Banfield Pet Hospital Reviews

I'm done with this place. THEY HAVE AS OF YET FAILED TO PROVIDE AN INVOICE FOR THE MONEY I PAID. After the visit I was told the invoice was sent to my email but it never was. I asked for a hard copy. The person I was dealing with became slightly agitated. She sought help from a senior co-worker who provided me with a 9 pages of medical history. When I got home I realized that there was no invoice among the 9 pages. Finally I got what they said was an invoice, but the amount on the invoice was $30 less than what I had paid. These people are obviously committing crimes & aren't very good at covering them up.

I did not simply stop paying without contacting Banfield\. I called and explained my situation, asked for help, and even offered to pay approximately two additional months as a compromise\. I was told that they would not cancel the remaining balance and that I would have to pay roughly $750 because I still had several months remaining on the plan\. What upset me most was the complete lack of willingness to work with me during an extraordinary financial and medical hardship\. Other companies I contacted during this same period were willing to make accommodations, cancel memberships, or find some type of reasonable solution\. Banfield would not\.

Now the account has progressed to collection calls and is potentially damaging my credit\. That is incredibly frustrating because I reached out BEFORE it got to this point and specifically tried to resolve the situation responsibly\. I understand that businesses have contracts and policies\. I was not asking Banfield to ignore its policies without explanation\. I was asking for some reasonable consideration or hardship accommodation because of circumstances that were beyond my control\. I was even willing to pay part of the remaining obligation\.

For a company centered around caring for families and their pets, I expected considerably more compassion and a genuine attempt to find a solution\. Instead, I felt that collecting the entire remaining balance mattered more than working with a longtime customer experiencing a legitimate crisis\. I hope Banfield reviews how it handles customers facing documented medical and financial hardship\. Sometimes people are not refusing to pay—they are genuinely struggling and asking for a reasonable way to resolve an account before it reaches collections and damages their credit\.

Jump to July 2026 and it was time to get them fixed. We took them in on July 13th and was told that surgery went well on both of them. The following Sunday July 19th, we noticed that Sebastian had no energy and he started throwing up. Monday July 20th we took Sebastian to Banfield to find out what is going on. Sebastian stayed almost the whole day, normal lab work was done/blood test, body checked, ears/nose/mouth, hydrated him and took xrays. Spoke with the Vet, Dr **, she advised of everything that she had done and recommended another test to check his pancreas, I agreed. Receive a follow up and was told that he had pancreatitis and sent him home with meds. July 21st, Sebastian is no better and is not eating/drinking, we take him back to the vet. He stays the majority of the day. They check him out, body, ears/nose/mouth, tell us to continue to give him his meds and sends us home.

July 22nd, no changes, still not eating. Sent him home with another med. July 23rd, we take him back as he is still not eating/drinking, showing any progress. Speak with Dr **, we reviewed other options, such as new medicines for pain relief, giving an intravenous IV, instead of thru the skin like they did previously. Agreed to all, wanted my little boy better asap. Again was told that they checked everything, body/ears, nose, mouth. Husband and I were so hopeful as Sebastian seemed to be better, but still wasn't eating. Then amazingly he started eating late that evening, we were overjoyed and thought that he was on his way to recovery. July 24th, Sebastian is eating and doing well. July 25th, things took a drastic turn as we noticed Sebastian going # 2 and he started to freak out. After inspecting him, we noticed that he had string coming out of his rectum. We called Banfield and was told to take him to an ER clinic asap.

July 25th, We find a local clinic, get Sebastian there within the hour. The ER vet comes in, talks to us about what has been going on, we explain, she takes Sebastian back to check him out and within minutes comes back to tell his he has string wrapped around his tongue. My husband and I are in shock. HOW DID BANFIELD VETS NOT CATCH THIS???? The ER vet cut the string, told us to continue to watch Sebastian to ensure he passes the string. We asked the ER vet how this could have been overlooked, but she didn't want to speculate. However I later found out that she contacted Banfield that same day to advise her results of seeing Sebastian and asked them to follow up with us to offer financial support if we decided to do surgery, thank God, that wasn't needed. Banfield never called us.

To say I was frustrated is an understatement. I collected my thoughts, asked Banfield for documentation of all Sebastian's visits and received documentation from the ER visit as well. After reviewing all the documentation from Banfield, it was documented that everyday they saw him, they checked his EARS/NOSE and MOUTH!!!! You checked his MOUTH everyday and did not notice/see/feel string around his tongue as an experienced vet???? I don't get it. I spoke with the Banfield Vet Manager/Susie, explained everything that took place and that we wanted compensation and we wanted out of the wellness plan, because we would not be bringing our animals back there. Repeat, our ANIMALS/Plural. She of course apologized and said she would have to look into it.

A few days pass, she calls me back says they cannot offer compensation as they did nothing wrong nor can they let me out of the wellness plan. At this time, I mentioned that I would write a review, then everything changed. I was even nice enough to say that we were asking to get out of the wellness plans and our money back for days 2 & 3. I didn't even ask for the money back for the 1st visit which was roughly $1000.00. Then her tune changed and she said she would check into it. Some time passes and she called me back advising that they would refund me for the 2nd& 3rd day and stop the payments for the wellness plans. At that time I thanked her and told her that we also need compensation for the money spent for the ER visit, she asked for the receipt and I sent it to her on 8.4.26. I told her I wouldn't write a review, but obviously things changed.

I gave her/Susie plenty of time to follow up with me about the reimbursement of the ER visit, roughly last week of August and nothing! Then I noticed my credit Continued.... I contacted Susie on 9.1.26 to find out why I haven't heard back from her about the ER refund and why I was being still being charged for one of the wellness plans, which I assumed was Penelope's. Susie advised that she was processing the refund for the ER and that I would need to contact the wellness plan to cancel Penelope's plan.

September 3rd, I get a call from Susie saying she has set a reminder to follow up with me every week on the progress of my refund and that she is working with her corporate office on getting Penelope's plan cancelled.

Today is September 13th, have I heard from Susie? NO, I have not. At this point this is beyond ridiculous. Not only are the Vets incompetent, but so is their office manager. Several calls made to Susie went unanswered, then she would call back with an excuse of a family issue. To add, I never heard back from the customer care team.

At this time, I believe I've been more than patient with this matter and NOW, not only do I want Penelope's plan cancelled immediately, I need the almost $1000 spent on Sebastian's first visit refunded, I want the wellness plan charge on my credit card from July 27th refunded. I want the refund check from the ER, processed immediately and sent express mail. If your company/manager would have kept their word and followed up with me accordingly I would have kept my word and not posted these reviews. However, this is beyond a poor situation and hopefully everyone that reads this review will think twice about taking their pet to any/all Banfield locations.

My dog had a checkup scheduled for Saturday, 8/29/26. The evening before, Banfield called me and said they needed to reschedule because they were going through “internal changes.” I was understanding and worked with them to reschedule. During that conversation, I specifically told them that I had found a worm stuck around my dog’s anus and was concerned about him. They told me to keep an eye on him and that they would see him on Friday, 9/4/26.

Yesterday — ONE DAY BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT — Banfield TEXTED ME TO CONFIRM THE APPOINTMENT FOR TODAY. I replied and confirmed. So what happened today? I showed up 10 minutes early, only to find the Banfield office CLOSED. Completely closed. I waited 25 MINUTES outside like an idiot, wondering if someone was running late. Nobody showed up. Nobody called. Nobody texted. Nobody emailed. There was ZERO communication telling me that the office would be closed for the next three days.

Let that sink in: They confirmed my appointment YESTERDAY, knowing the office would be closed, and still allowed me to drive there today with my dog. That is not a minor inconvenience. That is an incredible lack of respect for your customers and, more importantly, the animals who depend on you for their care. I understand that businesses go through staffing issues, internal changes, emergencies, and unexpected situations. What I do NOT understand is why a company cannot send a simple phone call or text to a client when an appointment has been confirmed.

I trusted Banfield with my dog’s care, and instead I was left standing outside a CLOSED veterinary hospital with no explanation and no communication. I was so angry and disappointed that I called billing and CANCELED my Banfield insurance. I will not continue paying for a service I no longer trust, and I will not be bringing MY DOG back. Pet owners should not have to chase down a veterinary hospital to find out whether their confirmed appointment actually exists.

Banfield Santa Rosa — you need to do better. Much better. This experience was unprofessional, inconsiderate, and completely unacceptable. I am sharing this review because I would want to know about this kind of experience before trusting a veterinary hospital with my own pet. My dog deserved better. I deserved better. And Banfield has lost my business.

Well I get there and a young girl wearing a in training name tag was by herself at the desk. I told her my dogs name and she said we don't have her on the schedule. I said yes I called this morning and a boy gave me a 2:00 appointment. She asked what it was for and I told her. She said it will be $45 for that. I let her know we have the wellness plan and don't have to pay for that. She said, "Did you add the anal gland expression to the plan?" I said no that's not an option, we have had this plan for 12 years and never heard of that. She said, "Well I don't know if we can see her because she is not on the schedule." I said, "Yes you are because I did schedule her this morning!" She said there will be a wait and I asked how long? She said, "I don't know," and turned the other way. I was very upset at this point because my dog was in pain and already panicking and now they are telling me this.

The whole time this young in training girl was by herself with no one supervising her or anything. Well then a young boy comes from the back (I know it was the one that took my call that morning) took my dog and came back 30 seconds later with my dog bleeding and oozing from her bottom and handed her to me and said she has an abscess on her bottom and that's something we can't do here!! I was shocked and said what?? He said we can't do anything about that here and he walked back to the back and just left us standing there!! You are a veterinarian hospital and you can't do anything with an abscess???? I was in tears walking out of the building.

I called around to other vets and they were all full, but Grace Animal Hospital was amazing and told us they were full but to come to their emergency walk in clinic after 5:00 pm that night because she needed to be seen and it can't wait until Monday. I took her there and they said it was an abscess and drained it and sent us home with antibiotics and pain medicine. Really Banfield???? | have reported it to BBB and also sending a letter to the SC state veterinary board as well. That is neglect!!!! They are also going to be paying my bill from the emergency vet too because I pay monthly (well use to, I canceled our membership Thursday) for free office and emergency visits at Banfield and now I had to pay $250 for something Banfield should have done. Do not take your pet here!! This is the second serious incident we have had here. Stay far away!! I will make sure they don't get away with what They did!!

This left me extremely confused. If the staff member checking him in had reviewed his records and determined that he was scheduled for vaccinations, why was it not identified at that time that he was not yet due for those vaccines? Additionally, I brought his stool sample with me and provided it to the staff. Once the sample was collected and sent to the laboratory, I do not understand why my puppy needed to remain at the hospital for approximately four hours. If there was no additional medical treatment or procedure that needed to be performed that day, I would have expected someone to contact me and allow me to bring him home rather than leave him in a cage for several hours.

I also specifically expressed my concern about my puppy being on the floor because he is very young and is not yet fully vaccinated. I was assured that he would not be placed on the floor of the hospital. However, when I arrived to pick him up, an assistant came out carrying/walking my puppy across the public floor. When I questioned this, the response was, “I thought he had his shots today.” That response was extremely concerning to me. Even if he had received his vaccinations that day, he is still a young puppy who is not fully vaccinated and therefore still requires appropriate precautions in public environments. More importantly, the fact that one member of the team believed he had received his vaccinations while the doctor had just informed me that he had not demonstrates a significant communication breakdown within the hospital.

I also want to understand what information was actually documented in the computer system. The nurse who checked my puppy in was looking directly at his records and explaining what vaccinations he was supposed to receive. If his vaccinations were too early, shouldn't that information have been apparent from his medical record before he was left there for four hours?

Another concern was the condition in which my puppy was returned to me. He was wet, and I was told that he had an accident and that the staff cleaned him. I have no issue with the staff cleaning him after an accident. However, he was still wet when I picked him up. I also noticed that he was repeatedly shaking his head, which is unusual behavior for him. Since I was told that he had been cleaned, I would like to know whether anything was done that could have resulted in water getting into his ears or otherwise causing him discomfort.

Since returning home, my puppy has also appeared unusually tired and not quite like himself. I understand that being at a veterinary hospital can be stressful for a young puppy, but given the circumstances of today's visit, this has added to my concern. I am not making an assumption about what caused these changes; I am simply documenting what I observed after his visit and asking that the hospital take my concerns seriously.

Overall, today's experience left me feeling that there was a lack of communication and coordination among the members of the veterinary team. I was given one expectation when I checked my puppy in, received different information from the doctor several hours later, and then encountered another staff member who appeared to have completely different information regarding whether my puppy had received his vaccinations.

Most importantly, I entrusted my puppy to your facility expecting him to be safe and appropriately cared for while he was there. I am very concerned that he remained in a cage for approximately four hours for what ultimately appears to have been a fecal follow-up, despite the fact that his stool sample had already been provided. I am also concerned that he was walked across the public floor despite my specific request and the assurance that this would not happen. I’ve sooo many questions about my fur baby’s visit today…

* Why I was not contacted sooner if his vaccinations were determined to be too early.

* Whether there were any other observations, treatments, or incidents involving my puppy while he was in your care.

I am very disappointed by this experience. I have trusted Banfield with my puppy's care, but today's visit has significantly affected that trust. At this point, I have decided to transfer his wellness plan to another Banfield location where I feel more comfortable with the communication and handling of his care. Hopefully the service and care will be better. I hope this matter is taken seriously, not only because of my concerns regarding my puppy, but because clear communication among veterinary staff is essential when caring for young puppies. This experience was totally disappointing.

The Banfield vet did not remove a ball of fecal matter for some unknown reason, by her own admission, although I learned days later, by a different Banfield vet, that she never officially documented this - I wonder why?!?! This same vet also sewed his opening too tight. He couldn’t use the bathroom properly. I was also given conflicting information about after care. I was told his stitches would dissolve on their own and to come back for a recheck in 6 days.

I have since learned, from official online Banfield documentation for my kitten, there is a statement that says his stitches should be removed in 3 days. (I also had to ask how to keep him clean and I still didn’t receive proper instructions, so that contributed to his illness.) Before knowing this, I called 3 days after the surgery with concerns about how he was doing. I was told everything was “normal.”

When I wanted to have him looked at anyway, I was basically told no and that I already had an appointment coming up in 4 days. The next day my kitten grew worse. He was lethargic, and wouldn’t eat or drink. When I called Banfield again, I was told they had no openings at any of their clinics, as was advised to take him to an urgent care. Even though this was totally unprofessional and unethical, because I paid Banfield almost $500 to do the surgery - in addition to the monthly fee of close to $100, and not only should a follow-up appointment been made available, but if it were not for the doctor’s incompetence, my kitten would not have been so sick. Not to mention they tout “unlimited office visits.”

In any case, I am grateful I did take him to an ER (“thank God for unanswered prayers,” as the song goes by Garth Brooks!) - Blue Pearl Hospital. I credit them with saving my kitten’s life (the vet - Kaylee, is absolutely amazing!!!), and relieving much of his suffering. He was already impacted before surgery at Banfield and then, because his opening was sewn too tight, he couldn’t relieve himself properly. The doctor at Blue Pearl Hospital removed his stitches and cleaned him out. He had an infection, inflammation, and lacerations. She prescribed an antibiotic, and I already had pain medication and stool softener at home. When I brought him home, he was full of energy and he ate very well.

I requested that same day, at the ER, to speak to someone higher up at Banfield to lodge a formal complaint. I was told the manager would be in Tuesday, 3 days later. It has now been 6 days and no one has called. I also did a survey and requested a call. Same thing, no response. I never experienced “dropping off” before this kitty. It never occurred to me how impersonal and calloused this policy is. When I asked to speak to the vet when it came time for my kitten to be examined, I was spoke to rudely by a staff person named Andrea, who told me in an indignant tone that this is “drop-in” care only and I don’t get to speak to the vet. - This is socialist care at its best.

This facility is run like a factory - calloused and in-personal. This is not welfare, people are paying good money. This made me realize I can do better. I now have pet insurance that covers not only wellness, but illness and accident. I chose a higher rate so my deductible is only $100 per year and 90% is covered after that (unlimited), including related medicine and prescribed food. The $900 I paid for the hospital visit would have only cost $90 after the co-pay. The best part is that my monthly amount is equal to what I was paying at Banfield (with the exception of flea meds and heartworm medication, a.k.a Revolution). I am not sure if I get a discount on wellness medications. It is still worth it to me, because I can now go to any veterinarian, so I never have to worry about “getting in” or having to “drop-off.”

I am also not limited on choice and therefore I am not limited on quality. (I know this may sound like a long, drawn out advertisement, but I promise it is not. I wish someone would have warned me before it was too late. I lost a precious pet almost 3 years ago and now I am wondering if he received inadequate care at Banfield, because he went from healthy to dead in 3 months and they couldn’t tell me why.) There are lots of pet insurance choices and plans. If you are a Banfield customer, I would highly recommend looking into other options before your pet(s) suffer the way my kitten has, not to mention the money I paid out.

Yesterday, my cat died. And I found out that he had a serious problem in his stomach, something was stuck there for a long time - something that nobody at this clinic even thought to properly check. I trusted them. I listened to their doctors. And now my cat is gone. What happened yesterday at the reception was also horrible. I came to cancel my next appointment and my plan because my cat had died. When the receptionist asked why, I started crying and told her. Two other employees were sitting there talking and laughing like nothing had happened. No compassion. No sympathy. Nothing. I hope this business goes out of business! People who don’t care about animals should not be running a veterinary business and incompetent veterinary staff should not be allowed to work in this industry!!!

The mistake itself was devastating, but what hurt just as much was the lack of empathy, accountability, and communication afterward. Being told that “everyone makes mistakes” felt dismissive of the unimaginable loss I was experiencing. This wasn’t a simple mistake. Kali was my family, my best friend, and the last physical connection I would ever have with her.

The offers made to “make it right,” such as an empty urn and a blanket with her picture, did not address the magnitude of what was taken from me. No keepsake can replace the ashes I entrusted Banfield to return to me. What disappoints me most is that I expected compassion, transparency, and leadership from Banfield. Instead, I was left feeling ignored during one of the most painful experiences of my life. I hope no other family ever has to experience this. Please remember that that our pets are family, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, even after they’ve crossed the rainbow bridge. We love you forever, Kali.

I called corporate today and a rep who called herself Emily told me that they would NOT assist me with this matter. Emily proceeded to talk over me to which I asked her not to, argued with me and I finally asked to speak w a supervisor. She told me that the hold time would be between 3-5 minutes which I was fine with. A few minutes later Emily came back on the line telling me that I couldn't speak w a supervisor and that someone would call back w/in 24 to 48 hours. She continued to interrupt and talk over me.

I finally disconnected the call and tried to call again hopefully to get someone who was willing to help. Same thing different rep. The vets at Banfield are great, but the customer service is absolutely horrible and I will NOT be renewing this plan next March. I must say in closing that I work as a Financial Professional and our calls are recorded. If I EVER treated a customer in this manner I would be fired! Based on other reviews that I've read it seems that this is a common theme. Shame on Banfield for seemingly encouraging this. My premiums based on a 12 month contract at $69.95/months is $839.40. I can pay the same amount to a local vet and receive honest and fair treatment.

I asked to speak to the vet and for the vet to actually look at my dog. Eventually my dog was taken to the back and eventually the vet came out to talk to me. She said there was a foreign object in my dog and she said because my dog was sensitive to her touching her she would have to put her completely under and there wasn't time since she leaves at 5:00! This is wrong in so many ways.

First of all she does not need to be put under she could use a local anesthetic. My dog is old and has a heart murmur so she should not be put under. I am an RN, this is medicine, you don't always leave when the clock hits the closing time. If she would have seen my dog at 4:00 instead of wasting so much time only hearing about my dog through a tech there would have been plenty of time. Instead she sent me home with antibiotics and pain meds. The whole thing cost over 200 dollars and for what? the object was NEVER taken out of my dog. How is this good medicine, I'm disgusted. I was told to come back in 10 days and if they need to they can take it out then. The vet never apologized for wanting Luna to have a completely unnecessary test done before she ever saw my dog.

There was 3 vials of his fur inside, one vial was open, leaving some fur inside of the package. I called and spoke to the receptionist, who was very apologetic, but didn't seem to really care. She placed me on hold to "inform" the onsite manager. Instead of the manager speaking to me, the receptionist came back on the phone and said "they are truly sorry for what happened and they will do better moving forward" 😑🙄. Our dog D.o.g did not deserve that! He was a 16 year old Pit Bull mix and a wonderful loyal member of our family. We trusted Banfield Pet Hospital with our family member, and they failed him and us. I do not recommend anyone taking their fur babies to them, and we will no longer use them for our other pets. I wish they would've treated our dog with a little more respect.

After explaining how much pain Sasha was in, they flat-out refused to see her. They said they did not have time for her unfortunately. They literally just slid a clipboard across the counter with a list of other locations and turned us away. To be turned away by your primary vet when your puppy is hurting is heartbreaking. Thankfully, I called the Watchung location, and they were the complete opposite. It turns out Sasha is just in her first heat and her symptoms are completely normal, but Union's total lack of effort to help a loyal, worried pet parent is entirely unacceptable. I will never bring her back to this location

For my visit, the computer would not let me update my address. It was very busy there and the receptionist was rattled. I was finally told to go to exam room 2 at 9:20 for 9 am appointment and there was already a owner and pet in there. I left because it was too chaotic and disorganized. The bench I sat on was covered in dog hair and it was not cleaned from previous day. There is also shortage of available parking spaces. Would not recommend this office. I only scheduled here since relocating from Tampa.

One of the most memorable moments that will be with me forever was Echo going from shaking and being scared to calming down and passing in peace. I will be forever grateful for making such a difficult time easier for my best friend, Echo lived a wonderful life, always wag'n the tail, pur'n running around being a great cat, a great friend, a great Cat'panion, lol. Thank you again Daisy & Dr. **!!!

I then asked why the vet could not see my dog without the computer working, as this did not make any sense. She said she could not pull up procedures or prices. Is there not a system in place at Banfield where vets can see sick or injured animals and then call in to corporate for prices or bill the next day? The woman behind the counter talking to me was clearly frustrated and got very annoyed with me and I told her I just did not understand her poor attitude. My dog is clearly injured or sick and he needed help. She said the doctor was on the phone and I could just wait to talk to her, but there was nothing she could do. I told her, "I am an attorney and when my computers are down or the internet is not working, I can still take care of my clients. If your system is so sensitive that sick or injured pets cannot be seen with a "down system", you all need a new system for emergencies or you should not be in the pet health business."

That counter clerk was so rude, unsympathetic, and uncaring that I just left to find a new after-hours vet/hospital. I will never go back to nor recommend a Banfield clinic nor the vet at that clinic. That location and the staff should not be in the pet healthcare business. I did call the 800 number for Banfield customer service and the gentleman who answered the phone and talked to me about my experience was very kind and understanding and he was amazing. That man deserves a raise and a promotion, but the entire Kingwood staff should be fired.