocaling. But this Dodo staffer decides to take the pup and bring her into a scary back room for a shot without me to keep her calm and happy. How stupid can you get! Hell, I’ll give my own shots (except for rabies) if that’s the way they are going to it!
Nah, I’m giving up on Mercer Island Vet Clinic. I’d rather drive a longer distance and have better people working for me and my animals.

I’d had my kitten for less than 24 hours when I rushed her here to be treated for an upper respiratory infection she caught in the shelter. They did a good job in getting her stabilized, but I’m really dissatisfied with the care she got overall — they made some mistakes around disclosing side effects of her course of treatment and really freaked me out a couple of times about her prognosis.
That comes as no surprise, since this clinic has a reputation on the Island for playing on pet owners’ emotions to get more money out of them for unnecessary tests and procedures.