Banfield Pet Hospital Reviews

Today when I tried to cancel both wellness plans they stated that I would still need to pay for services amounting to $600+ dollars even if I cancelled the plans... Rude attendants and poor advice and they want me to pay for it! The somewhat ruthless office attendant at the cancellation dept today even asked if I wanted to write a check today to close out the plans.. I never felt so ripped off. Intention infliction of mental suffering may be my best option now. Do not sign up any Wellness Plan at Banfield it's foolish.. you pay extra when you go there and pay every month too. Seems like they can't get enough money from you.

They do refund 1/12th of the total amount - which comes up to about 50 bucks. I would feel a little better if they would donate at least half of the total amount to an organization such as the Humane Society or transfer the amount to another one of your Banfield accounts. I feel this is unfair and bad customer service to not refund you the unused amount due to circumstances out of your control. I am partly to blame, since they did disclose the non-refundable amount, but still think it's unfair of them to keep all that money. I'm still debating whether this plan is even needed.

My dog was still in a noticeable amount of pain so I called the emergency vet myself and was advised to bring her in right away. When we were seen there we were told by the DOCTOR there, there was ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WE WERE NOT ADVISED TO COME IN RIGHT AWAY and SHE SHOULD HAVE HAD A SPLINT PUT ON. The doctor reviewed her paperwork and it appeared we were charged for a shot for the pain however the paperwork DID NOT reflect our dog ever receiving the shot. Another flag that went off was she was still in pain and not affected by the shot she supposedly received.

After maybe 2 minutes he finally lifted his head and moved a little but didn't try to get up. My wife had just gotten home and he is always excited to see her but he didn't even try to get off the sofa. After telling her what had happened I took him to the Magnolia Banfield clinic. After explaining to the vet tech what had happened they milled around and run behind the clinic doors several times asking the same basic questions and after wasting another 20 to 30 minutes told me to take him to their hospital facilities because they were very busy and they were concerned such a young dog was passing out. I told them again he didn't pass out, it was if he couldn't get up, but still they said to take him to one of their hospitals, which the nearest is some 15 miles away.

When I realized I wasn't getting anywhere, I told them they needed to take down the sign by the clinic door which said "Sick or injured patients would be treated first for everyone's safety." The vet tech again ask me if I needed directions and I told him there are 2 Emergency Pet hospitals within 1/2 mile either side of Banfield and also told them if they couldn't fulfill their commitments at the clinic, I did not trust them to fill their commitments at the hospital either. I said the only time you will ever see me again was when I come back to get my dog's information to transfer to a real veterinarian.

I called the next day to cancel my Banfield plan for both of my dogs (because it is a COMPLETE RIP OFF) and was told I would have to pay $500 to cancel because of services we used. What the hell am I paying a monthly fee for? I would not recommend Banfield as they try to sell you on services that 1. your pet may not need and 2. are extremely overpriced. HORRIBLE SERVICE and HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

The worst part of this is that the dog is no better and is suffering with the nail as she was before. I called Banfield this morning and asked if they could take another look since the nail is no better. They said they are in the business to make money and would charge me again! They seem to only be in the money-making business and do not care about the animals! After this experience I would never bring my animals to this institution!

Prior to this visit, we hadn't been there in 3 months. Blindly we renewed, and I just called to cancel for financial reasons/changes and was told that since I am canceling 2 months into the 12 month plan, I have to pay $550.00 for the "savings" I received with the monthly check up. So basically, $24.99/month covers a visit IF they have nothing done to them. AWESOME, DO NOT DO THIS PLAN.

Next I called Vet 2, they gave me an appt for 1.5 later. I took him in and told them everything that happened and I left nothing out. I told him that my dog would not stand. He was lame and weak and I noticed his left back leg would be up. I advise the assistant, that it seemed like it could've been his leg, but it doesn't not explain the fever. He took my dog temp and it was 103. He stated it was a fever. He took notes of everything he had eaten the day before and finally the doctor came in. When the doctor came in, I repeated every single thing as I had told the asst.

The Doctor stated "it could be a ligament or a tear." I immediately asked, "please explain the fever." He stated "Well yeah you're right." I advised him that my dog needs an x-ray and blood work to discover what is really going on. He stated "we will keep him for about 5 hours, because we are booked and so we can run test." I told him that's fine and I advised him that I prefer shots instead of pills for my dog because he do not take them, and plus he is not eating. He stated he will give him something for the fever but not for pain.

So after a long wait, the vet called me. He stated "I could give him a shot right now for fever, but we cannot give him anything for pain but pills." I questioned as to why and he never responded with a great reason why. So finally my husband and I went to pick him up and they gave us Jack at the checkout. Which was unusual because you would go in a room to discuss x-rays and blood work. So finally the doctor come out and we asked what's wrong, he stated he had torn ligament in the knee aka a football injury. I knew something was not right when he told me that and also that he was sending Jack home with pain pills. In which was dog was too lame to take anything down. So finally my husband and I get my dog home to walk him. He falls right to the ground with no strength to stand. He was 16 lbs that day.

The next day we noticed he is not moving or turning his head. It was almost like he was paralyzed. I told my co workers about his condition and that my dog was not getting better and they advised me that whenever a fever is showing, it means there is an infection and they do not know why he would suggest a knee injury. I advised my husband he needs to go back. I scheduled him appt the same day. We went and I complained about the horrible diagnose that vet gave my dog and that I just felt like it was a lie and not helpful. I told him I need to see my dog x-rays and his blood work. He never showed me the x-rays but explained the blood work that supposedly was 100% normal and that he would get the doctor in to discuss the x-rays.

She came and suggested a pancreatitis blood work, I advised her that I was ok with that. She took the test and came back with negative results and said that she will give him a shot for pain, I explained "are you able to do that" she advised me yes. I explained that the other doctor would not and that he would only prescribe pills for pain and that I needed to know what was on the xray. She explained there was nothing on there was would suggest a leg issue and that she could send it off. She adv me that she did not know what was wrong with my dog.

My dog was down a pound when we went in. This story is sad and hard to deal with. My dog is 4 years old and go every 6 months to get his shots and check up. I adv them that I was disappointed and hurt that they treated me and my dog this way and did not provided analysis around his illness and lied about the xrays. She provided my dog 3 other medications and gave him a shot for diarrhea.

My dog started walking outside but rests 100% of the time when he is in. I trust this vet that I pay my money to monthly to take care of him when he is sick not when he is well and they abused me and my dog. They are not great vets. They do not have a great team of people to support that research. They are like the McDonald of vet's. They will give you a quick fix but not the nutrients and healthy living you need for daily living. They are sad and pathetic and I will never suggest this plan again to anyone.

They injected my dog with all types of fluids which when I got him home he had a size of a tennis ball full of fluid due to them over injecting my poor 13 1/2 year-old dog. I was up all night with him due to concerns of the inflammation of fluid located under his front leg. I called the emergency hospital and they said watch the size of fluid and if it gets bigger bring him in. Next day the fluid passed from his leg after drooling all night.

I called banfield in the morning and they said he should be fine but please bring him in if he doesn't do a bowel movement, which he did and I felt and trusted their opinion and they put him on the same meds for a parasite. My dog passed on 12/25/14. I know my message will never bring my dog back. But REALLY!!! If my dog is sick, you are the doctors, why release him???? Tell me what to look out for? Tell me to bring him to the emergency vet.

Mind you my dog was very sick in August 2014. And was never injected with so much fluids and was prescribed the same medication. I never authorized all of the injections that they induced on my poor dog on 12/22/2014. I only authorized the blood panel and the Giardia test. Which in August he did have a parasite and the medication made him better. I just feel as having insurance on my animal and trusting their opinions I did not receive that on 12/22/14. The doctor should have came out to talk to me as they were releasing him. And I should have received documented papers on what was going on and the medications and side effects. I received the papers in the mail in January. Really?? I called them to let them know my dog passed on Xmas morning. Then they sent me a reminder card for a check up after they knew my dog passed. I called them and said please take me off your mailing list.

The doctor finally called me on Jan 8th and said my dog did not have a parasite and he had inflammation of his colon. And I asked her why put him through all of this when he was nowhere as sick as he was in August. You did not induce him with all of these fluids in August and he was fine. Then after 12/22 he dies two days later. I am mad. And I miss my dog more than I can even express in words. I just do not want anyone to go through what I went through. Roxy was my best friend. I feel these doctors are not professional. I should have been able to speak to a doctor prior to her releasing him. Do not prolong his life to make $$$. Please be honest. Be doctors. Be professional. Then I had to call to cancel my insurance and they said I have a balance that is due?!?! Excuse me, but my dog passed. Have some compassion. I would never refer anyone to Banfield Pet Hospital. I miss and love you Roxy.

Took him there, they gave him Vita K injections, schedule the ultrasound, gave a antibiotic, and appetite stimulant. Took Snowball home, prepared to bring him back in the morning, touched him- he was dead. Call Banfield to make arrangements. Pay that fee. Make the next call to corporate where I am informed I will need to pay for the wellness plan for the year. Which the representative said (I knew my dog was sick before I renewed the plan), insensitive to say the least. Snowball was only two years old.

I called Banfield 2 days in a row to voice my concerns. I was told to take her to an emergency center, because they are only her primary care and not equipped for emergencies. When my sweet dog began to cough up blood, I immediately took her to an emergency center. She was gravely ill and could not be saved. So less than 72 hours of her visit to PetSmart/Banfield, my precious dog was dead!!!! The emergency center was to call Banfield to inform them of this very heartbreaking outcome and yet NO ONE from Banfield called me with any condolences! To make matters even worse, I'm informed by the corporate office that if I cancel her wellness plan, then I am responsible to pay for her office visit on 01/08/15!

WHAT!!!!! I take my dog there for her visit (while her plan is still active), less then 72 hours later she is DEAD and they tell me that my choice is to cancel the plan and pay for that deadly visit or continue to make the monthly payments for the plan (until the next renewal date)! I am hoping that Consumer Affairs will look into this so-called policy that Banfield buries in the fine print! How can they make a consumer pay for a service that was performed while the policy was "active" at the time of service and not let you cancel a policy after your pet is deceased, unless you agree to pay their inflated charges?? I will spread the word, via social media, word of mouth to all friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. of their unscrupulous tactics! I hope that this post helps other pet parents to choose wisely when it comes to their pets care!!!! R.I.P. my sweet Lily!!

We switched to Banfield Vet immediately. Banfield even matched 1 800 pet Meds prices!!!! Then when we needed to bring our Golden Retriever into because of ailments due to her cancer they were once again accommodating. 9 months later our Golden Retriever Tess was in continuous pain and could barely walk, the Vets and staff at Banfield in Southern Pines opened up the back door to let us back our car up to the back door to transport our very sick and disabled hairy daughter to the vet to be put out of her misery. The staff went out of their way to assist us with our dog during this heartbreaking time. We also received a sympathy card signed by staff members within days of having to put our dog down.

Our experience with Banfield vets has been a positive one even during that difficult time. We will continue to take our dogs to Banfield vets in Southern Pines, NC.

This woman has never even introduced herself to us, but wants to cut on my dog and put him to sleep!!!! REALLY!! So then we go to the front desk to make an appointment, the day we choose is booked up with other Mouth Mass Removals from this same ignorant Dr. that didn't seem right to me. So I contacted another vet clinic for a second opinion, the "mass" on the roof of his mouth is normal, it is just inflamed, as for the bad breath, my dog has had an infection behind his front teeth since SEPTEMBER!! Which is now on antibiotics for, and has cleared up the breath, but now may loose his 2 front teeth from the infection that I was told to freshen his breath with a liquid in his water. These people are the most incompetent group of individuals I have ever seen, and this woman calls herself a Dr? She needs her license pulled, because I can bet you those other mass removals, were unnecessary, just as mine would have been. This is completely unprofessional, and my dog will NEVER grace Banfield with his presence again.

I did as they said, my dog die within 2 hours after leaving them. I call back to tell them that he had passed and she said they were sorry. And now they sending me a bill. The dog die. Really you don't keep paying for insurance when your love one die. Never carry your pet there. And didn't even send me a sympathy card.

The new vet prescribed the correct dose and our dog has never had this issue again. It has been over a year! I am fairly certain since it was always a different vet treating her at Banfield that they were purposely giving her a dose too low to ensure that we would return for more medication, scans, and urine screens. I would never return to this clinic for any reason!

Well we had a funeral to go to in a different state and were unable to make an appointment to do all the extra things. That next day we had a friend take our dog to the Jonesboro animal hospital and we called them to explain the issues. They said to forgo the tests to find where the object was that it was important to start emergency surgery and get it removed. There we spent $2000 and our dog was well taken care of even without a signature from us for consent to care. The surgery thru Banfield would have been much more. DO NOT waste your money with Banfield. Found out that all wellness services at the Jonesboro animal hospital would have been much cheaper than the overpriced worthless plan offered at Petsmarts Banfield.

I called your office and received that same misleading information from a lady at the front desk who sounded like she did not give a care and refused to let me speak to the doctor. Mike rushed down to your Asheville office in tears only to find out that everything was fine but your people just wanted to discuss pricing options to remove boil. Talk about emotional pain and suffering! We are prominent community leaders in Asheville and we are outraged!!!!! We have already moved our pets to North Asheville Veterinary Hospital! In this close community, you can be sure that this news will get out!

I would have to pay for visit to put her under and stay. This is when I started to question Banfield Pet Hospital. My pet is part of my family and I wanted the best for her so I took her to a second opinion. With a 120.00 Vet bill, the doctor told me she could of had heart worms but he could not see or hear any. Gave me Tri-Heart Plus for a year antibiotics in case any were left and see you next year. I would still be paying 100 a month at Banfield Pet Hospital plus 56.00 for insurance. I love my dog and the way it sounded, if I did not get treatment I she would die. If I had the money, I would of paid the 3,000. They would have rip me off. My dog is healthy in this yearly check-up and well take care off. I would never recommend Banfield Pet Hospital or their insurance.

She & her assistant induced me to sign their "wellness program" and have told me if I do euthanize the dog instead of keeping him alive, I will only be billed for what I encountered at the hospital (in 45 minutes worth of charges). I am a single parent, I could not afford an additional $3000 in expenses, especially knowing that the Vet may have just learned how to tie up her shoes, and I did not trust that she is telling the truth about surgery in 1st place. Therefore, I euthanized the dog the following day.

When I called the "wellness plan" to recalculate the charges encountered in the 1st and only visit, they worked it out backwards to mean about $300 for an x-ray, and $200 for a liquid that they gave him to hydrate him. Mind you that doctor's visit was free, I had a coupon. Because the billing could not collect on a declined credit card for the remaining balance, they sent the account to collection agency.

MY ADVICE TO FELLOW DOG OWNERS IS SIMPLY THIS: Avoid this chain of inexperienced, inefficient chain of hospitals, and see a compassionate vet in your area who earns his/her money the old fashioned way. I WILL NOT DO BUSINESS, OR GO NEAR THIS HOSPITAL, OR EVEN BUY PET SUPPLIES FROM ANY STORE THAT HOUSES OR RENTS TO THIS HOSPITAL. Consider yourself warned!

When I brought my kittens in to get their spay and neuter the veterinarian there gave them a special flea treatment prior to the surgery because he said that he found a flea on one of them; but he did so without my consent, and nowhere in any of the surgery prep paper work was there even a hint that this treatment may be necessary. I was also not verbally warned either. When the bill came to charge me for it (as a surprise to me of course) I told them I refuse to pay for something they didn't get my consent for in the first place. The meeting ended with me under the assumption that my valid complaint had successfully waived these fees. I continued to bring my pets there and paid their health insurance directly from my bank account monthly. However, I just received a letter in the mail from a third party debt collector for the amount of the flea treatments because Banfield Pet Hospital has reported me for non-payment!!!!!!

IF YOU AREN'T INTENDING TO SPEND MORE THAN THE PLAN BALANCE ON YOUR COVERED PET(S) IN THE COURSE OF A YEAR, DO NOT GET A PLAN. Just pay out of pocket as you always do either there or at your local vet. DO NOT AGREE TO SERVICES THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY YOUR PLAN, unless you feel certain that they are necessary. Many of the complaints in these reviews are from people being mislead as to which services are covered under your plan and which are to be paid out of pocket. ASK IF YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR SERVICES OUT OF POCKET BEFORE THEY ARE PERFORMED. The plans only work if you are already spending a large amount of money on your pet's health care. The blood-work is probably the best value because with a basic plan, you get 1 a year, which is close to 75% of your plan balance (which you will have to pay anyway). Be prepared, however to deal with the many test recommendations that will be sure to follow after having blood-work drawn.

The hospital isn't in the business of giving expensive services at a discount out of charity; the plan is to try and identify health issues with pets before they become critical. This means that the test results will be scrutinized carefully! If you don't have the cash to get a standard $250 blood-work done out of pocket, then you certainly won't be able to afford the $150 (out of pocket, by the way) of tests that may find some rare genetic disease in your pet, which could also cost you lots and lots of $$$. If you have a pet that is already sick and you plan on spending over $1000 in services (meds, tests, surgery, whatever), then the plan might be best for you. If you have a pet that seems otherwise perfectly healthy, you can probably get by without it.

One month later he had the same symptoms. I had a balance of pills from the one medication however I needed 3 pills of the Other. I called at 9:45 am and asked if I could come in and pick them up. I expected to pay for them and that she would say to come right in. Was I wrong. After 15 minutes of interrogation, I was told the Dr. Would need to call me back in a few minutes. There was only one vet on duty and she was supposedly in surgery. When I hadn't heard back by 5:20 I called and told them what they could do with the plan. They certainly didn't have any interest in caring for my pet. They are a money driven company that has their bottom line as their major concern.

After my call complaining and informing I would not renew my plan. I got a return call in about ten minutes telling me the vet just looked at the request and to come in for the pills. No apology, no "We're sorry just doing what should have been done 7 hours earlier." CANCELLING the renewal Is a procedure not easily completed. I was required to contact the home office. Long story short. Use a different vet service. A small Local one that has no stockholders to look at quarterly results. Sell short. One

Within 4 days, noticeable hearing loss was occurring. I made an appointment because of this and Mollie was seen again on 11/29/2014 because hearing loss was extreme and concerning. At home she acted as though she was completely deaf and considerably lethargic/withdrawn. I dropped her off for this appointment - figuring that they would just say the ear drops were "clogging" her ears. I was told later in the afternoon, though, that she presented deaf to the vet staff and that this was normal considering her AGE. When I openly questioned the rapid onset (no known symptoms to full deafness within 1 week) I was assured that it was happening gradually and that her age was culprit - twice! I was also informed at this time to immediately stop the Remicin ointment drops and told that her infection was no longer seen.

It was after returning home with her that my husband and I researched and learned of this terrible risk of deafness particularly in older dogs. We had no idea. We were not informed of neither consented to such risks involved with this medication. We would have sought alternative treatments. The vet tech had just marked her health as 'excellent' before my eyes in our initial exam - there was NO evidence of hearing impairment... I reject completely that a dog can go completely deaf within a week's time, no matter how old it is, without a direct reason!! I've never had a problem with Banfield before, but we have seen all over the internet (too late) how this Remicin Ointment is causing deafness...too much so to justify a vet continuing to prescribe it to patients (especially senior dogs in which the risk is all so much greater)!!

Bottom line: Took her there for a routine exam, and ended up with a handicapped dog! We are in the process of reporting this incident at state and local levels to ensure we do everything possible to prevent this medicine from ruining another dog's life!!

After four months I received a call from a collection agency saying that I have a debt with Banfield Hospital of $311.46. I couldn't believe it. I paid it and call Banfield Hospital, and as per them they couldn't collect the monthly payment of my pet insurance because the bank has denied the payment. I called the bank and it was not true. They never call me or even sent notifications about this. I end up paying the insurance for the whole year and because they couldn't not collect the monthly insurance payment, they cancel the account. They never gave me a contract, everything was done through the phone. DO NOT GET THIS INSURANCE FOR YOUR PET, AND IF YOU DO, TELL THEM TO GIVE A CONTRACT. THIS INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER MUCH FOR YOUR PET, YOU ARE BETTER OFF TAKING YOUR PET TO A PRIVATE VET. THEY ARE OVERCHARGING.

Then I tell them if I can't get the thyroid medicine my cat will die so you might as well quote me for one euthanize. They tell me no the doctor won't do that for you under the circumstances! And might I add 2 months ago while being on the wellness plan for my two kittens, which states clearly that when you get them sprayed or neutered it is covered, they tried to charge me $800 and it was only after I argued that I am on a wellness plan I came back to pick up the kittens and lo and behold it was now under $100! Doesn't that sound crooked?

I was left with the impression that the staff was not properly trained to handle pets they've not seen before. I've called the corp offices to complain, however… they were just as rude as the staff members. Today I called PetSmart. They however, do care. Their reputation is tied to Banfield. I would never recommend Banfield to anyone who cares and loves their pet, and I will not spend my money at PetSmart for supporting, and partnering with these people!

A few minutes later we got home and as my mother was prepping her area I noticed the had a little bump in her neck, upon checking her I noticed she was covered in ticks and had scabs all over her body, so I spent the next 3 hours removing ticks and cleaning scabs, later that night I noticed her belly becoming bloated, her getting mucous diarrhea, and shivering. Because I was concerned I decide that I had to take her on Monday to my regular vet. Surprise not only had they missed a lot of ticks and bloody scabs they also completely missed the fact that she had hookworms. PERFECT. My vet said that was also given a wrong dosage of deworming solution but that she would be okay.

My advice, Banfield is more expensive that they make it seem. They are negligent and mediocre in their examination and as a responsible pet parent I would not go there, rather I would find a local vet that is more capable. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful or mean but if you cant find a tick or a parasite in a fecal smear you are either not capable of performing your duties or need to be more conceit of what you are doing. What if my dog would have had something more serious and put in danger my other pets, I don't even want to think what a surgery with them must be like. None the less I like PetSmart they offer a variety of product and their staff is excellent but I am extremely disappointed with their vet services, mediocre health care providers is something that is unacceptable, putting animals health and lives at risk is negligent. Get your stuff together.

I will not waste my time describing the other instances of issues I've had with Banfield since we've signed up with your program. There have been SERIOUS issues there. One of your vets actually acts as if she smokes and is high while in the exam room. Of COURSE you all want people to sign a binding agreement forcing us to pay you hundreds of dollars for treatment. Because that's the only way you'd make money. If you ACTUALLY had to get paid based on your competence, you would have closed years ago.

I am letting you know that effective today, I WILL NO LONGER pay you another cent of my money for you to let my dog sit here and die from a disease he will have to live with while you refuse to give me a treatment plan. I wouldn't trust a single thing that came from you at this point anyway. Your doctors are incompetent and your business plan is sneaky and misleading. Effective immediately, I am blocking all future payments for this "wellness plan" (more like "let us charge you thousands of dollars so we can tell you your dog is sick and let him die" plan). My husband is driving to Banfield right now to get my dog's records so we can bring him somewhere that will actually try to help us. You are being reported to the BBB and I'm submitting reviews on yelp, google and every other place humanly possible.

So I had to drive looking for another place to check my pet. I finally did and they saw her the moment I walked in since they saw that she was in so much pain. So I can promise you, I WILL NEVER go back to that hospital. Never in my life I've felt so angry! I called to ask another Banfield and told them what happened (just to see if it was true they don't see emergency patients) and they said they had to see her. But of course I didn't go back and will not go back ever again to that Banfield. And if they don't take patients with emergencies, they should take down the "we take care of emergencies first" paper they have on the window.

A couple of weeks later a $25 charge showed up on our bank account. We called to find out why we were being charged and were told the puppy planned had rolled over into an adult plan WITHOUT ANY NOTIFICATION and that it was written into the contract that they did not have to notify you. When we indicated we did not want the adult plan and wanted to cancel, we were told we would then owe the balance of our last visit which was somewhere around $300. Or we could stay on the adult plan for the next 10 months and pay $250 over the course of those months. Basically we are locked into staying on their plan for another year. Three phones calls later with no apology or attempt to fix their broken system. I went to Banfield for their convenient hours, but I will take vacation days to take my dogs somewhere else in the future after the experiences we have had there the past year.

My dog already lost his eyesight because two doctors at Banfield could not diagnose something so common as Glaucoma. My dog is now requiring his eye to be remove. I file a complaint to their Office and the Manager Shelly who called me refused to own their mistake and take responsibilities for lack of knowledge and working equipment. She was quite rude and blaming me for not taking my dog to a specialist. I told her “I trusted your Hospital.” I am very upset that this so called Hospital is operating without the proper working equipment and experience Doctors.

I wanted to cancel my membership except they refused and told me to pay the remaining balance of $170.00. There are so many complaints against them and still in Business. They rip people off with their so called Wellness Program. They harm their clients and don't have the decency to own and make things right for their customers. I hope they feel the pain of my dog when karma comes around. If they have the proper equipment and knowledge, his eyesight would have been save to release the pressure and pain he suffered. Now my dog lost his eyesight and required to have his eye remove.

You know, the one they give you after you sign up for the plan that you're told will save you money during your animals exam. The exam where they tell you the long list and costs off all the things your poor rescued street kitten will need. You wanna do the right thing, and so you sign up thinking they have you and your animal’s best interest at heart. Their cold, dead, black, shriveled corporate heart...

So, you tell the sassy rep that all of these hidden costs nor the 12-month agreement were explained to you and you weren't given the agreement to read beforehand. The ever so helpful rep will let you know that you have the convenient option to either pay out the remainder of your contract in full or continue the plan until the contract is up. Well, of course you're going to continue the contract because why would you give someone a lump sum of money and then give more money to another vet. Let’s get something straight, the people who work here are friendly and have a great smile... but so did Ted Bundy. Even Satan side eyes this company. SO TAKE MY MONEY! Me and my cat don’t need to eat, but ask yourself... Who’s the real animal here? GOOD DAY!

We were given the phone number to contact corporate and so we did. When we were directed to billing we were told that the reason for being charged was due to the fact that they tried to bill us $41.95 on the 5th but our bank denied the transaction due to insufficient funds and that there is a $20 fee to charge again. We were never told about this when we had signed up for our plan and we were never given a form stating this fee. The woman on the phone was rude. We asked why we weren't contacted about this transaction being denied on both accounts of October 14, 2014 and November 12, 2014. She rudely said that "we don't feel the need to do this because it is the customer's responsibility to keep track of their funds!" Which is right but we do keep track and we were never informed of this being a possibility during a payment!

Banfield corporation needs to prioritize their customers over their funds! And we should not have to stress over this happening again. We are no longer going to continue business with Banfield! Although, we enjoyed our time at our pet hospital in the time we did, but for customer service to be so rude and us not being informed of this happening we are very frustrated and furious with Banfield Corporation!

Patricia needs to learn how to consult. She could have easily come out and said there's nothing that can really be done and let me make the decision of whether or not I still want my dog's weight and temperature taken. I am in a very high position myself, and when someone has a simple question, I don't charge them. I just advise/consult them and that's the end of it. Banfield has lost my business and this is just the beginning of my complaint. Next, I will be going to the internet. Everyone will know that Patricia is unhelpful and it's obvious she is not compassionate by the way her tone was towards me. It's highly advisable that Patricia learn to explain ingredients and why something can't be done instead of stumbling words and looking at a customer with a stone-cold face. Enough on this website. I will ensure everyone knows that this sort of practice is unacceptable. Consult - Advise - Educate. Not, Weight-Temperature-Heart-rate-$50.00.

I now have to spend thousands of dollars on attorney's fees and my time to try to regain what is rightfully mine. Mars, Inc., the candy company, bought Banfield a few years ago and they are trying to steal all of the Banfield charters from their founding veterinarians. This is an important issue within the veterinary community and it should be told.

If I can't even trust them with an appointment, there is no way I could trust them with my puppy. When I called to cancel, I told her I was canceling it because of the poor customer service. She said "Thank you" and hung up. No apology or asking for a further explanation. If this is standard for a new customer, I don't even want to imagine what it is like for a regular.

The doctor checked her out and offered a variety of tests which would cost me under $500.00, then left the room to verify if my dog received her shots. She verified them and then told me she reported me to the County because my dog has Rabies. They explained since I am a mother I should be concerned for my child's welfare, I need to quarantine my dog, and be expecting a knock at my door from the county. The Vet also told me if she doesn't report this I might come back and sue her! I have no intention of suing anyone, I am well off and I don't need to take advantage of any situation!

I was absolutely in shock!!!!!!!! I was offended as well! I went home and called the Spay and Neuter Clinic in Mesa which I was there just 48 hours ago. The Vet Tech named Jade said not to worry, their claims are ridiculous and "they are bullying you! Don't stand for this." This is horrible and I can't believe this happened to me and my sweet little doggy. I am going to tell the County about this claim against me and hope they go after this Vet who put me in this position. If you're reading this Dr. Michele **, I don't want your money, I want someone who cares enough about doing what's right for the animal and looking at all your facts instead of being concerned about who is going to sue you. If you're guard up that much then you're obviously doing something wrong.

Horrible to know your pet died because an idiot pretending to know misdiagnosed or didn't really diagnose accurate. As for the plan they offer, they offered me 37 a month including vaccines and neuter. Give a freaking break... That plan which I thank God didn't signed for is not worth it... Other vets has vaccination packages, and spay and neuter for about $200 or $200. Even at Miami Dade programs you can do it for a really low cost. It won't cover the most important issues such as surgery, meds, etc. so what's the benefit? None. Just overpriced vaccines and neutering service. A license breeder can give shots.. Give a break... I thank God I didn't signed cause to be honest if something would had happened to my pet I would have kicked the "vet" right on their private parts for real!!!!

They sold me a vial of Vetsulin and a box of syringes and said get his glucose down to normal "85 to 350" and he would then be good to go to have at least two teeth pulled and the rest cleaned. They gave him a shot for nausea, rabies vac., parvo vac., and sent us home with Cerenia for the nausea. Me not being the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to animal health took their advice and meds and went home with a follow up in a week. At the follow up his glucose was still too high for anesthetics for dental surgery. Not to mention still not eating and vomiting water. But that is the best information I ever got from that place. Had they operated on his teeth it would have been over.

My next stop was a real vet that within 15 min. of walking in told me to hospitalize my buddy for ketoacidosis and pancreatitis - he was critical. He lays here beside me as I write this after spending an additional $2500 at a real vet. I had to bring him home because I'm broke and can't afford additional hospital time. I'm praying that he survives. The Banfield charged over a $1000 for 4 shots, an exam, some blood work and their worthless opinion and a wellness plan. Of course their plan cannot be canceled. But they are not to blame - only I can carry that cross. I should have checked up on them before I went there.

Living in Portland where the original Banfield got its start, they earned a reputation of being the best in the area. I didn't know what had become of a once best in the business veterinary hospital. That was many years ago. The first clinic is now their headquarters and it is full of uncaring people who will do everything in their power to shame you into paying for a plan that if you purchased everything the plan provides elsewhere would run you a couple of hundred bucks. My plan was used up in 2 weeks. They wanted over $600 to cancel. I will probably regret it but I will not be held hostage by these crooks. I will not continue to pay for service that they do not provide. And I will do my best to see that everyone I know here's just what may happen to their pet if they decide to have that outfit do anything more than pet their animal. BEWARE YOU MAY LOSE A FAMILY MEMBER.

When I called to cancel my wellness plan, they made me pay for the rest of the year and she had only been on the plan less than 4 months. This was never explained to me when I signed up and they never made me sign a contract saying that I would pay for all services rendered or for the rest of the year if I cancel. So I had to pay an additional 300 dollars just to get rid of them. They are a scam.

Further, the "chief" hung up on me when I asked her what they were willing to do and asked her to call corporate and clarify the policy under these circumstances. When my dog needed three teeth removed last year they wanted to charge me $600.+ dollars when a local vet did it for under $300. I did get two other opinions and they both were happy to clean his teeth with mild anaesthesia or none, just a tranquilizer. They continue to bill for services they will not render. Both vets did not agree that the reason they gave for refusing to do the dental was a heart murmur and slightly elevated liver count as they both agree he is a strong healthy dog, and those were not valid reasons for not cleaning his teeth. An infection in the mouth could be more harmful than a cleaning.

With no treatment my dogs are heartworm free. They overcharge and do unnecessary procedures. Luna's last visit her comprehensive. I was told everything looked good. The next day I noticed worm in her feces. She was full of worms. I have treated the worms but her health has been deteriorating ever since. Will not take her back. Still have to pay thru December on her contract.

This was my first and last experience with Banfield. I wonder if what other Banfield reviewers and technicians have said is true, that the veterinarians here are inexperienced. When we got there to say goodbye to our beautiful pet, someone else did all the talking and although she was present, the veterinarian didn't say anything at all. Not one word. She seemed shocked, and I can only wonder how many times she had done this procedure. Whatever really happened, we will never know. My children are devastated, please think twice before you decide to take your beloved pet here. It’s not worthy.

I had made my appointment with Dr. ** and when I went to Banfield I waited there for 2 hours before Baby was seen for her Titer Rabies Test. It wasn't Dr. ** but a Dr. ** who Baby took a complete dislike to. I began explaining to him I needed a form 51 and he rudely said to me he never heard of that Rabies Form. I am sorry but I only worked for my husband, Jordan **, since 1977 to 2003 and I filled out many forms 50 and then it was changed to form 51. These forms are needed to make reservations for the pets for airline travel and international travel is much stricter than domestic travel. I asked for the form and basically he told me I was crazy and didn't know what I was talking about.

The 2nd red flag was I was told a different thing than what Dr. ** told me. He told me Baby has a heart murmur and won't last the air flight. She will die. Now I look at her paws and her belly but there was no expiration marks on her saying when she is going to die nor did he give me what grade that this mummer was and when I got home I listened with my stethoscope and heard a normal beat, a healthy heart. There are only two sounds heard sort of a lub-dub and they should be clearly audible, not muffled or difficult to pick up. The two sounds should have uniform loudness (the 'lub' isn't louder than the 'dub' or vice versa), and a regular rhythm. She did not have a Lub or the Dub louder than the other.

My next red flag was the filling out of the form 51. I need 3 original copies and each copy I was handed was totally different from the 1st copy and it had to be signed by the doctor who initially gave the vaccine which it wasn't. When I looked at the form 51 they checked off that the manufactured 3 year licensed Rabies Vaccine was a 1 year shot. There is another space on the form for when they want to revaccinate her but she is not going back to them since she will be living in Israel. The Israeli Government is only interested in how long the vaccine was going to last not how long they want to over vaccinate a 12 year old dog who could get lung abscess in the lungs if over vaccinated as written in the AHHA and AVMA journals. I have kept up with my studies and attended major conventions.

The Defensor 3 is a licensed 3 year vaccine and has to be written that way on a form 51 or that this Rabies Certificate is considered not valid. Also as I said I needed 3 in blue or purple ink originals not black which if they had used the carbonless copy they won't have made the mistakes that they did which alters each Certificate. 3 form 51 enclosed along with the Banfield Rabies Certificate which is not accepted in Israel. According to the Rabies Law in Pennsylvania Chapter 16 Rabies Prevention and Control Subchapter C Section16.43 Revaccination, A dog or cat over 3 months of age shall be vaccinated to maintain immunity against rabies by the administration of a USDA licensed vaccine, including vaccines producing Immunity lasting 3 years, in accordance with instructions prescribed by the manufacturer.

2. A dog or cat vaccinated when OVER 1 (one) YEAR with a vaccine producing immunity lasting 3 (three) years shall be revaccinated no later than 3 (three) years and at least every 3 (three) years thereafter.

Baby is 12 years old and that Banfield issued a 1 year licensure on a 3 year licensure vaccine. I paid for the certificate of vaccination and her Rabies titer. Now I question this Pet Hospital over their policy vs their examinations and qualifications. I am wondering how many people were told that their pets were going to die in 3 months and were put to sleep because of misdiagnoses. I take writing up a complaint against another Vet very seriously because my husband was accused by animal activist falsely. But this is not a false complaint and I have the Rabies Certificate which I am enclosing and of both Banfield and the copies of the 3 form 51 which was signed and never checked. Also as I said that we are leaving at the end of December 2014 and I was handed a health Certificate after I explained it 3 times the end of December.

When I mentioned the Airline El Al this doctor ** said, "Who's El Al?" It made me feel he was anti-Israel especially telling me my Baby was going to die on her way to Israel. His exact words were "when you open the cage you will find a dead dog." This doctor ** berated me, tried to make me look stupid. Also to add to this instead of the doctor taking blood for the Rabies titer in front of me, shaving the leg, he took blood from an artery in the neck in the back in a back room. They didn't shave the hair in the area of the Jugular Artery where they took blood which I found to be unsanitary and not very clean. I could not find the needle mark or any blood in that area. I am not even sure they took blood and I was charged for it. There is always a needle mark or some oozing of blood. When I examined her neck she generally is sensitive to the touch at the injection site. Now he placed the microchip in her back and she is sensitive there.

October 24th, 2014, I received a call today at approximate 10am from a Dr. **, the Chief of Staff. I was still angry at how I was lied to by the staff of 1.) the cost of the visit when it should have been a revisit; 2.) the fact that I did not find an injection spot on Baby's neck and therefore I do not believe a test was taken; 3.) they refused to give me the name of the Lab this blood titer was sent to. The only lab that was found on the net was Kamas State University in and their fees are the following:

RFFIT-Rabies Antibody Screen Serum (1-2ml) Humans and All Animals $40.00 more...

Where Banfield obtained a $350 fee for a Lab test is almost 300% of the actual cost. Banfield Pet Hospital continues to commit fraud to other clients with the practice of giving a 3 year licensed vaccination to other 1year and older pets with stating it's a one year vaccination. The public depends and is in total dependency on the honesty of the Vets and the Vet Asst in this practice to be forthcoming. Section 21. Grounds for Disciplinary Proceedings, (4) Fraud, deception, misrepresentation, dishonest or illegal practices in or connected with the practice of veterinary medicine.

One doctor at the practice states Baby had no heart murmur and the other doctor states she has a Grade 2/6 heart murmur without an EKG and without evidence to back him up. Confusion has arisen over the position of the point of maximal intensity (PMI) of sounds associated with the different valve areas. The point at which sounds are loudest does not correspond accurately with the anatomical position of the valves because sounds have to be transmitted to the body surface to be heard. Systolic sounds associated with the AV valves are best heard towards the apex beat area because they are transmitted by the stiff ventricular wall to the point at which it touches the chest wall. However, external anatomical landmarks are a rough guide to the location of underlying cardiac structures.

The mitral valve area is located in the fourth or fifth intercostal space on the left side of the chest just dorsal to the level of the olecranon. The aortic valve area is located in the fourth intercostal space on the left side of the chest just below the point of the shoulder. To hear sounds in this area, the stethoscope must be pushed forward under the triceps muscle. The pulmonary valve area is located in the second or third intercostal space on the left side of the chest just ventral to the aortic valve area. The tricuspid valve area is located in the third or fourth intercostal space on the right side of the chest approximately midway between the level of the olecranon and the shoulder. Sounds associated with the tricuspid valve may also be heard on the left side of the chest in the second intercostal space at a similar level in some animals. These areas reflect the cranio-caudal orientation of the LV and the right-left orientation of the right ventricle.

It is very difficult to hear a low grade 1 and 2 unless a Cardiac stethoscope is used and total silence is in the room when the noises of barking dogs were heard in the room and that the wrist of the technician Nick ** was directly next to the bell and the diaphragm of the stethoscope. When I brought this to the attention of Dr. ** she was indifferent to my concerns. One Doctor states no murmur while the other states murmur. When I brought up to the attention of Dr. ** how I was spoken to by her staff and how I was at that point angry on who was telling me the truth and who was lying and that I mentioned this in the lobby waiting 1 hour for a Certificate that was filled out incorrectly with several different signatures and not of the doctor who performed the Rabies Vaccination I felt fraud was committed and I was not going to jail for their mistakes.

When I went in to have a receipt signed for the records and which also indicated they owe me the original results needed to international travel they just acted as her legal consultant and her boss. He advised her on what to say which placed her deeper into this fraud. After reviewing the records there were defaming, slanderous comments on Baby's record about me being hostile, and stated I said I was just a stupid Technician which I originally said a dump technologist who only worked in my husband's office from 1977 to 2003 when I gave the hard copy records to Steven ** who was my husband's cousin along with the computer records. I had not asked for any phone numbers or any other information but was holding a private conversation with my son about calling and complaining to their Corporation Headquarters on the treatment of my dog and me.

That I sat in an exam room for 2 hours watching the staff play keep the door from opening, eating, making fun of clients and then in the lobby area for another hour with another client who came in was told that there was no walk in after she was told there was. She asked the receptionist to check to see if the kitten who was about 6 weeks old if it was a boy or a girl. The receptionist was so nasty to her that she sat down at her command. My son said he could tell and held the kitten up to see the sex and she was a lucky Grandmother of a Male kitten. I never asked for anyone phone number but I wanted to know when Dr. ** was in to lodge my complaint. I cannot take Baby's records to any vet because of what they wrote in there about me. I demand that these unprofessional comments be removed.

I have a receipt that they owe me the Rabies Titer test that I overpaid for and that I demand to pick this test up just in case they give me the wrong thing. I am cannot trust their comments on the test since they have been proven to me that they write unprofessional comments and lies. This Pet Hospital allows unprofessional unlicensed personal to write on medical records. This person came in impersonated a Registered/Certified Vet Technician and proceeded to examine my dog. This ** wore a tag that said vet tech. He argued with me, had accesses to my pet's records and wrote defaming comments on the record which was not professional. The "manager" did not refer to the staff as a Medical Vet Staff but as a TEAM and he was the TEAM LEADER which makes no sense in the Veterinary Field.

Also he claims he took blood from my dog through the jugular vein and not from the leg. He is not formally trained or qualified or licensed to take blood from Animals. This Nick ** is practicing as a Vet Tech and is unlicensed to do so. If he is an animal handler or a kennel person they should not be making comments about the owner or examining pets.

Later on after two weeks I still noticed worms. So I took her back and they did a fecal exam again and again was negative (don't expect any real answers from these people) but gave me more medication which again I did as instructed. By the way you only get a dollar off all medications even though you are paying ~$50 a month. By this point I have gotten her all of her shots done; rabies, parvo, etc. My dog all of a sudden was throwing up eight hours after eating, was lethargic, and just ill. I took her to the vet immediately. The vet gave her fluids and tested her for parvo (I know people say dogs can still get it after the vaccine). The test came back negative (they however fails to tell me if it was the fecal test, which is cheap for them and very inaccurate test, or a blood test which is what should be done).

The vet said and I quote (about vomiting 8 hours after eating) "That doesn't sound possible. You see after 8 hours all her food should be in her lower intestine." Everyone should know this that's why I brought it to her attention but I guess she thought I was over exaggerating even though I fed her at 6am then when I get home to take her for a walk around three or four which is when she vomited before her 6pm dinner. I bought the prescription food and my dog wouldn't touch it. Every week I brought her in and was given no answer at all, just medications to treat the symptoms and only the symptoms.

By the third week with them doing nothing at all I got puppy milk and bottled fed her and spoke with another vet. I didn't even tell the other vet that I have been taking her to Banfield! I only told her the symptoms and immediately the new vet at a different company said there could be an internal blockage or rupture. Specifically because I told the different clinic that she vomits eight hours after eating. The new clinic didn't even have to see my dog to give me an idea of what was wrong. I took my dog in that night to the new vet clinic but by then it was too late. It was a internal rupture causing the intestine to start telescoping. It got too bad to be able to do something. I went to this new vet once who was able to find the answer and was the most comforting woman I have ever met! She didn't even charge me for anything!

Banfield did test (every single one showing negative even the ones I knew were positive!) But didn't give me an answer, blew me off when I told them the symptoms, and charged me $300 on top of the monthly charge. My dog died because of these people - there is no doubt about that. But to make matters worse I have to continue to pay for the pet insurance until the end of the year! My dog wasn't able to get spayed due to being ill! I know vets have bad days and I know mistakes are made. However there is no excuse for four weeks failing in a row and not giving an answer! And when I went in to talk about how ridiculous the fact that I have to pay for insurance on my dog that they killed I was told, "Well if you spent $300 then we obviously were doing something." That was the manager's response. Needless to say I am looking into suing them. Just heed my warning. Don't waste your money on a corporate vet that doesn't care about animals or customers.

We go to the Banfield on Commercial Blvd. in Lauderhill, FL. Everyone there - reception, vet, assistants - are so friendly. They love my dog just as much as I do. Sometimes they seem very busy, and there can be a line of people waiting to pick up their pets, but they always welcome you and tell you they'll be right with you. I've never seen another customer look or sound upset while I was there.

The vets definitely recommend buying different preventative meds for your pet, but they do not badger you into it. I did purchase a dose of heartworm preventative that was suggested because the mosquitoes in FL are pretty bad. I've never been made to feel guilty about not buying something for my pet. So far, very happy with Banfield.

After finally getting an answer as to what happened, this was their response. "Unfortunately the location did not properly activate her plan and tried multiple times to reach her." Which is a joke because they didn't even have my correct address on file, which I also provided them so they could process my card. I tried to work with them and pay what I owed which would be the monthly payments I owed, but they refused, wanting $200+. Banfield refused to work with me on an issue that was their fault. I will never sign up for Banfield again and I make sure that everyone I encounter knows to stay away from them.

After confirming the studio wouldn't see him, they let me in to see the vet. After the consultant examined him, she made some suggestions and left. The vet came in, looked him over, made a few entries, then left. The consultant came back with the bill: $394. They wanted to take stool samples, wash his ears, give him 3 kinds of medicine.. all that before they trimmed his nails and cleared his mats. I said no to everything but the nail "pedicure" for which they charged me $75! I saw what they did.. one held him down and the other clipped his nail with clippers, they didn't file them at all! Plus they charged me a $5 "waste disposal fee" for his clipped nails and the gloves they wore while clipping him. If this place isn't the worst scam and rip-off joint in the USA, I'd like to know who has them beat.

In the middle of their appointment, they came out and told me they were having trouble with them because my oldest cat was overly aggressive. I explained to them he does not like strangers when I'm not there and I should be with them. The tech vet said, "I don't think that will change anything since they are feral." I never said feral! I let it go and we went over prices for deworming and flea treatment. They made mention of their wellness plan and the routine care it would cover with discounts. It sounded really beneficial so I signed them up and paid the fees for the visit. Then the vet comes out and says the BLOOD TEST they administered on my oldest cat shows he has FIV!

I freaked out because it made no sense for him to have it and because I never approved doing a blood test. Then they go over this list of test they have done like ear mite test, stool test, leukemia test, disposition test, the works. And she recommended drugs I could also get to help with his FIV. I declined any further test and medication and went home. I was in so much shock about my cat having cat aids basically, I didn't even think to get really mad about all the other test they did without my permission.

We took my oldest cat to another vet to see about the FIV and they said not only would you not be able to test for FIV accurately in-house, but if the cat was vaccinated for it, they definitely would have gotten a positive from the type of test they did. We had her send out the test and he tested negative for it. I called Banfield and complained about the misdiagnosis and all the vet there kept saying is the newest textbooks in veterinarian science says that's debatable. I called a vet we had in Tennessee and they confirmed the second vet.

I tried to cancel the wellness plan after that never wanting to even see a PetSmart, but they told me all the test they ran if I cancelled it early would be over $1000 upfront or I could pay off the 1 year agreement I was never told about which was $38 X 12. I finally paid it off and it took over 2 days of me calling their cancellation line and billing dept to send me official letters of the account being closed and papers stating they would not charge me again. If you see a PetSmart RUN! Not only is an average vet visit only $40 for a real vet, the discount on the periodic medication, like confortis, is the exact same price. 0 benefit to having that plan or getting a professional opinion of the vets they employ.

Our story: My dog has been on the Banfield Wellness plan for over 10 years. Back in 2008, he had a problem with an obstruction in his digestive system that Banfield failed to diagnose. After spending hundreds of dollars at Banfield (South Shepherd, Houston, TX location), I took him to a different emergency vet and he was treated. I foolishly wrote this instance off as an anomaly. So this last week, when he started feeling ill, my boyfriend took him to Banfield. Despite our repeated insistence that he could have another obstruction in his digestive system, Banfield took x-rays and assured us that the x-rays showed no such obstruction. Banfield then sent us home with antibiotics, assuring us he had an "infection". Banfield scheduled a "cautionary" follow up appointment that their doctor said we "probably wouldn't need."

When I showed up for the follow up appointment (4 days later) with his condition obviously worsening, Banfield again took x-rays and again told us there was no obstruction. They admitted they were "unsure" why he was still sick or why his white blood cell count was so alarmingly high. At that point, Banfield's doctor suggested we could take him home and wait two more days for someone there qualified to do an ultrasound (at Banfield) or take him somewhere else to have it done. By then, we had lost all faith in Banfield and took him elsewhere immediately.

The vet at the other emergency hospital didn't need an ultrasound--they didn't need any more information than what Banfield already had. They looked at Banfield's x-Rays, and within five minutes told us he had an obstruction and needed emergency surgery immediately. By the time they did the surgery, it had been four days since Banfield's doctors had originally seen him and the obstruction had wrapped itself around his intestines such that it was punctured in 12 places. He survived for three days after the surgery, but died on the fourth. We trusted Banfield to help us care for a dog who trusted us to take care of him, and Banfield betrayed that trust. Shame on them.

I have no issue with Banfield marketing itself as a hub for preventative care ONLY. However, they sell themselves as a full-service veterinary hospital, and that is misleading. So misleading it is criminal. They misdiagnosed my dog's issue, they were unable to keep my dog overnight, they lacked the staff with the expertise to properly read X-ray imaging, and they didn't have the equipment or staff to do an ultrasound. Does that sound like a full-service veterinary hospital to you? And they lull you into thinking you will be saving money by using the Wellness Plans, but I promise you the nominal savings are not worth your pet's life. My foolish mistake will haunt me for a long time.

Please share this story. My research following this incident shows this is not a rare exception. No other animals deserve to suffer due to Banfield's poor standards of care.

I had another dog that I had brought in a few weeks earlier and at that time I asked what the charges would be for xrays of hips and elbows and was told $300. When I made the appointment for Juno I again asked what the charges would be and again was told $300. I also asked other vets in the area and was quoted the same price.

But now my total was $600+. Not to mention the fact that my dog has now sat in a crate for 8 hours. Eight hours and they had done NOTHING with her. Needless to say I was very mad and said I would be there to pick her up. I was told on the phone "Sorry that someone misquoted you" and that is just what it cost and just how long it takes. No apologies, nothing. Then when I go to pick her up they make a big deal of crediting the office visit... When they did NOTHING. They did not even take her out to potty, Juno is a highly trained dog and she barely made it outside before she had to go potty. That is negligence!

I loaded Juno in the car and went back in to complain to a manager or something. I was then told that there was nothing they could do because Banfield and Petsmart are chains and therefore that is just the way things are. I argued and she told me she would go get a different manager where upon that said manager never returned. I was left standing waiting for over 15 minutes until I left to take my dog home after an exhausting day.

I will never step foot in a Petsmart or Banfield hospital ever again. I had been using them for about 8 years. They do not care about the animals or customers. They are in it for the most eyes and to please corporate. They find letting a large dog sit in a tiny crate for 8 hours straight to be acceptable practice and do not stick to quotes or promises. Negligent liars!

But please know, we (nurses and doctors) are here because we love animals! And we would never want anything bad to happen to them. Also, if I could give your pet free care I would... But we would not exist if we did not charge for services. Think of yourself...what do you get charged for when you go to the doctor?? How is your pet any different cost wise... Equipment and employees need to get paid for just the same... Thank you for reading this! And please know that we love our patients!

Yesterday we brought both our dog and our cat in for a teeth cleaning. Everything went fine during the procedure but while in recovery they had complications with our cat which was a pure breed Persian. They lost our baby and can't tell us why and now we are having problems with our dog and both were on the wellness plan. What a joke. We almost lost our dog during the night due to him having some sort of reaction to this anesthesia.. We have to get him in to another vet asap today.

The wellness plan is suppose to keep your babies around longer not kill them when they are 100% healthy going in. Now we are trying to cancel all of our wellness plans as we will never ever take our kids here again. They're trying to tell us we owe them money to cancel the plans after killing our baby. This was the Port Charlotte, Florida location. A very hurt and distraught family that wants to know the truth and prevent others from this pain.

Update. Our baby is so traumatized and distraught over what was witnessed with our cat. He can not stop crying... We did a Google search on you and found HUNDREDS of posts on people losing these cats during routine teeth cleanings... Clearly you all are doing something very wrong. We are aware you are doing an autopsy on our Sophie and cremating her free of charge, but why were we not given copies of there pre-surgical blood work when asked? Was it even done??

We asked for reimbursement of our baby. She was a pure bred doll faced Persian and a gift on our fifth anniversary to one another. She has papers, I am sure you are aware that those cats are not cheap. It took us quite some time to save for her. We can not ever replace her and while we understand accidents can happen something is not right here. I had to take our dog to another Vet yesterday who ruled that he is so traumatized or was handled abusively and roughly and that is why he is acting as he is..

Do you know what the Dr told me on the phone call? Something is wrong with Sophie. I said okay what? She said, as I said something is wrong, Sophie has died.. Just like that!! You call that a trained bedside manner.. I came to the hospital within 15 minutes Sophie had been gone for hours. She was cold and blue, it didn't just happen...

They refuse to take responsibility and face the fact that I expressed my concerns about this bump back in FEBRUARY! And here we are in September and they are still trying to downplay the extent of the damage that we are now facing. They just act like they do not care and are not willing to fix their mistake. I have had plenty of pets and never had any experience like I am having now. My FIRST and LAST time dealing with Banfield and I would NEVER recommend them to a friend or family member. I am rethinking my loyalty to PetSmart for even being associated with them.

Well I got my 2 Yorkies fixed a few days ago and I also took her to get fixed. When I went to pick them up, I was notified that the cat I thought was a 3-5 year old, unspayed female was actually an 8-10 year old neutered male! I was furious. For 6 months we thought this was a young female and are now told it's a male. I'm glad it wasn't that serious of a problem. But I will NEVER take any of my animals back to that place. I would advise everyone else to not take your pets there. If they can't tell the sex of an animal, what else don't they know?

About 2-3 months later, Lucy began new heat cycles. We went back to the vet twice and each time we were told either "Her body is used to the heat cycles and it will stop soon" or "Spaying doesn't stop the heat cycle". It only got worse. She began spraying more often, and in more places. After a year and a half, we decided to get a second opinion. A quick bout of antibiotics ruled out infection, and an expensive trip to a specialist revealed (via ultrasound) that there was still a piece of ovary left inside her. I called Banfield twice to ask if they would fix it, considering I already paid the extra to have it done right the first time, but still have not heard back from them.

They did not call so I called the next day. I talked to a Technician who told me her liver was fine but now her red and white blood cell count was very low and I would now need to talk to the Veterinarian that was there that day but the machine that did the blood tests needed to be serviced (call was recorded). The Veterinarian never called back, but I called twice and finally talked to him. He also told me her red and white blood cell count was extremely low and proceeded to tell me that she needed to be put on a high protein diet and he had the medication. If that didn't work that they would need to send her to a specialist because she probably had auto immune disease (call was recorded).

I didn't wait to see if that was the case. I called another Veterinarian who then sent her blood out to a certified laboratory. Her blood work came back and she is fine so it was Banfield’s machine that was off. When I called to cancel the plan I was told I would need to pay $600 for tests and one shot. The tests were 3 times deworming, a booster shot and the one blood test. I can't tell you that you should run away from them. I don't know why PetSmart lets them rent space. I won't shop there now because of them.

I brought her in for a bad seizure and told them I wanted her to live out the last of her life at home. They tried to get me to keep her over night hooked to IV which would cost me a few hundred dollars instead of sending me home with meds for the seizures. While we were deciding, she had more hard seizures and they came out to admit that she needs to be put down now.

We now purchased a puppy that has possibly a brain tumor. We already took it to one vet and he said most likely brain tumor and that the pup should be put down. At Banfield today we got a new young vet who seemed to be just out of school that helped us. We told her we already went to one vet who owned his own clinic and we were seeking a 2nd opinion in a possible small claims law suit against the breeder of the puppy. I asked her if she could document her findings and what she believes is going on. She happen to throw in her notes (that I will be taking to court,) that she mentioned about trying these medications to see if it would help and that I refused it. As if she was putting me on a guilt trip or shaming me for turning it down at that moment to think about it and wrote it on my documents that she knew I would be taking to court over the puppy.

I already have a 3rd opinion set up from another vet and didn't want to invest more money into medication that may do no good like my previous experience I had with my 8 year old dog that later was discovered had cancer. I had stopped going to Banfield since then because of those reasons and decided to try again to be shamed into purchasing medications that may not help as there was no testing done to know if those medications would help at all. An experienced older vet that owns his own clinic says that the chances of him surviving is very slim at 5%. This young vet seems to want me to try all kinds of treatments, medications, MRI, CT scans etc. after also mentioning to me that she also suggested putting him down because of his quality of life. Make any sense?

Okay now we knew my cat had constipation (great, that's what I said from the beginning) and they administered something to empty her bowels. I take her home. She eats, drinks, walks around and is becoming her old self again. Doc scares me with possible causes and diseases my cat could have and wants her to come back next day for ultrasound. I reluctantly go back, pay another $240 - US comes back negative. Vet suggests it could be a parasite that can infect humans and wants another test for $150. I refuse, take my cat half worried and totally fed up.

As it turns out my cat is fine, no further problems. It was just a simple constipation that according to my friend I could have fixed by giving my cat pumpkin puree as a natural laxative for less than $5 rather than wasting $1,000, taking off time from work and worrying about my cat dying or needing surgery which would have cost me another $1,000. I will never spend another dollar at Banfield!

I returned on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014 to get the Clavamox. Administered one at 11 am and one at 11 pm that night, which would be last night. I had been giving him syrup to coat his throat with the hope that any discomfort from coughing would be eased and he would start eating again, to no avail. I simply want to know what happened, given the fact that the doctor at Banfield claimed no issues after the blood work, the EKG, the x-ray.

If you have an appointment of 2:30 be ready to wait an additional hour to be seen. Every appointment that I have had has been anywhere from 30-60 minutes behind before we were actually ever seen. Then they are only in with you for a maximum of 10 minutes. Ridiculous. What is the point of appointments if the Vet cannot see the pet when scheduled. To summarize this: #1-Overpriced #2-Rushed #3-No need for an appointment. You could be seen faster if you just walk in. #4-I feel the Vets just guess what's wrong and charge for expensive tests whether needed or not. #5-Upselling or upcharging of unnecessary services or items or health packages. If I had the package, it would only have saved me $9.00 for the visit. Really? Wow, but it would cost me a lot more to pay them monthly fees. Ripoff. I will continue Harley on this course and hope he gets better this time but afterwards, we are in search of a real Vet Clinic to insure the health of my dog.

My issue is why would the dr recommend a more expensive flea treatment when the current one was working. I brought him in for a skin problem not for flea treatment. My cat wasn't due for another topical for another 10 days. So was the flea pill really necessary? Long story short, my cat had his pill and injections at 5:30 pm on aug 31, 2014. My healthy no issue black kitty was barely 8 yrs old and he passed @ 3:15 am on sept 1, 2014. I will miss him always. Apparently after doing some research, pfizer's website said that convenia should NOT be administered without a culture or some test being done on affected areas. Test was not done. Shot was still given without tests being performed. Also, the one of the side effects from both the convenia and comfortis is death. The dr only disclosed that only his liver and kidneys would be affected if administered too much, that was it.

So I look at this like this. The vet made an extra 10 bucks or so off of me and robbed me of my cat and my cat's remaining years. When confronting the dr about these side affects that she had failed to mention, she had said that she, the dr and banfield always administer convenia without any tests being done. The dr said that they never had a problem before. My response was it only takes 1 and there are hundreds of blogs and forums that state that convenia and comfortis are dangerous to dogs and cats and especially cats. She said the internet is not trustworthy and there is a lot of bad info on the web. I just looked at her and said that there is also a lot of good info on the web too and the specific side effects are listed on the med's leaflets from the manufacturer. She didn't have a response to that other than she had a long conversation with her chief of staff to make sure that she didn't do anything wrong. Why would she have to do that unless she had suspected that she did? Such as recommending a flea treatment which costs more and wasn't needed and was never given to my cat in the past.

I recently took a position where I work closely with several Veterinarians. When I mentioned my recent observations at my Banfield, their jaws dropped. This week, the Vet at Banfield advised they needed to sedate both of my pets so they could do their comprehensive exam. JUST AN EXAM! They said it was needed cause both were so agitated. Well, if you had *good* CVTs there on staff, rather than Pet Nurses, you'd have someone trained and confident in their Restraining skills. Banfield is: Money-hungry, Undertrained, Underpaid, Lacks confidence. Lacks ability, technology, equipment and supplies to treat animals properly. They just want you to get in, hurry up, buy what they're selling and get out. You should NOT need to sedate an old pet (that isn't feral, isn't injured) just to do an exam. Turns out the really good CVTs do NOT have to work at Banfield. They work at a "real clinic."

My husband is a Disabled Veteran with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and would have been devastated if the cat died. I am disabled as well. We are on a very limited fixed budget and if wasn't for our wonderful friend we would never have been able to save our cat's life.

Don't go with Banfield that is all about the dollar. The doctors are wonderful and I know they wanted to help but it was out of their hands. Unless you are capable of coming up with a lot of money at the last minute, then Banfield is right for you. But, if you live on a budget, just pray nothing happens to your animal because they will not work with you on a payment plan no matter how long you have been affiliated with them. The wellness plan is no good - doesn't really have any real benefits to it.

There was no compassion or care for my Puppy! I asked to see someone else and he told me he was the boss. I called corporate since his actions make Banfield look bad and within a short time the same man I had a problem with called me back to tell me he got the message about my complaint. The customers always right... and you just lost our business, and so did the Petsmart!

The vet tech told us that our dog looked good. She explained how since he is a GSD mix she liked them on the thin side so he didn't have any other medical issues like hip dysplasia etc. In our dog's records he had also had a 9-way distemper shot that was bought at central tractor and the vet tech told us those shots are only water and have no value. I was a little in shock. By this point we had no idea that a licensed vet would even come into the room. Well the vet tech took our dog out to test him for heartworms and parasites etc. She then brought him back into the room.

After a few moments a vet appeared. The vet had told us the TOTAL OPPOSITE of what the vet tech said. He stated our dog's body condition was a 3 not a 5 like the vet tech had stated. He needed to gain weight just like I had expressed. The vet tech told us in 3 months to wean him to dog food and off puppy food and the vet told us to start him on dog food now because the puppy food is too rich for his system. The whole appt. was very displeasing. We will not be returning to them any time in the future. Apparently their vet tech thinks she's a vet and should watch her words before she speaks them. I have never been in a situation like that where there is so much opposition.

1. I had a 20 yr old cat who was dying of cancer. I called to bring her in to be euthanized...and was told it wasn't really an emergency and I could get an appointment in 7 days. (Maybe they believe cats don't feel pain no suffer?)

2. I brought my dachshund mix in who has Disc Disease. The vet DID NOT EVEN TOUCH MY DOG! He still managed to cough up some diagnosis and left the room as quickly as possible. Don't worry - he did manage to print out the bill just fine!

3. My puppy had an appointment to be spayed and I was quoted a price between $250-300 (gulp). When I arrived at the appointment, I was told I needed to pay $595 because now my puppy was 7 months old and the price goes up. I asked why, as the dogs weight stayed the same. Her response...."Because." I then asked for a complete price breakdown of the bill, so I could determine what the extra costs were. Nobody in the office could do it.

4. I asked to speak with the office manager to solve these issues. After waiting 7 days with no contact from the manager, I filed a complaint with the corporate office. The office manager called me 15 minutes later. I asked her why she was calling me now and not last week, and she replied, "I received an email you complained. I'm doing my job by calling you back. What do you want?" And that was the NICEST part of the conversation.

In summary, the vet is cold and uncommunicative, the front desk staff incredibly rude, under-prepared and uninvolved, and the office manager must be the defensive linebacker of the team as she does nothing but block any progress. Please. DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMALS HERE. EVER. They don't care about you, they probably hate your animal....but they're very hopeful for your bank account. Please, find a real vet!

That night I had to rush my dog to the emergency hospital as I was afraid he would die. We were told that if the dog had his meds sooner he would not have had to suffer so long. It cost me $400.00. When I called Banfield to cancel the plan I could not use anyway they told me it would cost me $320.00 to cancel! Unbelievable nerve.

When I picked him up, the vet talked through the x-rays with them on the screen. I listened to what she had to say but in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "This is a joke, right?" She concentrated on the shoulders, comparing one to the other and pointed out how one is smooth and one has got a different shape. I admitted up front that I am no expert but questioned if the differences are because one shoulder shows the outside (shoulder blade) side of the bone while the other showed the ball-in-socket joint, so yeah, they would look different. But I asked, "So you think this is a bone problem?" She then turned to say, "Well, we are not joint experts!"

As you can guess my blood is starting to boil at this point, especially knowing I just spent $500 on x-rays that apparently they have no idea how to read. If she would have just stuck with her original story I would have been forced to believe her, because I admit I am no expert. She recommended sending it to a specialist for their opinion and I agreed. This was on a Monday and she said that she will have the results on Wednesday and call to discuss. Wednesday came and she left a message on my phone that the results were in and that I could try to call her but she would try again later. I tried and she was busy with patients so I waited... and waited.

Next day I called again, still could not get a hold of her. 8 days later I show up and explain my situation. The tech at the counter was super nice and said that the vet I used has been on vacation but understood this needed to be taken care of. She emailed and left messages on the vet's phone and finally 10 days after I brought him in, a different vet called and said it is probably osteoarthritis. This place is an absolute joke. If you're just going to get vaccinations and checkups then they might be alright but I HIGHLY suggest never agreeing to anything more than that. I wouldn't even trust them with a neuter job. Now I am forced to find another place to probably go through all this again, and pay out the ** for another x-ray. Don't waste your time here. There are better ways of throwing away your money.

Because of Banfield unprepared and careless staff, I will have to spend over R$3000 dollars. When I contact the clinic, the extremely rude and unprofessional manager Stephanie **, told me that was nothing that they could do by that point, even though she admitted their mistake. I also try to contact their customer advocate department, but they do absolutely nothing about. This hospital is just clearly a franchise, to make money out of their customers. They never even cared, that my poor dog could had being killed in Germany, yes, killed, some countries if they arrive with a mistakenly done health certificate, the pet will be exterminated.

I was even advised by Stephanie ** and her staff to leave my pet behind, and it could be shipped later, of course by my expenses. A veterinarian should know by head that a pug can't be shipped in cargo because of their short nose, and breathing problems, that is how careless they are. Every time you go to this vet clinic, it can be a broken nail, they will force and push you, to spend at least over 300 dollars. Please if you cared about your pet, be aware, look for other place, real vets who care about your beloved pet, and not money maker machine as Banfield franchise.

This is the SECOND time I have had problems with the treatment of my animals at Banfield. The first time was when they took my kitten Emma back to draw blood, brought her back to me and 10 minutes later came back in to inform me that they FORGOT that they needed more blood from her. They took her back again and I watched from the window as they shoved a needle into her 7 different times to draw blood. I am sorry, but this is ridiculous.

On Sunday May 18 2014 my husband went to pick up heartworm medicine single dose for my dog. The receptionist said she has to come back for a heartworm test. My husband gave Kyra the heartworm medicine that following day. I called to make an appt for Kyra for the Heartworm Test and have her nails cut. Tuesday May 20th I brought her in drop off. I put on the Check in Paper, she had a biscuit to eat this am and SHE CAN NOT HAVE TWO VACCINATIONS AT A TIME WHEN THEY ASK IF YOUR DOG EVER HAD ALLERGIC REACTIONS, THAT IS WHAT I WROTE. JUST EXTRA INFO THAT WE GIVE SAME FOR HUMANS WHEN WE GO TO DR.

When I went to pick Kyra up that day with my daughter, the nurse and the receptionist came out said they gave her Lyme and Bortedell vaccination today, I said I didn't know they gave her the vaccinations and she said yes they will keep us up to date on what she needs. They never gave her allergy medicine, gave the two vaccinations that day, never asked me if they could go ahead and give her the vaccinations. They were negligence on their part, not paying attention to the check in sheet. Dr R and Dr O were irresponsible.

We brought her home and she was never the same dog. Laying around, not drinking, Leg Shaking, just not the fun loving dog we had up till that day. This is a Jack Russell, they play, they jump, they bark!!!!! We waited a day, I called Wednesday afternoon I called the hospital and told them that my dog was not right, something happened. They said to give her an Adult Benedryl pill and we did. No change, the next day I called and said we are coming in something is wrong. She just laid in the cage.

My daughter and husband dropped her off at 1:30 pm, they were told that the drs were at lunch. At 2:30 they said we can come pick Kyra up, nothing is wrong, but they will give us some Rimadyll anti-inflammatory pills. Saturday I called the Hospital Manager. She said Dr O checked her, there is nothing wrong with her. Sunday we brought her in and they felt her back and she winced so Dr C prescribed some sedative and Rimadyl and to keep her in a cage because of her back, no running, no this, no that.

They wanted 38.00 dollars for the meds and I said I wasn’t paying anything. That night our baby Kyra was acting all drunk with the sedative and all so we called and said it was too much for her and the dr said to give her half a pill the next day but we didn't. She was acting still strange, I called, asked what the name of the vaccinations and the heartworm med etc. They said they had changed companies this year. They switched to Merck Heartworm Tri Hart, I believe and the Lyme was by Merck also... She was shaking lethargic and not drinking, wanting to stay away under the bed all day.

On Tuesday we got worried and took her to The Veterinary Specialty Hospital in New Castle Delaware. She was shaking and not right, the doctor kept her there for the day for 800 dollars. They thought she had a disc disease but they checked her blood and that was ok and gave her an x-ray for the spine and told me we need an MRI for 3000.00, if we want to know since it didn't show any disc problem on the x-ray. They prescribed her Tramidol pain killer and same anti inflammatory meds. We brought her home, gave her the meds evening at 6:00, we picked her up, she was still in pain and out of it.

On Thursday May 29th, she got real bad shaking, wouldn't eat or drink at all. I noticed her back leg was going stiff and she couldn't lift her back body up. We rushed her to the hospital and right before the hospital, she had a Grand Mal seizure. We rushed her in, they ran in with a paper that says we need 500 dollars. Of course we signed the paper. They said she kept having seizures all through the night, we kept her there. Of course they wanted 1300 dollars to 2200. They give you a work up the high price and the low price to save your animal`s life and they require 75 percent.

The following morning Friday May 29th, our beloved Kyra was gone. She died at 7:00, they worked on her for fifteen minutes to save her but she was gone at four years old. We are heartbroken. Of course Banfield started a claim at our request with Merck to do a necropsy to find out the cause of death and we waited and they said she had all this inflammation in the brain, something was wrong with the stomach, the lung etc on the necropsy report. Therefore it was not the vaccination that caused the death of our baby, a dog that was fine before the day we brought her for her nails clipped and her heartworm test. They were negligent in the first place I called to ask for a copy of Kyra`s records to both places and a copy of the check in paper and they said they throw those out!!! I did receive a sympathy card from Banfield but Dr O and R never signed it, but Dr C. Did. Please be aware of your pet`s care.

Should we have known the risk, we would have never accepted to give Remicin to our dog. We will take any possible action to let people know about this drug and the misconduct of the doctors at Banfield Pet Hospital of Pet Smart. These group are more focused on making money rather than the well being of the animal and they provide no proper explanation regarding this issue. We now have a very distressed, sad, stressful and difficult environment in our household dealing with a deaf dog which is an important part of our family. Tell everyone that the Remicin antibiotic causes deafness in dogs and double check any prescription given by the doctors of the Banfield Pet Hospital of the Pet Smart company.

As an aside, my financial situation right now does NOT permit me to try to extend the life of my cat (who is already getting up there in years) any further than what has been done. What I'm working on right now is mainly comfort and QUALITY life. I'm willing to bring him in periodically for the kidney functions and keep him on this inexpensive medication which works within my budget and the renal diet... NOTHING more! No more x-rays, hospital stays, poking, needling, scanning, etc. Fortunately, my cat has been responding wonderfully to the medications he was released on. He's acting like he's years younger than he is, playing, begging for food, cuddling, and even singing love songs (without success) to try to impress my female cat (she's not impressed). He enjoys the new food also.

My cat gets extremely worked up when traveling, usually urinating the crate at about 5 minutes and then pooping the crate anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes while being in the car. Therefore, I decided to take him to the vet nearest to my house to establish care upon discharge from emergency. This place wanted to readmit him, place him back on oxygen (the emergency had just weaned him off oxygen and he was now doing fine on room air), and run a whole series of tests that he had just had done. I told them to forget it, and he was able to follow up with the emergency clinic for a while after I explained this to them.

The 2nd nearest place to my home is Banfield. I was reluctant to bring him to any type of chain store, but I figured it was best to try to reduce his travel stress. When I called to schedule the appointment, I explained the situation and that all I needed was for him to be seen and to have his medications refilled. I showed up for my appointment on time. The vet did not. I waited about 15 to 20 minutes before the doctor finally came in. I then proceeded to explain the situation to the vet, who was like talking to a wall, and handed him the extensive hospital notes from the clinic.

After doing an exam which included looking at my cat's teeth/mouth, looking for fleas, listening to his heart, squeezing his belly, checking his ears, taking his temperature, etc., and then telling me how his chest sounds clear and he looks great (probably because he's been on the medications... duh! ), he refused to refill his meds - even though I had the papers from the emergency clinic stating that he should be on them long term - without going through a series of labs/tests to the tune of $259 (that's the number that I saw on the computer screen when I asked how much. It could be more or less. I was so furious at that point and the screen was quite far from me, but the first number in the price was definitely a 2, and I'm 99% sure the other 2 numbers were a 5 and a 9) on top of the cost of the exam ($40+).

I've had his kidney labs done already, and it did NOT cost anywhere near $259! At that point, I explained that I don't have the money right now (which I didn't), put my cat back in his crate while fighting back tears and the urge to tell him to piss off, and asked him for a note explaining his refusal to renew the medications so I could bring it to the pet emergency where they could hopefully renew his medications for me again. After waiting several minutes for his notes, I said screw it, paid for the exam, and left.

When I arrived home, I called my original vet who is located about 30 minutes away from my home. After explaining the situation, she informed me that it is not mandatory to have any tests done. However, by law, they have to do a hands-on examination of my pet before dispensing medications. I will be bringing my cat back to his original vet where I know that they will be looking out for him (like they always have) and NOT trying to take advantage of me. He will have his routine kidney labs done there (when he's due to have them), and when the time comes that he's not responding to treatment any longer, I know he'll be treated with kindness and compassion.

If being treated like a number, herded in like cattle, and having unnecessary overpriced tests run on your pet is what you're looking for, then Banfield is the place for you! If not, then please take your pet to a trusted local vet even if it's not convenient. IMO, this place is more concerned about getting the most money possible than it is about the well-being of the pets they're supposed to be caring for. It's all about customers... not patients.

They barely had time with him, but racked up what would have cost over 300. Meaning sure I had so many days to cancel the policy, but then I would owe that amount of so called tests and things they did to him. This was the first time I questioned their concern for their customer’s wallet. So I will keep my dog as things have changed. However knowing the plan is not transferable... or able to be cancelled, I think I will not be joining again.

With that being said, with no job I was unable to pay my bills and they sent my account to collections, which was added to my report. Now I'm stuck paying a bill that I begged not to have in the first place. The customer service reps are rude and have to respect or empathy for others. It would not have killed this company to follow my request.

At one point a vet at Banfield told me she didn't know what to do for my dog - take her home and let her die. My dog had painful muscle spasms that involved her entire body. I couldn't take it anymore. On what I thought was her last ride, my husband and I put her in the car. She cried out in pain. We cried out in pain. As a last ditch effort, we took her to another vet. As soon as this vet saw her, she said my dog had sterile meningitis - no tests needed. A first year vet should have been able to tell what the problem was. My dog was put on simple steroids. She became immediately better. And now I'm stuck with $500 worth of wellness plan contract they won't let me get out of, not even if my dog died or I transferred ownership. I will never go into another petsmart and will tell everyone about this rip off. They take advantage of people with sick dogs. Banfield is running a scam.

1) Dr. ** did not consult with me post surgery. Instead, I was met by an assistant who simply handed me medications. I was shocked at Marley's condition and expressed my concern over his bleeding incision. Rather than be offered help, I had to take the initiative and request help with cleaning the surgery site. In hindsight, given the next 48 hours, it is my heart-felt belief that Marley should have been kept at the hospital for care and comfort. Furthermore, I was not given any post-surgical care or advice.

2) I had to consult with Hollywood Animal Hospital late in the evening because of his constant bleeding and whimpering. Unless I wanted to incur fees for emergency treatment, I had to wait until morning to take Marley back to Banfield. They were helpful, however, in suggesting an ice pack for Marley to slow the bleeding. I wondered why that would not have been a discharge suggestion from Banfield.

3) Dr. ** did meet me the next morning, explaining that draining, pain, and the black areas forming (she called that bruising) was normal. I was very concerned with the appearance of the incision. She explained she needed to be aggressive with removal to get larger margins and not leave any mass cells. More meds were prescribed. Thursday afternoon, I called in with more concern later and Dr. ** never returned my call.

4) It seemed that Marley was improving, though the black areas were dramatically worsening. I took Dr. ** at her word regarding that being normal bruising, and planned to discuss it further at our June 4th follow up visit.

5) Dr. ** was not available for the June 4th appointment (she was 'sent home'? curious description). Dr. ** examined Marley and had the unfortunate duty to inform me that Marley was not healing properly, that the so called 'bruising' was decaying skin likely caused by mass cells left behind, and that the incision had dehisced. It occurred to me that perhaps Dr. ** being 'sent home' was with reason, but if that reason was because of the errors on Marley, I find it morally reprehensible and cowardly that the person responsible was not being held accountable.

6) I was very emotional and shocked. Rather than take me to a private area to discuss Marley, Dr. ** continued her assessment in the waiting room with other patients witnessing my discomfort and dismay. I found the disregard for my privacy to be an equivalent to Dr. ** lack of empathy.

7) Dr. ** discussed a special treatment option (cold laser therapy) that can only be conducted at a particular animal hospital, and when asked by me otherwise, she offered no additional help or treatment options. She advised me to put Marley on oral and ointment antibiotics (an additional $185!) While I'm sure she didn't mean it, I sort of took that like a "kick her while she's down" type tactic. I later learned that suggestion was down right greedy and opportunistic as a prescription for Ciprofloxacin is FREE when filled at the neighborhood grocery Publix, and that is common knowledge!

At this point, my experience with Pembroke Pines was so horrible, I couldn't imagine that trust in them could be restored and I sought additional medical advice from Dr. ** at Hollywood Animal Hospital. I was advised that the dehiscence and decaying was caused by the tumor metastasizing from mass cells (cancer) that were not removed during surgery (though please refer to bullet point 3 where Dr. ** explained she took larger margins so as not to leave any mass cells).

Marley has required a lengthy and expensive hospital stay (thus far totaling $1941.95), where sedation is required to debride and flush his wound daily and special wet to dry bandaging is necessary. Please note that this treatment and care was never offered at Banfield. I visit Marley daily and I am convinced he is lovingly cared for and seems to be mending enough for a second surgery to close his wound. There is still concern of mass cells remaining and a recurrence of dehiscence. And this is a new item to add to my growing list of frustrations: these risks/potential complications were not fully discussed with me prior to the surgery as perhaps I would have made different decisions. INFORMATION IS POWER AND DENYING ME CRITICAL INFORMATION IN DECIDING WHAT IS BEST FOR MY BELOVED DOG MARLEY WAS A SERIOUS ERROR BY DR. **. My love for Marley supersedes cash out flow, but ALL decisions going forward have to be prudent, moral, and in the best interests of Marley's quality of life.

In summary, it is important that Banfield corporate offices understand that Pembroke Pines fails dismally in meeting the fundamental expectations of care such as full disclosure, experienced and skilled medical personnel, and empathetic communication. Shame on me for not researching the Better Business Bureau and other forums logging complaints against the Banfield system of pet care or I don't believe I would have ever trusted them with my pet family. I can assure you I will spread my story often and widely in my community, and I sincerely hope that Banfield reviews best practices of its facilities and surveys its customers after any treatment to gain insights of obvious weaknesses before another family suffers the same experience as Marley and me.

Another two hours later I receive a call saying the procedure went fine but they would like to keep him for a while because of the extra sedation he was given. This of course made sense to me so I said fine and went to pick him up about four hours later. The MINUTE he was brought out to me I could smell urine. The smell was so intense the only way someone could miss this would be if they happen to have a stuffed nose or that they truly did not care to check and see where it was coming from. So I bent my head in order to look in his cage and what I saw could only be described as neglect and abuse.

My kitten was SOAKED in what I assume was his own urine. He was shaking violently and hissing at ME!!! This was the first time my kitten has EVER hissed at me. I told the woman who brought him out that he was drenched in his own urine and that I was NOT happy. The woman told me she would go get a nurse.... a nurse NEVER came out to check on him. I had to ask for a towel in order to try and soak up some of the urine, a towel was never offered. My kitten was so traumatized he wouldn't even let ME touch him. THIS WAS NOT MY KITTEN. My kitten, for the past year, would purr none stop and cuddle with me on the couch like a dog! To see my loving kitten in such distress infuriated me!

I had to unbolt the cage in order to get him out and wrap a towel around him. The manager was out at this time asking me what he could do to help. Unfortunately, nothing could be done at this point. He cleaned the cage out for me which was nice; however, all he could do was stand there and defend his staff who was very clearly in the wrong. He told me that due to the fact that my kitten was so aggressive it made it hard for them to care for my kitten. This is a completely unacceptable excuse for me. If in fact my kitten was this difficult why didn't anyone contact me regarding this issue?? The manager could not answer this question for me but kept insisting that his staff was very professional. So is this how they treat every aggressive animal??

These "professionals" decided the best way to treat a scared animal is to leave him in a cage for hours sitting in his own urine with an open WOUND no less!!! I left infuriated without paying the remainder of my bill which I want to was a little over $60 considering my pet plan already covered the surgery. I received a phone call an hour and a half later politely asking me to come back and pay the rest of my bill or they would send it to collections!!!!! AMAZING!!! I then received another phone call a half hour after the threatening call to tell me that they decided they would give me free dry shampoo in order to help me clean my pet. Well isn't that nice...... An offer I did not take them up on.

To add insult to injury, I had to leave my kitten in his cage and hose him down in my shower in hopes to try and get as much of the urine off of him. Unfortunately, he was SO drenched in urine that a dry shampoo would not have helped at this time. The water did help a lot but the fact that I had to further traumatize my kitten in this way was awful! I couldn't do too much as he was freaking out inside of his cage and I was afraid he would reopen his wound from surgery. Which of course means that my apartment now smells like cat urine.

For the first two days after this incident my kitten would jump at every little noise I made. This is not normal behavior for him. He would also run and hide every time I opened the door. Before this incident I had to squeeze out of my front door because he would try to run out. Which is the whole reason I decided to get him neutered.... what a HUGE mistake!

This happened exactly four days ago. I have contacted the corporate office with my complaint and was reassured that someone would contact me within 72 hours... I have yet to receive a phone call. I will not stop until someone is held accountable for the abuse and neglect of my pet.

When she brought him back, I was told that in rare instances the medication could cause chemical deafness. I was never told this could happen or I wouldn't have used it. Now my poor baby who is mostly blind is now totally deaf and depressed. I called the company that makes the medication and was told that it states right in the drug's literature that if hearing loss occurs, the dog's ears should be immediately flushed out. I called and asked to speak to the chief vet in charge who happened to be the one that prescribed it. I told her I was terribly upset and also asked: 1) Why wasn't I informed this could happen; 2) If she knew this was a possibility why she treated both ears and 3) Why his ears weren't flushed out when I brought him back when he couldn't hear. All I got from her was, "I am sorry." Now I have a sweet dog that can't see or hear who is very depressed and just wants to hide in his crate. I am heartbroken and feel this was total negligence on their part and furious that they don't care.

After researching that specific bacteria I discovered that the most common cause is from unsanitary medical devices. Banfield was suppose to also retrieve our puppy's second testicle that had not dropped and claimed that it couldn't be found. Their suggestion was to wait until after he healed, do an ultrasound which we would have to pay for and if they found it, perform another surgery. The new vet told us he had no problem finding the second testicle and that it was hard to miss. After our experiences we tried countless times to try and cancel our wellness plan we have started for our puppy and also a plan we started for our second puppy. The second puppy had only gone for one visit to Banfield and during that visit, we complained that she had a foul odor coming from her and she had severe diarrhea. We were told this was normal for a puppy especially if they were getting used to food.

We also took our second puppy to the new vet where a parasite that had been missed by Banfield was discovered. We were told that it was Giardia and without treatment, she could have died, especially since she was already underweight, most likely due to the parasite. After all of our trouble, we had been charged well over $1000 extra and now they are refusing to cancel our plans. Banfield also continues to bill us for services they claim still need to be paid for that were not covered by our plan since we put a stop payment on our account through the bank.

We will not be paying them a dollar more. Both of our pets were mistreated, suffered and we could have lost one or both due to their negligence. We have recently received a final notice warning that our account is going to be sent to collections. We have contacted multiple managers and supervisors only to be told that their decision to still hold us responsible for those charges and not cancel our plans is final and nothing can be done. Banfield seemingly could care less about the care of pets and are only concerned with charging the maximum they can get out of you no matter what the circumstances. They put our family and our pets through a lot of suffering and we tried many times to resolve this. They still refuse and we will now be seeking legal action to prevent my husband's credit from being ruined.

When we signed up for this plan, we were sold a bill of goods that our pet would receive VIP treatment there in addition to receiving discounts on services. Well, that didn't happen. We had to go to another hospital where we had to pay a hefty office visit that we supposedly would not have had to pay under the plan as well as a lot for X-rays. The Emergency hospital did little more than what Banfield could have done & we spent well over $700 in the process. I will not recommend this plan or hospital because of this.

My cat Calvin was 18 years old and not eating so I took him to the Banfield in Woodbridge VA on May 6 2014. He was seen by Dr. ** who provided him care after that. She did blood work and told me his kidney values were elevated but she did not say how high or how serious it was. She specifically told me he was not cancerous after the blood work. I proceeded to give him fluids at home every other day. He completely stopped eating so I took him back on May 12 and they tried to put an IV in him but failed saying he kept going into respiratory failure and was turning purple. They sent me home with prescription wet food and I fed him via a syringe.

On May 26 I noticed he was severely retaining fluids and was having difficulty breathing (he was breathing heavily before but it was not a concern to Dr. **). On May 28 he had still not urinated and was not moving so I took him to the Woodbridge Animal hospital. They called Banfield TWICE to obtain Calvin's lab work and Dr. notes but Banfield said they never had me as a customer. I had to personally call Banfield and have Calvin's paperwork sent. Highly suspicious behavior as I was there multiple times in the past few weeks, perhaps they were trying to protect themselves rather than help my dying cat.

Woodbridge Animal Hospital did blood work and took an X-ray and the vet there informed me he was not in kidney failure, and that his kidney values were within the normal range. Instead they found a large mass in his chest. They drained the fluids from his chest and took another X-ray where the mass was confirmed and they believed it to be cancer. They tried to get him to breathe normally on his own but he went into respiratory failure again and I rushed there right before he died.

I find the inadequacies and incompetency in Banfield and in Dr. ** to be COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. My pet died because of complete failure from Dr. ** in diagnosing him properly. While he may have already been terminally ill, the fluids I was giving him made his condition even worse and were suffocating him, therefore he died sooner than he should have. If he had been diagnosed properly, I could have more time with my precious friend and he would have suffered far less. I will NEVER use Banfield again and I will advise everyone I know not to either. I lost my best friend and wasted $800 on a wrong diagnosis due to their malpractice and complete incompetence. I demand action be taken by this corporation for this injustice or I will pursue further legal action.

We were not given consultation on it and they knew the puppy was 6 weeks old. We were not given any consultation of the effects of the deworming medication either. As far as Petsmart, we had the puppy with us and they sold us products regardless of the age of the puppy. Our puppy had severe affects due to the Triyfrexis 5 and his age. Summary of our experience with Petsmart and Banfield Pet Hospital... All they care is about selling their products. They could care less about the customer. I will never ever shop there again and will discourage family and friends from shopping there.

On April 18, 2014 at: 2: 27 p.m. I personally brought Honey for a medical consultation because she had not eaten for two days and had vomited once a little bit of green. After waiting about ten minutes, we were called into an examination room, waited another ten minutes. Then a tech came in, took her temperature. After that Veterinarian ** examined her, ordered some blood tests, together with abdomen X-rays and she recommended fluid therapy because apparently Honey was dehydrated. The cost was $374.23 But on my credit card they charged me an additional amount of $11.05

At about 5:00 p.m., I received a call asking me to go immediately because Vet. ** needs to talk to me to authorize more proceedings. It took me about ten minutes to arrive and Vet. ** told me that they have not found what was wrong with my dog, That it could be anything from diabetes to infections, intoxication, or that she has eaten something or other. She could not give me an exact diagnostic. She told me Honey was dehydrated and she prescribed fluid therapy. That was at 5:10 pm. She also said that the abdominal was a little bit abnormal, the liver looks to small, but that there was nothing obstructive. She told me that I had to leave her and to pick her up before 8:00 pm and to take her to another hospital as an emergency because she might need insulin, antibiotics or therapy fluid administered overnight.

I refused to take her to another hospital. Then she says I could take her back next morning for a follow up. She told me that she could not give her any medicine because she did not know exactly what was definitively wrong with her. I just got a can of food for her. She told me she have received the fluid therapy and that it was going to be subtracted from my bill, but the fluid catheter was inserted on Honey overnight for no reason whatsoever. She only mentions they will administer the fluids the next day.

At 7:48 p.m., I arrived to pick up Honey. Both two young girls were ready to go and they had her over the counter shaking. When I asked what's wrong with her, one of the girls told me that probably she was in shock. Honey couldn't walk - I have to carry. I asked what kind of medicine she received to be like she has been sedated and the answer was, "We didn't give her anything." I asked about the antibiotics and she said, "We didn't give her any medicine today." I asked the girl who is in charge of the billing about the decrease on my bill because Honey didn't receive the fluid therapy. She said vet. ** didn't mention anything so she couldn't do anything about it. I have to call her on Tuesday when she come back to work.

Next day, April 19, about 12:00 p.m., I brought her again for a follow up. Dr. ** saw her, and after making review of Vet ** Notes, he explained me Honey probably need hospitalization, that she probably had diabetes and they need to be hospitalized and in observation. I left Honey with him to pick her up at 8:00 pm. He never told me anything else. When I went to pick her up again, he said he has been calling me to authorize the insulin treatment, and that he could not reach me for an authorization. He said that I needed to take her again to an emergency facility because they do not have overnight service. I refused again because he wanted me to get her Insulin because they both, Vet. ** and him, believed she was suffering of diabetes and for this reason she wasn't eating and her organs could collapse if left untreated. He mention that Honey received Fluid therapy. He told me to bring her back on Tuesday. I asked again about what kind of antibiotics she got and he also told me she didn't received any, because they both agree she was diabetic. For this visit, it was another charge for $105.78.

I was feeding by mouth and administering Pedialyte to my dog, every hour but she was not doing well. I noticed she has a whistle on her chest and was lethargic, so on Monday, April 21, 2013, I decided to go instead to another pet hospital: North Figueroa Animal Hospital located at 5550 North Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA. 90042 (323) 258-8068. The Veterinarian there asked for the records and the copy of the x-results. Your hospital faxed the results after the veterinarian asked because when I called the receptionist said she was busy but not the x-rays and they will cost me five dollars, each copy of the X-rays, and that I needed to pick them up at the hospital. So I picked them up at night but It was an overwhelming time.

I guess the worst part is that it seems like you are really more concerned about making money than a good relationship with your customers, or keeping our pet healthy. First, the front desk girl told me that I need to pay $4.99 for each picture on the X-rays result. I was so upset I claimed that I have the right to have them since I had paid for them. The girl went to the back office and another lady came explaining that it was very expensive to make a CD with the pictures of the X-rays. What a ridiculous explanation. Finally the first girl gave me all the records with the CD included without any charge. The results shocked me because the blood test shows the glucose level on Honey's blood was normal so there is no way she was suffering of diabetes. You can verified this on page No.4 of the Medical summary report. At the same time Honey's Urine Occult blood was positive and Urine Bacteria was positive which means she was suffering of a bacterial infection.

There are some notes that Vet ** wrote that are not true because they never were discussed with me. For example: she wrote explained Azotemia possible due dehydration and ketones due starvation. At the same there is a note in saying gave 120 mg of Cefalozin IV slow (Cefazolin is used in both dogs and cats to treat a variety of bacterial infections, including skin infections, wound infections, bone infections, pneumonia and bladder infections). Why is this discrepancy when I was told that they didn't give any antibiotics at all the first day and the second day my dog only received fluid therapy and why there were not follow up until next Tuesday if you as Vet. Know my dog has a bacterial infection? Why you didn't discuss this with me when you always told me that she could be sick of diabetes or anything but why, you only were interested in giving her diabetes treatment? It's because I refused to pay for that treatment or what? I paid $480.01 for giving me a wrong diagnostic and almost kill my dog for no proper care!!!!

Veterinarian ** at North Figueroa Animal Hospital ordered another blood test to verified his diagnostics because he wanted to know what kind of treatment she received for the last days. On Tuesday, April 22, I went back to the North Figueroa and they did another blood test and it came with abnormalities with serious urine, hormonal and chest problems. She was given four medications and antibiotics. She could have renal failure problems because she has not had proper attention. Fortunately the glucose level were normal as the first blood test performed on your hospital, basically Diabetes was never an issue on Honey sickness.

Honey received Injection with antibiotics and real fluid therapy because I was present when it was administered directly on her neck. She also was given Amoxicillin 100 mg tablets for 10 days Twice, Temaril P Tablets half tablets for 7 days, Thyro-Tabs 0.1 mg for 30 days and RENAVAST to help promote healthy kidney on Honey. Everything with a total of $272.00.

I am extremely grateful/thankful with North Figueroa Animal Hospital and Beach and their team but beyond disappointed with the way the whole ordeal was handle by your hospital and your team. My expectations were always that my two dogs would receive proper care, yet I almost lost my dog do to your unacceptable and neglected care. I am not asking for monetary compensation. Yet I am requesting any and all my obligation with your facility stop. I no longer want to participate in your program. I am requesting the definite termination of my care plan with your company. My other dog had a appointment for April 29, for his annual check which obviously after this unpleasant and expensive experience I will not take my dogs back never again. Unfortunately I just found out the reviews of your customers and I am really agree with the one who said, "I wish I could expose Banfield to the government, so other people do not get hurt, and their animals get proper care when needed." I could add there is always time to do that. With no more ado, I am soliciting a prompt response to my request.

I told the collection agency the situation and they told me I needed to contact Banfield (Corporate Office) about the problem, which I did. The corporate office said they couldn't tell me anything and I would need to talk to the store. Alright, it's been another month and still getting the run around. I will pay the amount but I want them to admit that they made 2 mistakes: 1. didn't even bother to send a bill; and 2. sending me to a credit collection company when I didn't even know I still owed money. What should I do? Should I get a lawyer?

I called Banfield back and told the Vet I needed to reschedule the testing and will call them back. I started researching Vet offices in my area and located Green Valley Vet Hospital with 5 stars and great reviews. I took the $150 I was going to give to Banfield to retest and paid the new vet hospital. This past Monday, April 27th, Green Valley hospital conducted an annual test to see what they came up with. The vet called me this morning, April 29th, with my pug's results. His test results were normal and my pug is healthy. What a rip off Banfield is... Taking advantage of people!!! I will be going to Banfield and canceling my monthly plan. Petsmart should disassociate themselves with Banfield... DO NOT SIGN UP FOR BANFIELD PET PLAN OR TAKE YOUR PET THERE... I really thought people were just making things up but I experience first hand...

After payment, they kept the dog for one more hour and bled internally. They argue the dog had to be stable before releasing for surgery. No treatment for about 4 or 5 hours until he died. When my husband and son went into the facility, blood was all over the floor, inside the cage and on the Lab coat of one of the attendants. A cruel and unusual punishment for a sweet little dog and his family. That facility should be close or all their personnel removed.

The vet then came in and performed his exam as much as he could. This was very unusual, as my dog has never shown disinterest in the vet. We left with deworming medicine and were on our way. At home Peter would not go out and became incontinent. He is fully housebroken and we figured he was just very stressed out from going to the vet. The following Saturday I was home all day and Peter spent the day lying on the couch. This was very unusual since my dog goes on five-mile runs three days a week and is a typical super crazy husky. I decided to leave him alone still thinking the vet was stressful. What became extraordinarily alarming was when I found out his neck was hurt.

Sunday morning when Peter woke up and went downstairs to ring the bells by the door I reached for his collar to put the leash on. He winced and cried in pain and urinated himself right in front of me. He was in pain and would not let my girlfriend or I go near him. Once he calmed down and went to lie on the couch we closely inspected him and also saw he had glass in his front right paw. Thursday night I put mushers cream on his paws and they were fine. Peter spent the whole weekend after leaving the vet at home, inside. We called Banfield in Braintree immediately and explained to them that he was hurt Friday and we needed to speak to someone. This was at 10:58am on Sunday morning. The receptionist, whose name I do not have, told us that it is impossible to reach a manager and that there was only an on call vet that day.

She also said that no glass is at Banfield. We were later told that there is some glass and even later told that no glass spill has been reported. This is one example of varying stories, thus creating our hesitancy and inability to trust the professional providers caring for our pet. Our entire experience was like this. It seemed everyone had something different to say and when we questioned them, they become very defensive and stopped interacting with us. This made everything very frustrating for us. Our goal was to go and get reassurance that our dog was ok, for someone to say sorry and help us. To our dismay none of these goals were met. The call ended and we called the VCA.

The VCA confirmed that we were right and that our dog's behavior following the vet was very abnormal. At 11:14am we received a call back and was told that the surgeon could see Peter in 30 minutes. We arrived in 30 minutes and a tech named Courtney took him out back. When she returned she said, "I know exactly what you are talking about. The glass is between his second and third pad, correct?" She then said the doctor was taking care of it and examining his neck. We were then called into a room and asked by the vet to remove his collar so he could examine his neck. We were shocked because we had just been told by the tech that the doctor examined his neck and that he was able to illicit pain on his left side.

We then wondered why he would not have taken the collar off or if he had even examined him out back. We were unable to remove his collar because the pain caused him to be very defensive. The Petsmart trainer was able to get the collar off without causing any bad behavior, unlike the vet. The vet then diagnosed Peter with neck issues and began telling us that it was an underlying issue that just happened to surface itself after his exam on Friday. The only possible underlying condition in the differential was IVDD, which is more common in older dogs and specific breeds and is not known to affect huskies. All the other differentials were related to trauma, ligament and muscle injury, which was the consensus of the VCA exam as well. The VCA believed IVDD was very unlikely.

In addition to telling us we were crazy to think Peter was hurt at Banfield, he said no glass was found, and that it was a lesion that they sanded down and he would need antibiotics. The vet said this lesion had been there a while; however, this was not noted on Peter’s exam on Friday. Also his temp was taken and told to us on Friday and was not documented. We were never offered antibiotics, told x-rays could not be done there and to our astonishment found that the vet documented us as refusing these options. Everyone there had no concern and could have cared less about helping us. This is insane. Especially since our dog showed signs of pain and behavior changes after being there on Friday.

The tech was then informed that the practice owner was on the phone. My girlfriend asked that she speak to him in the room. This was for good reason. More than once did staff have conflicting things to say to us and we were getting very uneasy with the differing stories. Also, all morning nobody wanted to talk to us, and we, at this point did not trust her to tell her boss the truth. It’s not hard to believe, seeing as we were told right off the bat that no sort of manager can be reached and that we could not be helped that day. The tech said, “No I don't have to do that for you” and hurriedly walked out the door. This instance is documented by Banfield in an extraordinarily misleading way and depicts us as threatening and hostile. Yes we were frustrated.

Our dog was brought to the vet and got hurt. We just wanted an apology and for some help and for our dog to be better. Mistakes happen. We have no clue what happens behind the doors of Banfield, but we trusted them and it was very disappointing to be treated the way we were. What is true in the documentation is my girlfriend rushing out the door nearly in tears talking about calling animal control. As I am writing this I am thinking of whom I can contact, licensing committees, veterinary schools, animal protection organizations, and so forth. This is how upset we are. My girlfriend then spoke on the phone with Dr. **. She thought he was clear, empathetic, and willing to help us get through this situation effectively. However we were told he would call us the next day and we never received a phone call.

Once the phone call ended the manager came in to speak with us and was very rude. She never gave us her name and talked in an authoritative tone. She said, “I’m not here to go over anything and your prescriptions are being made and you need to go to the VCA.” This is another instance where I am completely shocked as to how inaccurate it was documented. In her note she says she enters the room and the gentlemen swore at me. The note never says what would have made me curse and I sure hope that upper administration finds this strange. I did say this is ** after she said she is not here to go over anything. As I said that I stood up and said I need to leave. As I was leaving she began to yell down the hall at me as if she was kicking me out and I turned and said I was leaving you should have nothing else to say to me.

Her note fails to document everything in its entirety and is very misleading. At no time did she show any concern for my pet. My girlfriend was so upset that Banfield’s staff was saying our dog was a biter, but failed to mention this to us in any of our previous visits. She asked to see the notes. The manager started with our first visit, which showed he was perfectly friendly, but she needed to make a comment about how we chose to treat him. She has no license to give medical advice and should not have taken that time to criticize us. We spent just over a hundred dollars and our puppy got better in two days rather than their suggested nine hundred dollar treatment plan when we knew it was kennel cough. Finally, she got to his six-month visit and again there was no note of aggression or warning that our pet was dangerous.

I am disgusted that more than one staff member had the audacity to treat us like scum and tell us our dog is a monster when we were returning because he was hurt there. When my girlfriend asked for all the records to be printed out everyone who we had come in contact with us was out back and it took her 25 min. to print out the records. We were there for two and a half hours total and did not get to the VCA until 3pm. Poor dog couldn’t get any help until 3pm and his owners were treated very poorly after he was hurt there in the first place. It is possible that Peter getting hurt was a mistake, even though we saw how he was handled Friday, and we are normal considerate people that would have gladly taken an apology and prompt care and continued to be loyal customers.

All of the vaccines are covered and office visits are free on the plan. They quickly get our dog in when needed and they call to make appts to keep her shots up to date. Our dog sees the same vet every visit and she knows our pet well from being a puppy before she was ours to currently. I have no major problems with this plan or the vets. They do push their flea tick product and other items but you can decline and they don't pester you. Overall I can't complain at all. Reading carefully and learning about the choices you can make and finding a quality vet is what will make this plan beneficial and free from frustration.

We debated with breaking hearts and decided to let her go so she wouldn't have to suffer from the most probably unsuccessful surgery and recovery. We had paid for the insurance the day before, in anticipation that the problem was bladder stones. They were willing to reverse the charge for the insurance, since our dog was dead only the day after we purchased the policy. However, the bill was well over $500...why? No surgery was performed and this was in addition to the x-rays of the day before.

In my opinion, Banfield charges huge amounts of money for not such great service. Maybe it is just sour grapes, we've lost two dogs to unexpected illnesses after taking them to Banfield, but I'd get a second opinion before letting them put my dog to sleep if I had it to do over.

They ripped me off coming and going. It's not like I'm terminating to go with a private vet or the competition. My dog is gone! Why am I being penalized? The Banfield "vet" explained "these stones grew over time". Well they were the ones I trusted to care for her from the beginning. In the end, it was time that my Lola didn't have. Now in her absence all that's left is yet another bill from Banfield for her now grieving Mama to pay.

I got a late notice and contacted their automated system to make my final three monthly payments so that I could be done with them once and for all. I entered my information via their system and it did not go through so I spoke with their live service person and paid upfront for the remaining three months. I then received my credit card statement and found that I had been double charged, once through the auto system and then through the live line. When I called in I was given the run around, and was told they only had record of one payment even though it showed up twice on my credit card. I called the bank to verify the double charges and I had definitely been double charged. I called Banfield back and they told me I had to go down to the bank to get a statement before they would take the double charge off since they did not have record of it.

Their system is flawed if they cannot find record of their charges. They were not helpful or accommodating and I could not get the problem resolved with them. The woman supervisor on the phone with me eventually hung up on me, and we obviously did not get to the bottom of it. I was already frustrated for having to pay for wellness services on a dead dog, but then to be double billed when I took a proactive approach demonstrated their completely inept business practices. I had to resort to filling a false charge with my bank to resolve what should have been a relatively easy problem. Had I not caught this and had my bank resolve this, Banfield would have easily scammed me out of another $100 dollars claiming they had no record of the double billing.

I pay $100 for a two weeks supply so is it too much to ask that you keep your word and be a pet hospital? When people like me post a review, why is too much to ask that someone in the corporate office contact them back and address the concerns? Why would you state you even care when this is not the case? I am going to cancel all my pets which we have four under the best wellness plan you offer at this time. Then I am going to call everyone I know and have recommended to do the same and they will. If you can continue to have such bad reviews, how long do you think it is going to take before you crumble? Maybe not this year but in the near future, it will happen. Someday you will wake and find your corporate job is no longer available because you went out of business for falling back on your word and not being a company that gives a rat's ** about their customers.

About a year ago, I took her into the vet before going to work... She'd been throwing up and not eating (Yes I may worry too much for my little pup). Of course it was a drop off. I'd continue to get the updates at work "We've run labs and haven't found anything. We do recommend this though, if it's okay for $100.00". As the day progressed, I was now in at $500.00, including the recommended x-ray that found nothing, of course. The woman on the phone was now recommending that they keep her overnight and push IV fluids??? I quickly declined and said I'd be in to pick her up. This made me feel really bad, as though I'd been taken advantage of in the worse sort of way AND I was even a monthly wellness plan member (whatever that means)??!!?? Don't do it... It's not worth it. Find a private vet that gets to know your dog and actually cares. I promise if you calculate out the money difference you'll find them to be the same, if not less for the private vet as well as the peace of mind you'll feel that your animal is being cared for, not just pushed through a conveyer belt.

I listened to PTA heart rate which was about 100 and respiratory rate was about 35 due to severe panting. Its gums were pale white and this kitten was going to die. I scruffed the kitten who was trying to bite me and grabbed with plastic bag because I had no cloth or towel to be able to wrap the kitten in. The woman and I immediately walked up to the Banfield and the woman stated she had just found the cat in the street. I then told them I also worked at Banfield and the cat is severely injured and may need to be euthanized. They took the cat in the towel and had to wait for a doctor. The doctor said they put the cat on oxygen and placed a catheter due to the cat being very sick. I asked if I was going to be charged and the doctor said no and went to look at the cat again.

A couple minutes later a tech came out and said it would be $150 to euthanize the cat. I asked why since the doctor said no and we also do Good Samaritan euthanasia. Then I was told my office manager called and said they needed to be charged. I then called my office manager and also chief doctor and neither took my call. The Boynton doctor then came out and said the cat was going to be euthanized and I would not be charged. I am extremely grateful for Boynton Beach and their team but beyond disappointed in Delray Beach Banfield.