Green Lake Animal Hospital

Sadly, we had to say good-​bye to our Sherman in February. Dr. Mortimer walked us through the decision with supportive, direct, compassionate advise. On «the day» he again explained everything to us so there were no surprises. What impressed us the most was that he brought in a small table lamp and turned off the bright overhead lights. This small gesture really made a difference. Though not a pleasant experience, Dr. Mortimer and staff made it memorable in ways we can never express.

Very friendly and knowledgable staff. They take great care of my pup, every time. I recommend this clinic to anyone who cares about their per.

Dr. Mortimer came highly recommended when we adopted a three year old Golden Retriever about 9 years ago. He treated Toulouse, our boy, with such compassion and concern over the course of his life. I never felt that he was overly aggressive with treatment and he respected our wishes to maintain our boy’s dignity and comfort in his final year after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Jeb could have pushed for intervention and surgery, but he suggested that Toulouse’s life would not be significantly prolonged with highly interventive care. Instead, our boy was happy and joyous for his final bonus year with us. On numerous occasions, when I was uncertain if it was «time» to put Toulouse down, Jeb would walk me through the process over the phone, and help me to understand my boy’s symptoms. He always returned every panicked phone call, and talked me through the situation with true concern. Jeb was with me on Toulouse’s last day, shedding tears alongside me as he quietly and skillfully ushered him over the rainbow bridge. Jeb is a compassionate veterinarian, who always maintains a professional demeanor, as well as stays current on the latest science. We adopted our new baby Golden girl last spring, and I honestly wouldn’t consider taking Zoe to any other veterinarian. I know some reviewers think that Green Lake Animal Hospital is overly expensive, but as a lifelong pet owner, I don’t find their fees exorbitant, and honestly, you get what you pay for. Dr. Mortimer is really just the best.

This is a place where people REALLY care about animals. Even the receptionists are extremely knowledgeable, and understand that your dog or cat is your baby and you would absolutely die if anything happened to them.
I found Green Lake Animal Hospital through a friend’s recommendation, and went with my shy, skittish rescue dog. Xena is a lab/​boxer mix, so she’s not exactly little.
From the receptionists to the vet tech to the veterinarian herself (we use doctor Edwards), they all got it, and were extra gentle. But they all had steady hands because it was very clear they knew exactly what they were doing.
Within just the first two months Xena had a ton of visits — she needed every single shot updated, was treated for Kennel Cough, then tapeworm, then an eye infection! So we’ve gotten to know this place pretty well.
They don’t force you to get a full vet visit if you don’t need to, which saves time. For example, dropping off a fecal sample to see if your pup has worms. Or calling and asking for a refill of medication.
It’s very personal care, too. I had a vet tech call to make sure Xena’s eye infection had cleared up. And on the next visit, one tech said she would grab a vet to make sure the eye infection was gone, just in case. And they didn’t charge me for a full visit.
When we came in to update her shots, I had a tech spend 25 minutes with me discussing my dog’s diet and weight and my concerns as a first-​time dog owner.
And, they’ll send you email or text reminders when your pet is due for shots or follow up care. And they have pet medical charts available online.
One drawback — all the care they give each pet and their family (and they really care for the families too… They’ve takes me through a bunch of stuff over the phone when I’m freaking out about something or other!) means you might have to wait in the waiting room a little past your appointment. When this first happened to me, I was only seen a half hour after my appointment time. I was so upset… Until the next time I visited and the staff went the extra mile for me.
Another thing — they tend to be slightly more expensive. But they are up-​front about the pricing if you ask.
A standard vet wellness visit costs $ 69, and shots are around $ 35.

I came here since one of my good friends took their kitty here. I love the staff. They’re so friendly and empathetic. I love seeing such a community that the clinic has built and the pets you get to see are REALLY CUTE. Great service, a bit $ but worth it because my kitty gets very good care here. He’s an old 16 year old black kitty.

This review is for my 10 years of experience at Greenlake Animal Hospital. I could not have asked for a better team to help with my border collie, Holly. She passed away a few weeks ago at 15 and a half. Up until the very end, she had great care. From the staff behind the desk (Becky and everyone else) to the technicians, I have never had a problem after all these years.
Dr. Heron was my primary vet and she is so fantastic at listening and understanding my dog and me. One example of the care my dog received was when she turned 13. One day her eyes started darting around and she was so dizzy she could not stand and would not eat. It looked a lot like a scary seizure. It was after hours, but I was put in touch with Greenlake’s on-​call vet, Dr. Mortimer. i described her symptoms and he suggested a few things over the phone and it turned out it was old dog vestibular syndrome. I later read that many vets misinterpret these symptoms and sometimes dogs are even put to sleep. I was so thankful for the great, knowledgeable team of doctors here. My dog was back on her feet within days.
My dog kept going battling little illnesses here and there, with supportive care from Dr. Heron. Her concern at all times was the quality of life and not putting her through any unnecessary tests or stress. Holly was happy and as healthy as possible, even in her last 6 months. I have a tendency to worry too much, but knowing what great care she had was completely reassuring. And if they can make me feel calm, they really know what they are doing! If there were ever times I needed to pay for tests or procedures, the costs were given up front along with different options based on the situation.
I wanted to write this review after I opened the mail today. They had already sent a nice little card when they found out she passed away, but Greenlake Animal Hospital just made a donation in Holly’s name to Washington State University college of veterinary medicine to help other animals. Such a sweet gesture and such an amazing group of people working there. Thank you for making her life better.

We moved to Seattle a year ago with our German Shepherd and established a relationship with Green Lake Animal Hospital. We saw Dr. Mortimer, who I really liked, for our dog’s annual exam. But the vet techs are horrible, and unfortunately, that’s who we’re stuck with most of the time. I had to take my dog in three times after the initial visit, each time for a vaccine update. The first time, the vet tech approached us quickly and immediately made eye contact with my dog and tried to take his leash. Since anyone who knows dogs knows that this isn’t how you approach a dog you’ve never met, it’s not surprising that he barked at her. At that point, she insisted on muzzling him and taking him back without me for his shot. The second time, they muzzled him again and gave him his shot in the waiting room. The third time, I went in because the vet’s office had emailed me saying that my dog was due for bordetella. When I got to the vet, they told me he wasn’t due for another six months and looked at me like I was crazy for bringing him in.
My dog has never had an issue with the vet. But if they insist on muzzling him for no reason, he will understandably develop a fear of the vet, which I won’t allow. We will not be going back.

We’ve gotten very good care for our 3 cats and 1 dog at Green Lake Animal Hospital. Like most veterinary practices, it is good to be informed and thoughtful about the type of care (tests, meds, etc.) you want to purchase for your pets. I’ve found the staff to be very accommodating to us when we’ve raised questions about the true medical need for a specific test or medication, and they’ve been up-​front and honest about the costs and different possible treatment options.
I did want to take a minute here to praise Jeb Mortimer, DVM and his team for the incredibly compassionate and caring end-​of-​life care they offered to our cat. Our cat had a long history of inflammatory bowel disease and had been in increasingly poor health over the last 3 months. Dr. Mortimer helped us define and implement the final treatment push that we elected to do. He spent as much time as we needed to talk through our options, and was terrific about following up by phone and answering questions. When we decided that we were at the end of the rope, he actively listened to us and helped us with the final end-​of-​life decision. He explained everything clearly and compassionately, gave us the amount of time we needed to be with our cat and grieve, and he administer the final injection with the utmost of care and compassion. As a pediatric oncologist, I know first hand how hard it is to provide a «good death» for patients, and I strongly commend and recommend Dr. Mortimer and his staff based on our recent experience.

I will NEVER take my pet here again. Last summer we brought in our pup to get neutered and the experience almost killed him.
After his surgery he was lethargic, he had no appetite. A few days after that his entire incision site all the way down to his paw swelled up and within a week of his surgery it turned black and blue. He had MRSA and an abscess in his leg. Eventually the abscess burst and he had to have two separate drains put in. The skin died and fell off and he had several open holes in his pelvic area and leg.
Several thousand dollars, a few weeks, an emergency vet visit, and almost daily visits to this center later we were just thankful he survived the ordeal. This center never apologized, the vet who performed the surgery never checked in on us, we were sent through a revolving door of doctors never seeing the same one, and we were left with a huge bill. They tried to place blame on us and claim that it was our fault. Our saving grace came from another vet when we stopped bringing him here.
I will NEVER be back.

Updating this review to one star. If there was zero stars, I’d give them that.
This place is a joke. They told us after our dog’s neuter to come in for a «post-​op» to check his incisions. What they did not tell us was that 1. it was actually for his ear infection 2. it would cost us $ 86. Part of that costs was cremes and stuff to help his ear infection, which is fine, but once again they were NOT upfront with us about anything and we feel cheated and lied to AGAIN.
Nobody working at the front desk wanted to talk to me about it. They were all avoiding eye contact and having little team meetings in the back about what to/​what not to charge me for. Absurd. Absolutely unbelievable that this place is still in business.
Not honest. Not helpful. Seriously, find another vet and tell your friends to do the same.

Duncan, our medium size Aussie Doodle dog, loved the vets and tech’s here. He saw them from puppy-​hood until 1-​sh.
After a 1.5 year away from Seattle we’re returning and absolutely return to GLAH even though we’ll probably live downtown this time. So both vets and both tech’s we saw adored his hi energy and treated him well. Duncan was pretty clueless that he was even getting shots. The temperature taking in the you-​know-​where was noticed. They saw him thru a long bout of gheardia, a bite from a rescue dog, and his regular exams.
The have great business practices — that’s what I experienced anyway. We got prompt calls back, they let us know in advance if we should bring a stool sample in, the way the do the vaccine certificate and weight tracking rocks. We needed those for dog classes, a couple days of dog day care, and apartment rental applications. They have good parking and I like they’re waiting room and front desk staff.
Just look at most of my reviews. I’m kinda critical and I only had a minor experience that was less than perfect and it was taken care of immediately when the vet filling in – I did so purely on the phone too when they could have insisted Duncan come in and charge $ — kinda didn’t understand a request. But they solved it quickly with clarification. To me, fixing something fast shows a place that really cares. I didn’t have to say «I don’t care who said what that was confusing, I only want to fix it,» which I have had to do out places in general –like the insurance companies — when a wire gets crossed.

Yeah, so it actually ended up taking a full hour for them to come in. Still terrible, don’t go here. I was taking someones dog to their vet as a favor…
I recommend: Northeast Veterinary. My family has been taking our pets to Northeast Veterinary since as long as I can remember (I was 6 when my parents started taking our pets there, and I’m 30 now and take my dog there).

I have to say… the doctor’s and technicians at Greenlake Animal Hospital are wonderful! I brought my cat in for a UTI. They got her in an emergency situation and I did not wait at all. I worked with Dr. Edwards and technician Nicole. Both were incredibly amazing, friendly and they kept me involved in the entire process. They explained everything in detail and what I needed to do at home… I have taken all my pets to Greenlake Animal Hospital for a long time and always have great outcomes. I have also worked with Dr. Mortimer and he is also amazing, friendly and really knows his stuff. Yes, it’s a bit on the expensive side but if you want quality care and love your animal, it’s well worth it!

I have been going to Green Lake Animal Hospital for over 14 years now, and they are hands down the best in Seattle! The staff and Dr. Mortimer are not only exceptional in animal medicine, but also in their compassion and customer service! I have never had such wonderful care for my dogs! Thank you to GL animal hospital, you have made a huge difference in our lives!

Over the course of a decade I’ve bought each of my three cats here — very different animals all — and have gotten uniformly terrific care. Even for the crazy half-​feral that needed full-​body armor for handling and full sedation for exams. Even for the neurologically damaged tom left as a «present» by the previous owner of our house. (If I could give that woman’s soul negative-​eighty Unilocal stars… oh, I digress.) Even for the new cat, which they saw on an emergency basis even before the adoption had formally completed. In every case, care has been compassionate, professional, and appropriate for the animal. Highly recommended.

I am new to Seattle and it was a hard decision to pick a new vet here in the city. After consulting friends I kept hearing great things about Greenlake Animal Hospital so I decided to take my 3yr old Goldendoodle there and I am so happy I did! Dr. Salt saw us for a few vaccinations and she was great. Very knowledgeable and professional. She was very sweet with my dog and took the time to make sure she was comfortable.
The staff was also awesome. I had a time crunch and needed paperwork faxed over to the doggie daycare the very next day and they were able to process everything that same day! I would recommend it to anyone in the area looking for a great vet for their pet!

Terrible.
The main issue is that they are very unorganized with information. This can be an extremely serious issue when it comes to dispensing vaccines and medicine.
A few examples of what they’ve done wrong:
1) «Lost» my cat records. They told me that they hadn’t seen my cat in 4 years. Luckily, I keep the papers for my cat and can clearly see that I brought my cat to the vet last year and got a rabies vaccine.
2) Took the incorrect weight of my dog. They wrote it down as 38 lbs when in fact she actually weighs 28 lbs. This is pretty serious because they gave me medicine for a 38 lb dog. Fortunately, I caught the error and got the medicine switched up (after waiting a long time which is another problem). When I came back to get another dosage of the same medicine, they gave me the 38 lb version again!
3) Lost fecal sample for my dog.
I do not recommend going here.

I have moved all over the country and it’s hard to find such a good vet that I want to write a review for them. I have two dogs, both have had small issues (pink eye) and big issues (mast cell tumor removal). I also special order food there for one my pups. This clinic has been so helpful and thorough for any of the problems. They have let me come in just to ask questions, they emailed me when I was out of the country with results… the list goes on. I have not had a visit here with a doctor I did not like.

Best vet team i have ever met. Jeb is so wonderful with our Madison (dog) and Luna (cat). We have worked with Jeb and his team since the death of my last dog. They took a devastating situation and provided me with an opportunity to grieve.
Jeb and the entire staff is wonderful, caring, and always take the time we need during our visits. They even answer questions by phone when they come up (and they do with our mischievous animals).
We love you guys!

On March 26^th I brought my cat to this facility. He was not feeling well, lethargic, etc and the staff at this «animal hospital» could not figure out what was wrong with him.
After several requisite tests they found he did not drink antifreeze or other poisons, nor did an x-​ray show he had a bowel obstruction.
NEVER did they check to see what his white blood cell count was to rule out that he had a severe infection. [Ok they called post post and said they did… My bad… but only ONCE, how about a second time when he obviously wasn’t getting better?! Oh, but I remember they did give my cat a prescription for pain killers!]
It wasn’t until 3 days later that my partner found a lump on my cat’s rump and upon shaving the area found a bite wound. I won’t even mention the lack of response the staff had on that day to my partner when he called asking for help and never received help after calling several times. NEVER did the staff suggest to take my cat to an Urgent Care facility if they were so busy.
Consequently, due to their ineptitude in practicing veterinary skills my cat died due to complications of having sepsis.
He would have had a much better chance of surviving if their staff would have tested for possible infection due to a cat bite. They knew that he was an indoor/​outdoor cat and they could not figure out what else was wrong with him.
I have two surviving cats and I will never take them to this facility again. The staff of Green Lake Animal Hospital should be re-​trained in not only veterinary sciences but in customer service skills.
It is because of your unprofessionalism that my cat died a drawn out painful death.
Shame on them!
[OK, they called me to do some damage control after my posts and admitted they needed to review what happened and see if the front-​end staff needed training or change of protocol in a crisis situation… Good Luck I still won’t EVER let them touch any of my pets again. The trust has been broken!!!]