yvonne m Dli
map-marker Louisville, Kentucky

Banfield hospital is a scam

i went to banfield in ky. i was told my dog may have a tumor of the fast growing kind. if I bought the ins. it would cover some of the expense.. the results be ready in 48 hrs. I called and called for 3 days. no one could give me the lab results.. That made me think the worse.. I finally had enough and cancelled the ins it only took them 5 min. to cancel the ins. but over 4 days to rec. the lab results.. I paid $250 at time of service.. since I canceled the ins. I needed to pay the differnce of a $611 bill.. I told them I would have not had the services done if I did not have the ins. They keep calling and I refuse to pay I am not really sure other procedures were done
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2 comments
Banfield P

Yvonne,

Would you mind calling our customer advocacy line to clarify what happened? The number is 877-500-2288. Thank you.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Banfield P

I called your customer advocacy line and all i get was the same rhetoric you monkey f*cks dish out. How the *** was my bill what you say it was.

YOu didn't even bother to give me an itemized bill and then turn around and pull the *** story that the membership fee is not included?

how tf do you think the plan suppose to get started in the first place if the membership fee is not included, if that's the case it would be free motherf*cker. you care for *** lying f*cks!!!

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Benjimin Wsf
map-marker Orlando, Florida

$1,000 for surgery on cat

Just over a month ago I accidentally closed my 7 year old tabby's tail in the bathroom door. It was 11:00 on a sunday night and after finally coaxing him out from under the bed I was able to see the extent of the damage. About 3 inches of the tip of his tail was exposed down to the bone. I loaded him into his carrier and took him to a 24 hour emergency vet where, I sat alone for over an hour covered in blood. They eventually told me that his tail was "degloved" and that it would need to be amputated at the tip because the skin and muscle would never grow back. The Emergency Vet wanted $500 for the procedure.

I refused because of the level of care I received I knew my cat wouldn't be treated well. I asked them to bandage him up for the night and give him antibiotics and pain medicine and I would bring him to Banfield first thing in the morning. I called Banfield when the doors opened Monday morning and told them that I had an emergency and needed to see a doctor right away. Apparently a cats tail being exposed to the bone and still excessively bleeding from the night before is NOT an emergency at Banfield. I was told that a doctor was not available and someone would call me back. An hour later I still had not received a return call. When I called back I was left on hold and finally talked to a pet nurse who said the surgery would cost "a little over a grand" and that the doctor couldn't do the surgery until Thursday! That is not acceptable treatment for someone who has had their cat enrolled with their facility for 5 years.

Needless to say I was furious, they expected me to let him sit around with the bone exposed on his tail for another FOUR DAYS, who knows what kind of dust, debris or bacteria he could pick up in 4 days. Let alone what kind of damage he could do to the nerves. I hung up with several choice words for the staff and promises of cancelling my membership. I then called an independent vet whose name I had gotten from a friend at work. His office got me in and did surgery the SAME day. We dropped him off at 3:30 and he was ready to be picked up at 6:30. The total cost of the surgery, anesthesia, pain meds, and follow up exam was $425.

When I called to cancel my plan with Banfield I was told it renewed in October 2009 and I would have to pay over $400 or wait until October 2010 and call and set the plan for non-renewal. In the meantime I would have to continue with my payments of $17.95 a month. They absolutely refused do cancel it without my paying out of pocket. I talked to two supervisors and got no where.

To anyone living in the Palm Harbor/Clearwater/Tarpon/New Port Richey area I HIGHLY recommend taking your pet to The Day and Evening Pet Clinic in Palm Harbor. The staff are very sweet, always the same girls not a revolving door of pet nurses. There is one doctor and he's very, very nice. They're not pushy about selling extra medicine or doing unnecessary tests. They're straight forward end extremely reasonable with their pricing. He touched my cats tail and said "Oh, yep, he broke it too". No x-rays, no nothing! He could just tell it was broken! Banfield wanted to do x-rays and blood work before seeing scheduling him for surgery. I absolutely love this new vet. I take my cat and my dog there now and my parents have also cancelled Banfield and started taking their two dogs and cat there. We'll never go back to Banfield again.

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2 comments
Guest

Banfield is not an emergency clinic. They have appointments and routine surgeries scheduled every day.

Emergencies are seen if they burst through the door and need immediate attention since turning a person away who is already there would waste precious time. However, getting upset because Banfield wouldn't cancel everything on the books for you immediately (and the day of, when pets were probably already getting prepped for surgery) is ridiculous. Banfield doesn't claim to be an emergency clinic.

If your pet requires emergency surgery, take him to an emergency clinic. You should be more mad at yourself for letting your cat suffer the night instead of getting him the surgery he required at the emergency clinic.

Guest

Im so sorry to hear that Banfield did that you. I personally work at a Banfield and if u were a client of ours, u would have been told to come right away.

We would simply postpone any other non-emergency surgeries to either later in the day or week and when explained to those clients that an emergency came in they are usually very understanding. Even doctor i work for does payment plans to help if the bill is too high which most Banfield vets do not do.

I truly think that every Banfield hospital is different depending on the staff and vet. I hope ur kitty is ok now =)

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Anonymous
map-marker Chicago, Illinois

Dont go to banfield!

All I have to say is DO NOT bring your animal to Banfield Pet Hospital. My rat terrier is not feeling well after a normal check up. He has never been sick a day in his 7 years of life...now he has been coughing and acting like he can't breath right. I called the vet at Banfield and she offers a free exam. She then told me it is possible he just got ill all of a sudden. I will never take him back there, not even for a free exam, especially after reading all of the previous complaints.
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Banfield P

It’s our mission to provide our clients and their Pets with high quality medicine and exceptional client experiences on every visit. We apologize that your visit to one of our hospitals was unsatisfactory. To address your specific concern, and to help us improve our overall service, we would appreciate it if you would call us at 1-877-500-2288 to tell us what happened.

Anonymous
map-marker Irvine, California

Dr. Lou Bremer, Excellant!!!

I have always tried to stay away from Banfield Animal Hospital, but, I ran into a snag a few months ago. I took my kitty into Banfield in Newbury Park, CA.

Dr. Louis Bremer was on that day, and I WAS IMPRESSED. His knowledge coupled with his gentility and kindness ( and he has a wonderful assistant) made me a client for life. He explained everything in full which was comforting and called me the following day to check up.

Banfield may not have the greatest of reputations, but Dr. Bremer is aces!!! FYI, he was in private practice for 25 years in the Midwest so he is not a novice, which is good!!

I highly recommend Dr. Bremer!!!!

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nevrenufanimals
map-marker Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Banfield is a scam! High high prices!

Bought a rat from Petsmart. Thought their policy was that if it got sick within 2 weeks, they would take care of it. thinking that since Banfield was in their store, they would be the ones to handle it. Of course, upon bringing the animal in, the staff did not say that wasn't the case. That Banfield and Petsmart weren't affiliated at all. They wanted to charge me $45 dollars for medication which should only cost about $10. the vet said he really doesn't know a lot about rats, but didn't want to give me the medicaiton I requested to begin with, which was cheaper. then they charged me a $35 exam fee! for a rat! Which came from their store! They wanted me to "turn in" the animal, so they could take care of it, then buy it back in two weeks. Are you kidding me? How would I know if it EVER got it's medicine. Within a week, it would be dead. Or I could exchange it for another one, which would be sick within a week also, then we'd start all over again! Their whole attitude was horrible, and they did not want to work with me at all. I will never take any of my animals there again. My regular vet is so much more knowledgable and nicer (and cheaper!)
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3 comments
Guest

Banfield is in no way the same business as PetSmart. They only rent space from them, so PetSmart is not Banfield's store.

It is no different then taking your pet to a vet down the street.

Of course they're not going to give you free services due to their proximity to PetSmart and to say the medications should be $10 is rediculous. Welcome to the year 2014.

Guest

Shay is right banfield and petsmart have nothing to do with each other. Its just more of a convenients for pet parents.

And that is our policy you return your animal we treat it and then you come back and buy it back. And yes all of our animals that are sick are taken to vets and we recieve meds to give them. We have to give them the meds. If not we will most likely get fired cause that is part of our job.

I have returned a few animals treated them and sent them back home to their families. So if you would have just returned your rat to the Petsmart you brought it at you wouldnt have had to pay a vet bill and your rat would have been returned to you healthy and happy. And dont use Petsmart and banfield in the same sentence most of the employees do not even like Banfield thats just who corp.

makes us go to for our small animals. For our reptiles we go to specialists.

Guest

Yea, Banfield is inside PetSmart.. not the same thing..

The two weeks thing is a RETURN policy meaning you have to RETURN the rat. Then they take it the vet, pay for it (at a discounted price) and hold it for you to buy back when the pet is better. "They" didn't charge you 35 exam fee for a rat that came from "their" store. It is not Banfield's store and they get no profits from those animals unless they take care of their ailments.

That's just the way it is... the only thing you have a right to complain about is the fact that your rat got sick in the first place.

PetSmart gets their animals is terrible condition... is sickening.

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Anonymous
map-marker Livingston, New Jersey

Pushes bad products and won't admit fault

I went in on Monday, 9/6 to ask for guidance in selecting an ear wash for my dog who was having some issues with his right ear. I was looking at OTC options, but the vet techs suggested the wash used by Banfield's doctors. I paid $30.99 for a 12 oz. bottle of "prescription" ear wash that caused a HORRIFIC reaction in my dog. I had to listen to him wail in pain. His skin turned red and blotchy and he was obviously in pain. I took him to my regular vet yesterday and he told me to discontinue use of that product immediately and gave me a different wash and ear drops for the infection he has in that ear. When I asked to return the bottle today (9/9) I was informed that it cannot be returned. So, despite the fact that their doctors "prescribed" something without even seeing my dog and it caused a bad reaction, and now I can't give it back, I am stuck with a useless product. To top it all off...I said "what am I supposed to do with this, just throw it out? or try to sell it online or something?" and the vet tech told me that I could leave it with Banfield and they would use it, because it's the same product that they use. SO...let me get this straight? I can't return it, but I can give it to you and help stock your "pet hospital" !? I don't think so.
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Anonymous
map-marker Tampa, Florida

First Shield WARNING DO NOT USE!!

I purchased first shield for my dogs at banfield after they no longer carried the others. It has been the worst experience for me and almost killed 1 of the 3 dogs as permethrin is toxic. When i first applied they were crying and rolling around on the ground like mad.. like it was burning them.. which now when i look back and it was. They never have had any reaction to others flea/tick like this one. Not to mention the worst part of it is that they all caught Cheyletiellosis while being on this horrible stuff. They have been suffering for months because of lying people just trying to make a buck. WARNING DO NOT USE!!
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elebelle
map-marker Ann Arbor, Michigan

Long wait time, drug pushing

After getting a 3 month old puppy last year, I decided to go to Banfield where I heard their wellness plans saved so much money, considering all the boosters/neutering/etc that has to be done in the first year. I also liked the fact that office visits were unlimited, and free. My first visit, they got me in, very short wait time - I'm guessing that was them putting on a professional front, until I signed up for the wellness plan. They suggested I get a Benadryl shot for my puppy at about $20/pop, and made me feel like I was a bad owner for disregarding their advice, until I finally caved. For all future vaccinations, I denied that option & when they would push it saying 'this is a lot of shots for a small dog....' I'd mention I didn't mind one bit spacing them out and doing half today, half at a new appointment a week from now. That usually shut them up. When I had him in to be fixed, they asked if I'd like to have his nails clipped while he was under. I said sure - they neglected to tell me it'd be a $12 charge, which I didn't see until signing off the bill. Ridiculous, considering that he'd be under anyway, and it would take all of one minute to clip his nails while he's unconscious. My old vet did this to all animals as needed, when they were in surgery. For free. For future visits, it became routine to clear out at least 2 hours for my dog's appointments at Banfield. I would always arrive on time, or a few minutes ahead of schedule. Be placed in a room to sit for at least 30 minutes, when a tech would come in to take vitals, and I'd sit again for another 20-30 minutes for a vet to finally appear. Ridiculous wait times...you shouldn't have to plan for more than an hour for a routine appointment like that. I also took my dog in once more recently - I noticed his feet were turning out, and I wanted to take advantage of the free office visits. I hadn't brought him in for a random check-up like that at all (so it's not like I was in every month, wasting their time), but when making the appointment and telling the tech I wanted him in just to have his legs looked at - a preventative measure, to see if anything needed to be done before they became an issue - she kept saying 'and is that all? he's not due for any shots. Is that all he's in for?' Then, a day before the appointment, I got a voicemail from the office saying they saw the appointment, but he wasn't due for anything, so 'maybe it was a mistake.' And if I didn't call back to confirm, they would cancel the appointment. I called back and showed up the next day - where I still got remarks from the techs making me feel like I was wasting their time (so much for preventative medicine), trying to find out if my dog could develop leg issues down the road. Thankfully, I was handed to a different vet than normal that time. Unlike the other I had in the past, that one was very considerate and polite, let me know he might need surgery in the future and didn't make me feel like I was wasting her time.
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1 comment
Guest

We bought the wellness plans for my husbands cocker spaniel mix, and my pitbull. The 2nd VA we had was very gentle and sweet to the cocker spaniel, but rough, rude, and inconsiderate with my pitbull.

I am well aware of the breeds reputation, but come on. They tried that same stuff with me about the benedryl shots. When diesel was in for a drop off to get a round of puppy shots, they gave him 3 of them, without calling me, and tried charging 60 bucks for it.

They said it was just a "precaution". Not for 60 bucks its not!

doglover
map-marker Chandler, Arizona

Banfield Pet Hospital - Dog Teeth Cleaning

Today I dropped off my dog at Banfield Pet Hospital for have his teeth cleaned. As instructed, I did not feed him past 8pm the prior evening.

His appointment was for 8:00am the following day. When we arrived at 8:00am things seemed to be fine. They were ready for him and all seemed good. They told me that I could pick him up between 3:00 - 5:00 pm that afternoon.

I got a phone call from Banfield, telling me that he JUST got out of surgery and won't be ready till 4:00 pm. They said they were "backed-up" with other dental procedures. They took him in at 8:00 am and they said they were starting the procedure then. What happened?

Did a bus load of dogs and cats come in to have their teeth cleaned, so they bumped my dog.

I can't imagine the distress he went through, having to wait for 5.5 hours in a cage with no food and water. I am very disappointed with Banfield and hope someone else reads this and goes somewhere else.

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19 comments
Guest

Dogs stay in the hospital for this length because it is a surgery! This means pre anesthetic bloodwork has to be pulled and run, pre Jed's given after exam, then the anesthetic event, then recovery before going home.

This is not a short event. And, your pet is not the only surgical patient.

In the human world, I had an outpatient anesthetic event, in the hospital for 8 hours after a 12 hour fast, not allowed to be alone for two days post. It's no different

Guest

I am skeptical to bring my dog in for teeth clean tomorrow. Glad I read this.

I want to see my dogs teeth X-ray before they start saying they need to remove teeth.? Why do our dogs have to be at the vet for 12 hours just for cleaning?

They do 5 dogs a day.

Also ask if the vet has a breathing machine for oxygen if needed.

Some vets don't !!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1265257

It is definitely a good idea to ask for dental radiographs to verify if teeth need to be removed, but unless you are trained to read them, then you, as just an owner, are not going to be able to tell much just by looking at them unless SEVERE changes are present. Most subtle changes can be quite difficult to see - just so you are aware.

Also, like in human medicine, even an outpatient procedure takes several hours. Your pet must be checked-in, examined, have pre-anesthetic bloodwork drawn, run & interpreted, have the procedure, and then be monitored for a few hours after recovery before being allowed to go home. A 8-12 hour stay is completely reasonable for this when multiple animals are been seen.

Not sure what breathing machine you are worried about, but if your pet is having an ANESTHETIC cleaning (not one of those voodoo non-anesthetic cleanings, which are worthless & very risky) then absolutely the hospital should have an anesthetic machine and your pet should be intubated (have an endotracheal tube in it's airway to prevent fluid aspiration and secure the airway).

I would never recommend doing a dental with IV drugs only and no ET tube. For reference it is policy that Banfield does not do non-anesthetic dental cleanings & always intubates for dental cleanings or other surgeries so you shouldn't have to worry about that.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1265257

They aren't there for 12 hours. I dropped off Chewie at seven and picked him up at three after his annual checkup and physical. Look at your bill that details everything that was done , maybe the time frame will make more sense.

Guest

Which Banfield? I took my dog early this morning, wasn't ready until 4pm

Guest

Yes, that's it. Dozens of animals came in after you and were cleaned before yours.

Banfield did this to make you mad. It isn't possible that the animal before yours may have come in for a cleaning but needed an extraction, or that some other animals that went ahead of yours had complications.

You poor thing! You were told your dog would be ready between 3 and 5 and was ready at 4!

How awful! You should sue them!

I'm sure everything at your job goes precisely as planned and nothing is ever delayed as much as an hour..

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-803822

Jeff, I believe you may have missed the point. Her dog sat there for hours without eating.

My dog had his teeth done this week and Banfield didn't get to him until around 2pm. That means my dog didn't eat for 19 hours. For some dogs that might not be a problem for, but for my dog not eating for 12 hours is a huge challenge. My dog is hungry all the time, and I mean all the time.

He's on an eating schedule and he starts pacing the floor 30-45 minutes before dinner.

The day after my dog came home, he started urinating about every hour or so, in which we started seeing blood. I spent $200 last night taking him to a vet hospital to find out he has a UTI.

When I took him back to Banfield this morning, to my horror he lost 3 pounds in the 2 days since his cleaning.

We don't know why he's losing weight but they are working on figuring out what's going on. Yes, they knew there was an issue with weight loss prior to the teeth cleaning. I was told to double up on his food; he now gets 2 cups of food twice a day rather than 1 cup 2 x day.

Bottom line is going 12 - 19 hours without eating might not impact all dogs, it does impact others.

Maybe Banfield should accept animals throughout the morning based on the time they are scheduled for their procedure rather than having them all dropped off between 7:00 - 7:30 am. Every time I've had surgery, it was no eating 12 hours prior to surgery. If my surgery is scheduled for 10am, it's no eating after 10pm. Surgery scheduled for 10 means you arrive at 9am and you go in for the actual procedure within 30 minutes of your scheduled time.

You don't go in at 7am, lay in a bed until 2pm for something that was scheduled for 10am.

Humans have logic and can understand emergencies and if they have to go a few extra hours without eating while dogs don't. They just know they are starved and are sitting in a cold lonely kennel and don't understand what's going on.

As stated in the original posting, there was concern about the "distress" the lack of food, water, and sitting in a kennel for over 5 hours causes.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-951884

I am sure they hydrated the dog and kept a close eye on him. Anesthetic cleaning is an involved process requiring endotracheal intubation, ventilation, IV hydration and vital sign monitoring among other things.

It isn't like it is with humans.

Pre procedure blood work has to be checked. I have never been less than happy with the care my dog has received at Banfield and we feel completely confident in their thoroughness with his care.

Guest

I have not heard good things about Banfield.

A friend of mine took her dog to get fixed.

He came home and his tounge was blue. He stated breathing very slow. She took him back and the doctor had put a whole in his lung with the breathing tube. I understand things happen but they were not very friendly about it.

It costed $2000 to correct the problem. I would think Banfield would have covered the cost to correct the lung. Banfield agreed to split the cost. She paid $1000 and banfield paid $1000.

She wanted to cancel her policy with Banfield and they still wanted to charge her stating that she was under contract. After fighting with Banfield they finally let her out of the contact.

As I said things happen, i understand but they could be a little less money hungery when they almost kill your pet, I think! Just saying!

Banfield P

@DukeBudBoy,

We hope your chihuahua is doing better today. If not, please call your Banfield in Jacksonville to let them know his symptoms. The hospital team should be happy to help you.

We also apologize if communication wasn't better about his care surrounding the surgery. If you still have any questions after reaching out to your Banfield, please feel welcome to call our client advocate team directly at 877.500.2288.

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Soccy H
map-marker Washington, District Of Columbia

Banfield, Laurel, MD

A while ago I took my cat to Banfield (Laurel, MD) for shots; it was OK and not too expensive so when she got an ear problem I went back. They said she had a fungical and bacterial ear infection and gave me meds for her with a bill total of $300. My cat had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic medicine and so they told me to bring her in. I told them I wanted to change the antibiotic to Clavamox which she tolerates well. They said they only had the pills and would have to crush the pills and put them in a solution. I said fine, because I did not want to go too long without medicating her. They left the room and came back and said they wouldn't do that and gave me a prescription and said I could have it filled at any pharmacy. I tried several pharmacies who told me that they didn't even have Clavamox in their database. I ended up going to another Banfield which had some in stock and I was able to obtain it. The total bill is now at $400. When I complained about the cost of the 1st visit and the $50 med which my cat was allergic to, they were very cold, and said they could not do anything about it. I couldn't believe that they would charge me for a second visit and refuse to provide me with the alternative medication or at least try to locate some. I had to go on a wild goose chase to get it. I have had 10 different pets in my life, and numerous ear infections. I have never had such an expensive one and have never had such appallingly indifferent treatment. And they still expected me to come back in 2 weeks for a followup? Are you kidding? I will take my cat back to Virginia to her old vet who is 3 hours away before I return to Banfield.
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Loss:
$400
shawbunny
map-marker Washington, District Of Columbia

HORRIBLE customer service!

Every time I take my two dogs to the Banfield, we have horrible customer service. The "pet nurses" are rude beyond belief, no one ever calls to let me know when they are ready, and even when I call and am told what time they will be done, it takes at least an hour of me waiting in the store for them to come out. We have both dogs on their Wellness plans, which apparetnly is a contract that were not informed about, so we are stuck paying for that load of *** for 4 months on 1 dog and 7 months on the other. What a waste. I'd rather pay 400% the money and go to a REAL vet than to take my dogs to Banfield again. THey always try to convince you that things are wrong with your dogs that aren't, and always try to sell you redicutous medications for non-existant problems. HATE THEM!
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Anonymous
map-marker Phoenix, Arizona

My Beautiful Dog Bellabambina I miss You!

Banfield Hospital, Should have helped my Little maltese, She was only 6year's old, and died because of a Botched up Dental Surgery, I have a lot of grief from loosing her, it shouldn't have happened this way. That "Wellness program " is a lot of free office visit's and nothing more than I could do myself.

I wish I could do it all over, I would haver never gone to "Banfield" I"M not the only one who feel's this way. Money was an issue , that is what brought me to Banfield, I was told , they would help me.

But now my Beautifull, loving Bella is gone forever. I loved her so I had her since she was born, I still have the Mom andDad, and the Mom has sad eye's since Bella died in my arm's.

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5 comments
Guest

Omg! My cat is dying because of a botched dental surgery at Banfield and they refuse to take responsibility!

He has subcutaneous emphysema from a 'hole' somewhere. He was fine prior to this surgery and now they want hundreds of dollars to 'try' to diagnose the problem! They shrug their shoulders and say they have never seen this before.

My cat has so much air under his skin that he is more than twice his normal size and crackles when you pet him. He barely eats or moves now.

Guest

i am hungry, where did she bury that dog, want to dig it up and eat it. besides i posted comments on other dead pets

Guest

i am hungry, where did she bury that dog, want to dig it up and eat it. besides i posted comments on other dead pets

Guest

I seriously think you need some therapy. When you have nothing better to do with your life than spam a website with at least six messages on ONE dog, that's a little obsessive.

Guest

you again isnt one letter enough. anyways they have a business they cant help for free,you should have had a job to pay your vet bill, like my suggestion make money from bellamabina sell her meat, both will be happy, she that her heart and liver and kidney will be used, and you cause you get money.

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kelly w Enz
map-marker Wilton, Connecticut

Banfield is disgraceful

My dog had been diagnosed with seasonal allergies by Banfield twice, with excessive, costly testing done both times. The third time I went in for a visit and to get the allergy medications for my dog, I was told more testing ($$$$) was needed. I explained that the diagnosis of the seasonal allergies had been made in the past and the symptoms were the exact same therefore I just needed the same medications that solved the same, recurrent problem in the past. He proceeded to collect a sample for testing anyway! The Dr. told me that he would give me the meds needed but only if I "Committed" to the recheck visit. As the mother of 3 children and having numerous dogs, I had never heard of mandatory rechecks and that I would come back only if I determined that there was a need for follow up treatment. The Dr. became very angry and told me I would not get the meds for Amber and he would not treat us without the commitment to the recheck ($$$$$PAYMENT). I told him it seemed like an ultimatum and I questioned if it was for the benefit of my dog (remember this is chronic seasonal allergies not an acute injury and I have been through this 3 times) or to increase fees. Apparently I pushed a hot button and he threw me and my dog out of the office for questioning the integrity of his profession, he sent us away without the medication he agreed to prescribe to my dog (ethical priorities?). BTW he directed me to pay a bill for the office visit on my way out. NICE! I did not pay for the office visit and I called my attorney and the Banfield Complaint line to share my experience. The silver lining is that I found petmed.com and got OTC products that work better then the prescriptions for a quarter of the price. I will never use Banfield again. It is all about un-needed tests, follow up visit fees and bullies who guilt you into things that defy common sense. I will litigate!
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2 comments
Guest

As follow up... here we are 4 weeks later.

I had immediately contacted Bainfield to share my experience. I was told that they would look into it and contact me in 5 business days. I did not hear anything after the 5 business days.

Additionally, I email the CEO of the company and he emailed me back, indicating that they would look in to this and be in touch. I never heard back.

Guest

We strive to provide our clients and their Pets with high quality medicine and exceptional client experiences on every visit. We apologize that your visit to one of our hospitals was unsatisfactory. To address your specific concern, and to help us improve our overall service, we would appreciate it if you would call us at 1-87*-***-**** to tell us what happened.

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Craig Yni
map-marker Bayonne, New Jersey

Banfield Vet really is a joke

Took my sweet, friendly Boxer there for an ear infection. When I told the Vet what I thought, he stood about 3 feet away and had me hold up the dog's ears so he could have a look and diagnosed that one ear seemed to have some puss in it. How's that for a detailed look? Oh, and that was after I muzzled her at their request.. I could have posted a picture on the internet and gotten free advice for that matter. Then I asked about spaying and was told that the dog was too big for their Vets and they'd refer me to another location. So, these Vets only graduated from the "small breed" Vet school? Yeah, a 54lb dog is quite a monster! So then they suckered me into ear medication, cleaner and eye drops for her red eyes which put the bill into the $220 range. (I know, my own da*m fault for being so gullible). They handed me the bag of goodies and told me the receipt was the folded piece of paper in the bag which when I got home discovered that to be instructions on ear cleaning . . . so back to the office to get a bill. Hmmm . . . at their prices, they have plenty to hide so I wonder how often that happens. Needless to say, I'll find a real Vet next time.
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Michelle G Byq
map-marker San Francisco, California

Banfield is a Joke

STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you love your pet get their shots here but for anything else RUN FOR THE HILLS!!! This place is a joke. I should have known better being that it is situated inside a pet store. We took our dog there and got him vaccinated and that was fine. I then made an appointment for my cat to be looked at. He had been losing hair at the tip of his tail and there was no known reason so I figured that a VET would know. BOY WAS I WRONG. My cat ended up biting the tip of his tail the day of his appointment and instead of being seen for what the cause may be they took my cat and stopped his tail from bleeding. My husband took him and he tried to explain that the reason we brought him was because he was losing his hair on his tail. The vet there said she had NO IDEA of what was wrong and did not look at him any further. I tried to talk to the vet over the phone, since I could not make the appointment to make her understand the initial visit and she said "I have other animals waiting." We all consider our pets a part of the family and the only thing I can say is that I hope she "the vet" is treated that way by her physician. We also asked for Advantage flea control and learned that they only sell First Shield. READ THE BACK OF FIRST SHIELD FOR CATS. IT SAYS DO NOT PUT ON DOMESTIC ANIMALS, AGED ANIMALS OR ON SKIN. Funny thing, we paid $74.95 for this *** for a 12 year old cat. When I asked if I could return it, I was told no. I have not even opened it. This place is a joke and a poor excuse for being called a pet hospital. It should be a vaccination clinic and that is it. They should not be able to do anything else other than that. DO NOT GO THERE!!!!!! I PROMISE THAT THIS PLACE IS A JOKE.
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2 comments
Guest

I have been on the Banfield wellness plan for 2 years, and have had a monthly payment of about $25 a month for that time. This totals to $600 for the last two years of care for my one pet!

and that doesn't cover everything, I estimate that I have also spent at least $400 dollars AT BANFIELD to get medication, vaccinations, and other doggie needs. So look into what people pay on their pets. Its probably not that much for just medical needs in the first 2 years of ownership. I guess I figured that I was getting good care and deals on some things that were really expensive.

I was wrong. The quality of care at my local Banfield (Ann Arbor, MI) is horrible. I had an appointment at 9:00 for my dog, and he was not seen until 3:00 in the afternoon, after having to wait in their kennels. I had been shopping in the area during this time, since I didn't want to go home because the vet is not close to me.

I went by the Banfield at 2:40 to see if my dog was done. I was told he hasn't been seen yet. I was pretty mad at that. Even worse, they called me ten minutes later and told me that he was finished.

So, I have been paying hundreds of dollars every year so my dog can get 15 minutes of face time with the vet? vet visits run much cheaper than that. And good luck getting them on the phone. I have been on the phone for the last 30 minutes trying to set up my plan for nonrenewal.

This is the number specifically for billing and nonrenewal. I wonder why they make you wait so long, maybe some people give up and just continue to go to Banfield because they suck you in and don't let go. I would have stopped paying them months ago, but I was told that if I cancel, I owe them all the money I "saved" while on the plan.

This place is such a huge scam. Maybe some of the vets are OK, but I doubt the good ones would work for this awful corporation for long.

Guest

I know at the banfield I work for, firstshield has a 100% money back guarantee. If I were you, I would contact the banfield corporate office, and let them know that not only were you not satisfied with the product, but the hospital you bought it from would not return it for you. They would probably like to know if one of their hospitals was not following the standards.

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