Serving the Port Washington / Great Neck / Manhasset / Roslyn / Glen Cove / Brookville area of Long Island - VOW, PLLC brings our Healing Wheels Veterinary Care to you, giving you convenience and the care your pet deserves. Dr. Kristen Andersen (-Mercer) has always had a strong and dedicated passion for helping animals and practicing quality, pragmatic veterinary medicine. She has worked in some of the best specialty and general practices in New York City and Long Island for 10 years. Throughout those positions, she has always kept in mind her dream to bring high-quality care to her much-loved community in the Port Washington area. Dr. Andersen grew up in Roslyn & Port Washington, spending most of her time with her grandfather, Harry, as well as her family’s plethora of pets. This was where her love for animals truly began from an early age. She graduated from Hofstra University in 2001 with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and received a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. While in school she completed preceptorships in emergency medicine and neurology at County Animal Clinic in Westchester, NY as well as shelter and behavioral medicine at the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Eager to pursue specialty training after graduating from Iowa State, she accepted an internship at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists in New York City in 2006. This is where she realized her passion for emergency medicine and critical care. From there she went to work as an emergency doctor at Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, NY and truly loved her time there. While in Yonkers she served on the Board of the Yonkers Humane Society and HEAL (Humans Enriching Animals Lives). Although emergency work was her passion, she wanted to give back to the community and provide quality medicine for ALL animals, so she accepted a position at North Shore Animal League in the fall of 2009. She truly believes that every animal deserves the highest-quality veterinary care and to be treated with compassion, patience, and dignity. After a time at NSAL, Dr. Andersen was offered a chance to work in private practice at East Islip Veterinary Group and saw it as an opportunity to connect more with people, as well as their pets. While there, she thoroughly enjoyed helping her patients and educating clients on all the options they had to care for their pets. Because she was the only full-time doctor on staff, she was able to learn much about practice management, which ultimately piqued her interest in starting her own veterinary practice. While at East Islip, she also started working as a surgeon on Helping PAW – a low cost spay-neuter truck dedicated to promoting the animal welfare cause, which she still spends a portion of her time helping with. In 2012, shortly after starting at Helping PAW, she was offered a full time position at Peace Love Pets Veterinary Care in Commack, NY where she worked side by side with one of Long Island's best internal medicine specialists. Dr. Andersen spent three years enjoying her time at PLP and learning from all the rare, unusual, and critical cases referred to the practice from neighboring hospitals. Dr. Andersen has been a member of the AVMA, NYSVMS and LIVMA since 2006. She is so grateful and proud to be able to offer her services and expertise to the animals and communities of Port Washington, Manhasset, Great Neck, Plandome, and Roslyn. Our Healing Wheels™ Veterinary Care is dedicated to providing high quality, compassionate and concierge care in the comfort and convenience of your home!
