Banfield Pet Hospital Reviews

If he thought she was weak and anemic and knew they could not appropriately handle the situation, then they should have stopped and sent us to another Hospital that could. Instead they drained her of all the fluid she had left in her little body ,which of course caused her to crash and then could not do anything but let me watch her DIE. Stay away if you need real care! I will Miss FLUFFY and will always regret my Banfield experience!!!!

As I exited the room to the front counter, I asked the Manager to please administer one of her medications (since I expected them to know how to do it) so in case she gave me a hard time when I got home. He tried to give her the meds orally through a syringe... My dog was not happy about it and the "manager" wrestled my dog to the ground and the medication went flying everywhere as well as my dog to the ground. A lady in the waiting room commented very negatively on the incident she had just witnessed. When I left there, I sat in my car and thought about everything I had endured... and just cried.

I called Banfield's corporate offices only to find out that no one will speak with you. I left a message with Corporate and they had the Manager which wrestled my dog to the ground call me... It only made me angrier as he was so aloof, cold, and uncompassionate. He said Sonny, the market manager, may call me at "her discretion"!?! Can you believe that? I am wishing to take my dog to another Vet but can't afford it. I have seen many, many complaints about Banfield not that I am also an unhappy customer. I am just astonished as to why they are allowed to continue to run a business in this fashion. Aren't there any protection laws for consumers? They are obviously getting away with murder...and I really mean murder with some of the posts I have read about negligence on their part. Still angry and upset!

First off, this establishment has many animals waiting, and many animal hospitals have separate waiting areas for well patients and ill ones, and this one just had all the animals together. The receptionist was not friendly, and seemed rather put out with helping patients and their owners. My son and I waited two hours for our kitty cat to be seen by an animal specialist. We were finally taken into a small exam room. it was not cleaned well, and there was fur on the floor, and the vet assistant was cleaning the examination table while I held my sick cat. She was cold and quickly left the room and muttered the doctor will be in as soon as he could. Half an hour passed by, and finally a vet tech came in and started asking me questions about the problem with my animal, and trying to sell me a wellness plan. I told her that I would have to discuss it with my husband because we had a modest income.

The vet tech, acted like I did not care for the welfare of my pet, and in a huff left the room. The vet entered ten minutes later, and took a total of two minutes examining our feline. He did not introduce himself, and nor did he comment about the condition of our cat. A few minutes later, an office manager came in to discuss treatment options, and quoted an outrageous amount of 500 dollars. I told them I would agree to the hydration, antibiotics, and antibiotic shot. She accused me of not caring for my pet's best interest and left the room. I was angry and shocked by the way I was treated! A new vet tech came into the room, snatched our fur baby and sharply told me that she was taking the cat to the back for treatment. I told her I was not comfortable with that, and I wanted the procedures I agreed to performed in front of me. She argued that was against policy. I let her take my sweet girl to perform the needed medications and therapy.

We waited almost another hour, and finally our cat was ready to go home. I had to wait an additional ten minutes while waiting on the snooty receptionist to put our invoice together. The price was fifty dollars more than estimated, and I was upset. I told her that I agreed on three hundred, and she said that if I did not pay for the treatment, that I could not have my cat back. I took out a credit card with my husband name on it, and they refused to take it, because I was not the primary person on the account. I have never encountered any problems using this card before. I had to find an ATM and pull out cash, while my upset eight-year-old son stayed in the waiting area, to make sure I came back. I paid, and was given one of the antibiotics. I told the receptionist that she had already had been given this medication and it did not work. She called one of the vet techs and we played "telephone" with the rude vet. He refused to prescribe another more powerful antibiotic! I was so angry!

None of their treatments worked, and she became worse by the day. A friend suggested I try a vet services offered at a local animal shelter, and I took our cat to this vet. In all, I paid 75 dollars for a stronger antibiotic, to be re-hydrated, antibiotic shot, and another for the URI symptoms. She was better two days later, and would have died if I had not taken her to a vet that actually knew what he was doing! Since this experience, I have worked at an animal shelter, and realized what a rip off places like these are! It costs a few dollars for a syringe and medication. Anyone can be trained to give vaccinations, and it is not hard to diagnose mange, ringworm, parvo, or kennel cough. These are all typical problems pets have. It is sickening that this agency is allowed to fleece their patrons of hard earned money for URI, UTI, and other problems that should cost no more than a hundred dollars to treat, if that! I cannot believe I allowed myself to pay that much money for a URI infection!

Banfield should be shut down, and people should stop taking their pets to places like this! There are ethical vets that will work within your budget to meet the needs of your pets. I have six cats. Four are rescues, and I use a discount vet. My vaccinations are almost wholesale, and my office visits are 15 dollars and medications run anywhere from 5-20 dollars. I have to wait a while, but if I was going to Banfield, I would have to wait anyway, and pay 1000 times more! My cats are healthy, so am I a bad owner because I refuse to pay outrageous prices for my felines? No, and any animal hospital that accuses owners of that are cruel and heartless.

I have read several posts of people working at Banfield defending that despicable place. Someone on a modest income also may enjoy the companionship of a pet. You should not have to be rich to own an animal. I think it is disgusting that any animal hospital would refuse service to an animal in an emergency situation. It is not as if they are not financially raping their other customers, so why once in a while they cannot help someone who is low income out with medical expenses of their pet? It is also wrong to guilt trip customers into expensive treatments that are not necessary, not fully explain medication that is given, to accuse their patrons of being uncaring if they choose not to pursue expensive treatment options, or not working with the customer within their budget.

Those vet tech complaining how hard their job is? Try working at an animal shelter. I cleaned two cat rooms full of felines, helped with vaccinations, was constantly being called up for impounded kitties, and rarely, if ever got a break. In many cases, people complained about the dirtiness of the facility. Why can you not clean out the cages, use sterile procedures, and actually do your jobs? Why work with animals if you have no compassion for their plight and abuse them behind closed doors? Not to mention, you get your animals care FOR FREE. So how would you know what it is like to have a thousand dollar bill for a UTI? I would be ticked off too! What if your animal was treated poorly, and died of negligence! I urge anyone that animal died, to get a lawyer and sue Banfield. What a horrible organization! I used to shop at PetSmart, but will find another place for my cats' needs.

I finally got into queue and waited for over 30 minutes when my phone went dead. I called again, waited and got to talk to a person. I was very disappointed as to what I heard and it essentially amounted to that the plan cannot be cancelled unless it's paid off in full for the remaining 10 months or so. When I dug up their Enrollment documents from 2006, in the "Additional Terms & Conditions" it reads, in a convoluted way, that the plan renews automatically (no notification) and that it is virtually impossible to cancel since I may have to pay their fees for the next 10 months and in case I forget, for even a longer period because of the automatic renewal. Since most people don't read the fine print when they are trying to do something good for their pets, I find it despicable for Banfield to use such Self-Serving language and in closing, I would not recommend Banfield's Wellness Plan to anyone. Nor will I ever take my other dog back to Banfield or PetSmart tor that matter.

Last month I attempted to make a grooming appointment for my dog and was told her rabies certificate had expired. I was not made aware of this by Banfield. I contacted Banfield and made an appointment for a rabies shot only in the evening. I visited the Banfield in Warwick, RI. I waited an hour after my scheduled appointment, was called into the exam room and waited some more. The vet tech came in the room and said we had a problem. They needed to put my dog on an IV to give her a rabies shot because of her past reaction. I insisted she should be fine without it, was only one shot and we needed it done asap. This vet tech went out and spoke to the female vet in charge that night. I could hear her exclaiming "No! NO, absolutely not!!" Then another male vet came in saying "I'm here to break the bad news to you. She wont allow the rabies shot tonight. You need to come back so they can put her on an IV." We were turned away and REFUSED A RABIES SHOT!!

Needless to say I won't be going back. I feel the vets are lacking in common sense and my experience at Banfield Thursday night proved it to me. I attempted to complain through Banfield corporate who had the store manager call me, who just supported the action of their vet. You don't even know who your vet is in that place, you never know who you are going to get, none of them are personable, you don't know where they went to school, what their credentials are, and the one on Thursday night never even came in the room to introduce herself or listen to me. I believe they are inexperienced and incompetent poor excuses for vets.

The next day, Boomer wasn't any better. He was clearly uncomfortable and crying constantly. A few hours later, he completely lost control of his legs and was not able to walk or focus on anything. I called Banfield and was told that they gave me too strong a dose and to just cut his pills in half. I called again about hour and half later and was given to another vet, who told me that since he hadn't been the one to look at Boomer, he didn't know what I wanted him to say. And he said he probably had to go to the bathroom or something like that.

We rushed Boomer to the emergency vet after that and they quickly told us that it was in fact his back, and that he had slipped discs in his spine that were pushing into his spinal cord. The ER vet told us that once the dog is paralyzed, it’s really too late to do anything for him and that he was in severe pain. She told us never to go to Banfield. We were left with no choice but to put our baby to sleep. We called Banfield’s corporate office and lodged a complaint saying that we felt that if Banfield’s vets had told us earlier about him or would have tried harder to figure out what was wrong instead of dismissing us because it was closing time, we could have gotten him the surgery that would have saved his life.

The first vet called us back and basically told us that he didn't agree with the ER vet and that it wasn't his fault because Boomer wasn't showing those symptoms when he saw him. When I asked him why the other vets hadn't told us to bring him instead of blowing us off, he just kept apologizing and he would talk to his staff, and get us our money back. This is a quick fix and not good enough. The vet just kept saying that there was nothing he could do and the outcome would've been the same. This is not true. If they would have told us that we needed more help, we could have taken him to the ER sooner, and he would not have had to go through an entire day of excruciating pain.

Three weeks of that, back to square one with wrenching bile so why would I go back to Banfield a third time? Off to an AAHA veterinarian facility (Stateline Hillcrest), we went where they saved his life and sent him home with fourteen days of a liquid antibiotic. Hoosier is now in great health and if I had stayed with Banfield, Hoosier would more than likely be dead. After multiple communication with Banfield's cooperate office, it is obvious to me they are aggressive financially and care little for the well being of the pets they claim to serve. Banfield absolutely needs to be shut down.

I'm fairly sure that they want to keep auto charging you as long as possible, even if you haven't received services, and then state that it was 'in the contract' when it was an employee's mistake. It really is just a business trying to make as much money as they can off of the customers. So if you do enroll in a wellness plan and don't want to continue, be sure to (as specifically as possible), tell them not to let it auto-renew.

Thursday morning, she took him to our vet and was sent immediately to Banfield in Myrtle Beach SC for an ocular pressure test. Banfield Myrtle Beach looked at the report from Banfield Wesley Chapel and was surprised to see that no ocular test had been performed. The Banfield Myrtle Beach vet set up an immediate appointment with an animal eye specialist in Charleston and was told to get him there immediately. I left work and we drove him the hour and half drive to Charleston to see the specialist. We were taken in immediately and Maxx was examined. His ocular pressure was 70 which the specialist advised us was extreme and that she had never had a patient near that pressure. They relieved the pressure and began to treat Maxx. We were told that due to the amount of pressure Maxx would likely be blind in both eyes after being treated.

We left him there overnight for treatment and picked him up on Friday afternoon. We are taking him back this Tuesday for a follow up and long term planning. Maxx has Glaucoma. If you Google this you will find this is common in several breeds and seems to happen between 2-3 year old dogs. Maxx is 2 1/2 years old and always affects one eye first. If you continue to read, the symptoms Maxx had were textbook to what he had when he was seen in NC. The vet should have done a simple test and referred us to a specialist less than 15 minutes away. Instead we were treating him for an infection as he continued to go blind.

We have been told that if we had taken him to a specialist on Tuesday, his sight would have been saved. My wife called Banfield in Wesley Chapel and pleaded with them to be careful of providing the wrong info in a case like ours and my wife is much more forgiving than I but totally heartbroken. We were charged $160.00 for this misdiagnosis, and since have spent nearly $1000.00 and it isn't over yet. We have a healthy 2 1/2 year old fella that still has an average life span of 10-12 years that is totally blind due to the Wesley Chapel Banfield's misdiagnosis.

As I said before my wife is much more forgiving than I. My next expense is an attorney and I promise you that these people will pay for their incompetence! This is not about the money, I don't care what the cost to take these people to court or if we recover one cent. It's not fair to us or our Maxx that we suffer this due to someone's ignorance or negligence. This is one of the most heartbreaking events to affect our family in many years! Just remember that not all Banfield clinics are this negligent... The one in Myrtle Beach was very helpful.

The second thing I learned is they are incompetent when it comes to reading and dealing with people. It turned out my kitten, who has always been indoors, tested positive for the virus FIV. This killed me especially as this little kitten chose me and has been more like a buddy and a funny roommate than a kitten. I know I said I wanted to die, but they could have checked and made sure what I meant. I felt I had failed my little friend, and it crushed me. But they didn't check, they didn't ask if I was okay, nothing like that. Instead, they snatched the kitten away from me and lied to me, saying they were going to clean him up.

Unknown to me, they were calling the police while I waited! Yes, called the police who proceeded to haul me away in front of an entire store full of people. These disgusting vermin (Banfield) had the audacity earlier to not take the kitten's temperature because they said they didn't want to "stress him out". Gee, ya think maybe forcing him to stay in a strange place scared and alone might "stress him out???" But, how silly of me, then they could charge more money to keep him overnight!

So, as it stands now, I cannot even go to get him. What are they going to do, call the police again? Or just keep him as long as they can so they can get more money? Banfield in Independence, MO, you people are the most disgusting people I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.

When I went into my "free visit", I was told that my cat DID have a wellness plan. My previous wellness plan was set up on automatic withdrawal from my checking account. Apparently Banfield canceled my wellness plan from November till February and began removing monthly payments from my checking account for 8 MONTHS! WITHOUT MY CONSENT AFTER I CANCELED MY PLAN! They stole over $200 from me! When I called to get the issue resolved, I encountered nothing but rude, unprofessional people who hung up on me and yelled. I will never bring my cat back to Banfield and I highly recommend no one else does either!

I've been to vets all over the country and have never seen anything like it. When the vet sensed my unease, she left the room and sent in the clerk to try and sell the additional items. I agreed to one item, with reluctance, only to find out it was not available. Keep in mind, I dropped the pet of at 8am with contact information. Why at 7pm are they discovering they do not have what the pet needed? The complete disregard for the pet and the owner was astounding. This so called "insurance" is a scheme to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. I would never recommend this company for anything, especially entrusting them to the well being of my pet, as well being is not their primary focus - money is.

The doctor came in next and he started talking about himself, where he was from, how long he's been a vet. etc. He asked what we were there for and then he proceeded to talk about enrolling in the wellness plan. I told him I wanted to see how this visit went and I will talk it over with my husband at home. The doctor walked out of the room. At this time, I walked out of the room, went to the front desk to pay my bill and no one could understand why I was upset. I was upset because everyone at this place only cared about selling me something instead of taking care of my puppy. I do not recommend this vet. Go to your neighborhood vet. I did. Totally different experience.

During this process, Boss also had gotten Giardia and had meds for it. After his meds were done, we had to get another test. I took them a stool sample that was supposed to be sent out to be tested to ensure it was gone. I came back for results and they said I never left the stool. They have nothing in his notes. I went back and forth with them and finally they agreed to do another test for free. Second incident, Boss was to have 4 dips for the Mange then start some meds. I took him for his last dip and they told me he had already had it. So here we go again! I had to go back and forth about how I know he had only come 3 times because I HAVE ONLY TAKEN HIM HERE FOR THREE DIPS!!!! Again, they can't find the info in his notes.

Finally, they figure it out and give him his last dip. Meanwhile, the associate on the phone tells me she cannot talk to me anymore because I am too confrontational. So now I am livid. I simply asked her why is it that you all do not keep good records of what's going on in there? Her explanation was, sometimes the doctors get overwhelmed and make MENTAL notes........ WHAT?!?!?! I am furious to know that my baby is basically depending on someone's memory or lack of memory in dealing with his health....... And she said I was confrontational?!?! I think I should be because HOW and WHY is this okay??? So if anyone is like me and feels like their pet is their baby and a family member, DO NOT take them to any Banfield anywhere!!!!!!! Keep your babies safe and healthy, somewhere else!!!!!

When the vet came in, she said, "So, I understand that x-rays are too expensive for you, so we will do a gram stain (test of fecal matter) and take it from there." She left, and when she returned she said she had seen bacteria that she sees with salmonella and ordered 3 prescriptions to be given: amoxicillin as an antibiotic, cerenia for vomiting and an antidiarrheal medication.

The cerenia was to be given 1 hour before the other two meds to ensure that they would not be vomited back up. The "4 pack" of cerenia I received was one round tablet, broken (not cut) into 4 pieces and the cost was $33. Amoxicillin was $20 for 20 capsules (100 capsules go for $19) and the visit cost me $106 (I was not charged for the office visit, since I had already purchased a wellness plan). The vet never took her temperature, nor did she do any blood or urine tests.

This will be my last visit to Banfield, they over-charge (at least 3x the markup) on their prescriptions, they "hard sell" you with the premise of "you want to do what's best for your dog" and they try to get you to agree to tests or treatments that are not even necessary, but always expensive. I have even talked to the owner of this Banfield, Dr. Goff, and he ended up charging me $850 to pull 7 of her teeth, yet never scheduled any type of follow-up visit. I have paid almost $2,000 since going to Banfield the first of this year, but I have finally learned my lesson: they don't care about your animal, they only care about the almighty buck.

After many calls and even a face-to-face visit, they refused to hand us a prescription or even approve one from an online pharmacy. During our face-to-face visit, no one wanted to take responsibility and they kept on telling us to pay for a new visit and that we would then receive a prescription. In short, they will only prescribe something if you purchase the medication from them. They are less than useless on the phone, and always pass on the issue to someone else who is NEVER in. The Vet refuses to take our call, and is always too busy to speak to us on the phone. NEVER, EVER take your pet to these scums.

Sadly, with the checkup and medicine, the cost for the visit was well over what I had, as I was waiting for my paycheck which would be in the next day. The BRILLIANT employee decides to tell me that if I sign up for a wellness plan, the cost would be significantly less, nothing would be charged that day, and that I could pay for and pick up the medicine the next day after my pay was in. I was told I could cancel at any time and that it would be $25 a month (rounded). It just seemed to make sense. Yes, I was stupid and in hindsight, I should have just waited until I got paid and went to another vet, but my pup was sick and I wanted her to get better as soon as possible. So much for the $25 charge, I was getting $50 charges on my card, until my account was closed when I lost my job. Now they can't get their money and they keep calling me.

After reading all the reviews, I honestly don't want to give them more money. Between charging outrageous prices for services and continually charging for pets that are deceased or are not even being trusted to them anymore, I'd say they've screwed enough people. Seems to me like it's time for the people to screw them! I personally feel like they prey on owners who care deeply for their pets by quoting high retail costs and then using that as a means to get people to sign up for wellness plans. They treat you like you're the scum of the earth, until you fall for their charade and, in my case, even after, if you decline their 'caring' advice (i.e. pay $100+ extra for a spay procedure that was well done by a local vet for $97, including pain meds).

If you ask me, the wellness plan was based on the idea that they could charge annually for services that don't even cost them that price to offer. How many people REALLY make full use of the plan, except annual check up, shots, emergencies? So you either pay ridiculous fees for the services you DO use, or you pay a seemingly less ridiculous fee for services you don't fully use. The fact that they can discount everything with the wellness plan should show how much they overcharge in the first place. Also, Mike from FoCo, how do I get in touch with you?

Reduced to skeleton staffing while more than doubling clientele and procedures, eliminating benefits, extending hours and hiring veterinarians who are so incompetent, they pose a constant danger to the pets. When specific, potentially harmful, practices were brought to several managers' attention, they were never addressed. Mainly because our profits were now so very wonderful, they didn't want to interfere. Hooray for them! How impressive. Unfortunately, I am not in a position where I can just walk out, but as soon as I'm able, I am gone. I don't even take my own pets there, regardless of the discount. Please find another animal hospital for your beloved pets.

Several hours later, I get a call and all they focused on was a skin condition and his ears pushing me to sign up for their preventative care program for only $37.00 a month. I asked them what about the blood coming out of his rear? Is he dying and if this is serious there is no reason to do some "preventative care" program. She said, "Well, that is a separate issue." It was the ONLY issue I brought him in for. However if I sign up for the preventative care program, they would run a blood test to see what is wrong with him, treat all his conditions and clean his teeth for $700. I could not afford that and told them so. They said well then they would give me a deal and if I sign up for the program they would treat his conditions for $189.00 plus 15% off prescriptions. I told them just do the blood test so we know if the dog is on his last leg or not. They said well, the blood test would be another separate issue at $160. I guess separate issue means that it is not covered under their program they are trying to get you to sign up for.

They call back after they do the blood test and again push me to sign up for the $37 a month plan. He has an intestinal infection which with antibiotics is treatable, but she adds he also has a skin condition and an ear infection - I asked about his eye which is troublesome and again she tells me that is a separate issue. I asked her how much of these issues are "flea related" and she said most of them are more than likely caused by fleas. Which BTW I have been battling all year and spent over $400 on flea products to no avail. We have zombie fleas this year with no hard freezes in the last 2 years. They are terrible and nearly impossible to combat. She says, "Well, that again is a separate issue." I asked how can it be a separate issue and not covered under their preventative care program with treating the fleas is surely preventative measure? Well, it just is not.

She never tells me until I get there that this preventative care program means that you must allow them access to your bank account and they will automatically withdraw from your account monthly. I refuse to sign up for it at that point for the Program only seems to cover dental cleaning and very menial care and leads to huge vet bills in the process. So she tells me well, since I am not becoming a member then I will have to wait until the vet has a chance to rewrite my bill for more. What a scam. I will never use them again and hope that consumers do the research and read the hundreds of complaints against them before taking their animals to the Banfield Pet Hospital.

A week later (I actually only waited 5 days because I wasn't going to make him wait longer), his ear was HORRIBLE (see picture). I took him back in, was charged for a follow-up visit, and was told they were going to do a swab and send it out to be cultured. "How long will this take?" I asked. "About a week," was the reply. I about came unglued right there. So you mean to tell me that if they had just run the swab they collected LAST week, we would have results by now and would know what exactly is causing his infection?

At one point I was told the reason the swab wasn't run before was because they try to go the more affordable route (it's $165), and then later she said they didn't run it because it wasn't collected properly due to how bad his ear was (but his ear is the same today and you can collect it properly today? Yeah, okay). So now he is put on Prednisone (which should have also been done last week), but he has to wait 3 days to start it because he has to stop taking the previous anti-inflammatory medicine he was given, and now we have to wait an additional week for culture results, and they want me to bring him in AGAIN next week.

While all this is happening, I'm getting hard sales pitches from the staff about their wellness plans, at both visits. At this last visit, while my dog was in the back, he started barking, and I heard one of the staff yell, "Knock it off"... I don't know if it was directed at my dog, or one of the other animals in there, but either way, that's not appropriate.

I feel like the vet was completely out of line due to her lack of experience. My dog's ear should have had a swab done at the initial appointment, and should have been put on Prednisone at that first appointment in addition to the oral antibiotics. I should have also been informed that my dog could be given diphenhydramine to help him sleep better and to help with the itching, but I found that out when I contacted a different vet to discuss transferring his care to someone else.

At that point the staff talked to us about the preventative care plan. We compared the difference in cost and I decided that I might like to go with it. We found out that her BuN and creatinine levels were high and were indicative of kidney disease. The doctor recommended fluid therapy and to retest to see what prognosis would be. I asked her what my cost was going to be because I had to have the money transferred from my moms account. Upon checkout I decided against the yearly preventative plan since we weren't sure how long Binks was going to live. When I brought Binks back on the 2nd day for treatment her paw had swelled up twice the size of the other. There was an abscess on her neck that needed to be drained. I told the receptionist that I wanted to see the doctor before anything happened.

I waited there for 40 minutes and the staff had already pulled the catheter and were starting a new one. The Doctor came out and said “Oh my, I didn't know you were waiting here.” I told her that I had some concerns. When I told her about the abscess, she said she noted it but it's nowhere on the paperwork. (I have the paperwork) She said it was going to cost an additional amount for the IV and the total additional cost for therapy and blood test was going to be 170. I had already paid 220 plus 180.

The Coban on her leg was way too tight and was cutting off her circulation, I suspected that is why her foot was so swollen and why she needed another cath. Her original quote was 180 for the two treatments but because of the change of plan, the price nearly doubled. She said that there was no way to remove the price of the cath. I told her I only budgeted an additional 50.00 for her treatment and if they could not provide service for that amount we would have to take Binks back home and take business elsewhere. She gave me Binks and our paperwork. There were several examples of negligence that occurred in this situation.

I felt taken advantage of with no other option but to walk away even though I need some additional medical care for Binks. I don't expect any compensation for anything. I'm only writing this to find out whether this is standard procedure and to expect this at any other Banfield office. If so, I will not be returning to any Banfield clinics. As well, my friends, colleagues and family will hear about my story. I was attracted to this clinic because I thought I would find reasonable prices and responsible care. Instead, I found that the care was well below standard. The staff was incompetent. Because of my concern for the swollen limb, I was very specific when I brought Binks back. I needed to speak to the doctor before she was treated and was reliant that was understood. I was required to wait 40 minutes before someone "realized" I was there waiting.

The staff had already started to treat her and were in the process of inserting a new catheter. I run a small business and it's not hard for me to realize I've made a mistake and compensate the customer. Even when it's a delivery issue and not my fault. I have a responsibility to help that customer have a positive experience. Sometimes it costs me money out of pocket to make the customer happy. However I'm safe in the knowledge that people who do business with me will not have to worry about feeling ripped off. My business has been very successful this way. I can only hope to inspire other businesses to do the same. Banfield is a sorry excuse for existence. I wish I had read other reviews before taking my pet there. I have committed animal abuse and owe my pet an apology.

Well the 2nd biggest mistake was asking them to proceed with the procedure. They told us that we can go home and they would give us a call when it was all said and done. Well we got a call in about an hour and they said everything looks good to come there and pick up Roxie. Which is one big lie!!! So we get there and they tell us, "Sorry we couldn't put the eye in but you still owe us $900, and we recommend taking it to an emergency 24/7 vet. Yes, you'll have to pay them as well." When I complained that I should have to pay for a procedure that wasn't done as promised they held Roxie hostage and wouldn't give her to us until we did. We had no choice since we needed to get her to the real Vet as soon as possible.

Blue Pearl where we took her to had her in right away and called us no later than 30 minutes and said the procedure went perfect and it only took her 10 minutes to do the operation. That her eye is responding to light and has movement and should heal great with maybe a little loss in vision. Yet Banfield couldn't do anything in almost 3-4 hours???? Again I repeat stay away from Banfield if you value your pets life!!!!

Four days after surgery, my cat blew up like a balloon. I took him back thinking he had a dental infection but the vet said he had air under his skin, generally caused by trauma. My cat is an indoor cat and lives in my master bedroom. The only trauma he suffered was the dental surgery. They wanted another $600+ to try to diagnose the problem. I did not have the money and suggested sadly that he be put down as he was suffering. They did not want to do that and sent me home with antibiotics (another $28). I brought him back a couple of days later as he had blown up to 3x his size and crackled when I petted him. He was not eating, drinking or using his litterbox. I had looked this up and found out it was subcutaneous emphysema, and my thought was that they punctured his trachea during intubation during surgery.

When I brought him back again, I suggested this and they said they doubted it happened then as the intubation tubes are small and flexible. They sent me home again, saying without more tests there was nothing they could do for him. I wrote a scathing survey on Banfield.com and two hours later got a call from the local hospital, saying they "wanted to do right by my pet", said this could have happened during surgery and offered an outside surgical consult. I went to the consult and the outside surgeon said "very likely" they tore his trachea during surgery.

It took a WEEK for me to get a call back from the vet surgeon who did this to my cat (she said she thought someone else had called me). I have called the Client Advocate department and have a case number, but still no one has called me about this and it has been over a week already. I talked to the surgeon today and she apologized for not calling me sooner, but NEVER apologized for what she did to my pet. Each time I took my cat in, they told me they had never seen this condition before. She said this was not negligence, not malpractice but an unexpected complication of the surgery. Really? My cat went in for a TOOTH EXTRACTION! Thankfully he is slowly recovering. After his trachea finally healed, the air is being reabsorbed into his system.

I reversed the charges on my credit card and am going to be like a fly on crap until they respond to me. You will see this review on every consumer website I can find. If they think I am paying for that wellness plan they can think again.

I was offered a leash, but my cats aren't leash-trained and I was afraid they'd injure themselves trying to escape a leash. So, I kept my hand on each cat during the weigh-in, and the weights are probably inaccurate as a result. Not only were the cats distressed being exposed like that, but I was afraid they'd bolt into the store and out the door. I was lucky to get them both back into the carrier before the next customer with a dog arrived moments later. The exam room doors also opened directly to the store, and it did not feel secure. The noise from the store was still loud inside the room and made the cats even more nervous.

A young woman came into the room and introduced herself by name, but didn't mention that she was a vet tech, not the doctor. She began entering basic information in the computer, then turned on an information video before leaving the room. I wasn't asked if I wanted to view the video, and it sounded more like an annoying sales pitch than pet health information, so I turned it off after about 30 seconds. The young woman came back into the room and began examining the cats (she tried to hide her surprise that I'd turned off the video). While talking to her about the cats' health, I came to the realization that she was a tech, not a veterinary doctor. After the exams, she began totaling my bill in the computer, and I reminded her that I had a coupon for a free exam and consultation. She adjusted my bill and left the room again.

She returned with the veterinary doctor who performed a very brief, perfunctory exam and gave the cats their shots. After they got the FVRCP, the vet informed me that I'd need to come back to get the booster in 3 weeks since this was the cats' first FVRCP. I told her that it wasn't - they got that every year at their regular vet. But they entered it on the vaccine record as only being valid for three weeks, pending a booster. I'm boarding the cats in a few weeks, and will have to show proof of current FVRCR, so I'm going to have to make another appointment. But trust me, I'm going to their regular vet to get this straightened out. I will never go back to Banfield ever again.

The vet and the vet tech were very nice, pleasant, and were good to my cats. Although I didn't get the same feeling of confidence from the vet that my regular vet conveys, the vet was very professional in her demeanor. But, when I pay for a veterinary exam I expect a full exam to be conducted by a veterinary doctor, not a tech. I had to remind various staff members at least 4 times that I had a coupon for a free exam and reduced fee for a 2nd exam before the charges were adjusted on the bill. Overall, I came away from the visit with the feeling that this pet "hospital" is not about providing quality veterinary care, but rather, it's about up-selling products and services and bilking the consumer out of as many dollars as possible. I left feeling extremely annoyed by the manipulative tactics used by all the staff to sell their wellness plans.

When I left I was told about a customer survey that I could fill out. I did that, but was dissatisfied with that as well. It didn't provide enough space to detail the specific reasons for dissatisfaction. I have boarded my cats at the PetsHotel in the same store where the Banfield pet "hospital" was located, and I've had nothing but excellent service and great satisfaction at the PetsHotel. So, I went to Banfield with the same expectation, only to be let down. I'm giving Banfield one star only because the staff was friendly in spite of all the other sources of dissatisfaction; otherwise, it would be zero stars if that option were available. My advice if you're considering taking your furry family members to Banfield: Go elsewhere. It might cost you a little more, but you'll save in the long run and you and your pets will be happier.

He also proceeded to tell me how Banfield rips people off on the wellness plan. If you value your pet's life, DON'T take them to Banfield. I was even told by a PetSmart employee NOT to go to Banfield. Even he/she doesn't trust them. I now take my pet to another trusted vet and it does NOT cost that much. Banfield just raises their prices up drastically to make you think you're getting a discount and you're not. PLEASE do your research and do not go to Banfield. So after I cancelled my plan with Banfield, they send me a $200 collection letter to which they say it was for services that the plan covered for the year even though my pet no longer was on the plan but supposedly even after I canceled and we never went. Somehow they say the vets still provided for my pet? Really? I will never ever take a loved pet to Banfield. They don't care about your pet. They care about how much money they can make off you.

Then they recommended the Optimum Wellness Plan, which looked pretty good until I read the Terms and Conditions. If my pet died during the year, I would either have to pay back all of the retail prices for the services received in that period or pay the installments for the remainder of the year. And the Provider could cancel the plan at anytime for any reason. Does this sound reasonable? I don't think so. Sounds like a rip off to me. I suggest to everyone to read the fine print of the contract.

I called back later that day, as Chase had gotten worse. He was shaking. His eyes were filmed over and he was just clearly a very sick puppy. Same thing - didn't speak to the vet, didn't tell me to take him somewhere else, just told me there was no way he could be seen. I asked her if it was a problem that he was unable to even keep down his epilepsy medication and she sort of just blew that off.

Sunday night I knew we had to do something. Chase seemed barely conscious. His body was shaking. He still couldn't eat or drink and couldn't keep down his seizure medication. I took him to an emergency vet in Turnersville, who was shocked that he was as sick as he was. The vet there said she couldn't speak for any other vet, but if she had heard symptoms like these, particularly in a dog with epilepsy, she would have either made time to see him herself or referred him to someone else immediately. Chase was suffering from severe pancreatitis, and the vet told us it was a good thing we had brought him in when we had. He was suffering from dehydration and malnourishment and had an extremely high fever; there was a good chance he could have died if we had waited for his appointment on Monday.

I have contacted Banfield about this; it is ridiculous that they acted as if my dog simply had a little stomach bug that would go away on its own. The receptionist never even spoke to the vet about his symptoms, and now a woman I never once spoke to named Fawn is claiming she told me to take him to emergency care. I never spoke to a woman named Fawn and NO ONE ever told me to take him anywhere else. Their entire attitude was that he was probably fine and could wait until they had an opening for him.

Chase is still in the hospital as I type this. He seems to be recovering well. He has been on IV fluids and a feeding tube and is slowly coming around. When I think about what might have happened if I had listened to the fools at Banfield, it makes me want to cry. They may deal with many sick dogs every day, but this is MY dog, and he is part of my family, and they treated him as if his very life was unimportant. I am continuing to speak with Banfield to find out how they could treat their patients this way, and I have since switched vets. I do not recommend this place to anyone. They don't care about their patients.

In all likelihood, he should be dead right now. But I did everything I could, forced water/pedialyte/wet food and lots of Laxatone into this cat for ten days. Thought about putting him down every one of those ten days, but he kept breathing and I kept going. After nine days of barely showing any signs of consciousness, he peed and after ten days, he passed the foreign object. The cat at this point was very underweight and very dehydrated but his faculties had started working and he started to show signs of knowing where he was.

My biggest concern now was that I had nicked his cheek with a fingernail or spoon or something while force feeding him and his cheek was swollen from a slight infection and he was uncomfortable with eating and drinking. Banfield had given me a coupon for a 'free office visit & checkup' and I took him in for antibiotics, fluids, and shot to stimulate his appetite. The twenty-something Vet advised I do exactly that. The most common antibiotics for cats (clavamox liquid) cost about $15, one quick bag of subcutaneous fluids about $15-20. I had enough money for both and my intent was to get the antibiotics, the fluids, and a shot to stimulate his appetite. The twenty-something did keep looking for the infection and like she had never seen an infection and had to be shown where it was.

Imagine my surprise when the charge for the antibiotics alone was $42. I just looked at her and I kept asking, "Are you sure?".... I didn't feel this vet have enough years of practice or knowledge to deal with a sick animal. I felt the Vet Tech had enough years and knowledge but the Vet, nothing. She was there to get me to spend money.

In the end, I didn't have the money and I had to make a choice. I took time off work, I was using up the last of my physical reserves, and I needed the antibiotics. So I took the pet home, dangerously thin, dangerously low on fluids with $15 worth of antibiotics which I paid $44 (with tax) for. I would never go back to Banfield. Banfield is a marketing gimmick. These people aren't Vets, they are there to sell you overpriced services and goods. The only reason the Vet knew the cat was sick was because I told her. I believe my cat was smarter and better educated, and little more coherent than my twenty-something vet. I would never go back there.

Today, I took my cat to a Veterinary Hospital because it's been months of trying different things and she was just getting worse. I was told that the type of bladder infection that Banfield was treating my poor cat for occurred in less than 1% of the feline population and that kidney stones were only detectable by ultrasound or X-ray, neither of which were performed. My cat was in severe renal failure and had to be put down. If we caught this sooner when she first presented symptoms she would have been okay for another couple of years. I had another cat go through it and know how to administer proper fluids and diet for Renal failure. Renal failure diets involve low protein diets, the diet that they put my cat on for kidney stones is high protein/high fat. If you love your pet, DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMAL TO THIS OVERPRICED JOKE OF A VET!!!

Well years and literally thousands of dollars later, we moved and found a new veterinarian. He ran a complete blood panel, allergy test, thyroid test, and an echocardiogram. The results came back, and he has hypothyroidism, allergies to numerous environmental stimuli and NO heart murmur. Banfield is just out for your money and not the health of your pet and will try to upsell you at every turn. Do yourself and your pet a favor and stay FAR away from these guys.

They called me half-way through the teeth cleaning to tell me that she had a cracked tooth, weren't sure how long she had had it, but that it was critical I pay to have it removed. I hadn't noticed her in any pain, but again I trusted the 'professionals'. They extracted the tooth and what was supposed to be a standard cleaning under the wellness plan, turned out to be a $300+ surgery. Amazing how they called me to schedule the appointment and managed to squeeze more money out of me.

It got worse. A few days after the tooth extraction, I noticed my cat was not doing well. She wasn't eating and was losing weight rapidly. I immediately took her back in and asked they blood work. They told me she was fine but 'probably still recovering from the anesthesia". After a few more days, she had dropped from 13lbs to 8lbs and wasn't moving, walking, drinking, anything. I took her back in and insisted on more blood work. Finally the vet came in and told me she was suffering from kidney failure and that I should put her down!! What?!? Kidney failure is progressive. It doesn't happen in a week. If her kidneys were beginning to fail, then the vet should have never put her under.

I was furious. I knew there was something else wrong. After research, I discovered that sometimes cats can go into ACUTE kidney failure due to anesthesia. (This is especially true of senior animals. Banfield should have NEVER sought me out to encourage me to have her teeth cleaned.) If caught early, the kidney failure can be reversed. I took her to a highly regarded vet in town and he immediately put her in ICU for two weeks. After intense treatment with fluids, she fully recovered. 100%. Her kidneys are good as new with no signs of failing anytime soon.

Banfield convinced me to get her teeth cleaned plus all the follow up blood work ended up costing me over $700; only for them to tell me I should put her down - for even more money!! I am trying to provide a quick overview of my experience as there are too many details that made my experience with Banfield horrifying; from the way the staff treated me to the cleanliness of the place and the professionalism of the staff.

I hate that place. They are unethical, unprofessional and a disgrace to the veterinary practice. I had my dog under the wellness plan as well. After all the stress with my cat, I immediately canceled my dog and cat's plans. I will NEVER set foot in Banfield or PetSmart again. I have heard numerous stories similar to mine. I just wish Banfield would be forced to close their doors permanently.

I am now in communication with the Banfield manager (who is not a Vet), and he is trying to say that this is normal practice. He asked me about some Wellness program they’re offering and if I had signed up for it, which I told him NO. They are trying to tell me that any time an animal comes in, they have to have their teeth cleaned in one appointment and then come back and get charged again for the actual problem. I will never ever go to Banfield again. Their business practices are unethical. I am waiting as I type for a call back from the manager to find out how this is going to be resolved. I have also contacted the PetSmart manager for the store and of course, there is nothing they can do. I will be contacted by both Banfield Corporate and PetSmart Corporate on Monday morning.

Upon leaving I was given 27 pages of documents describing what they've done, what I should do with her, what her schedule was for all of her shots, terms of wellness plan, what kind of side effects to expect from the first round of vaccinations, what are the side effects from the microchip, what are the effects of the spaying, who to call in case of emergency, who to call to register the microchip, etc... I was given 27 pages to read and sign, all while l tried to hold a dog still groggy from anesthesia. Fast forward 4 hours, I want to cancel my wellness plan. And lo and behold, it's not a monthly plan, but an annual plan, of which you are contractually obligated to fulfill if you have received any discounts within that year.

“Wait, what? Since when? I was told it was a monthly plan that I could keep and cancel whenever I wanted.” “Oh, but sir you can cancel but you would have to pay us for the amount of benefit you have received.” “Well, had I known that I wouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.” “Sir, didn't you receive the disclosure statement when you signed up?” “You, mean in those 27 pages I was supposed to read something before signing that was different from what your representative just told me?” “Well, yes sir, I always read what I’m signing, don’t you”? Oh really, when is the last time you read your credit card disclosure statement, an entire bill of sale, heck any disclosure about your privacy or any EULA from a piece of computer software?” “Well, our disclosure is only two pages sir.”

“You mean I was supposed to pick out those two pages in the twenty odd pages you just gave me that contains critical information about my dogs health. Forgive me for allowing the representative to breeze right through that disclosure statement. Can you make an exception due to the fact that your agent misrepresented the product and just zero out my balance and cancel it from this point forward? Heck, I've moved and you have no locations within twenty five miles.” “No sir, no exceptions, that's the rule it is not our fault you didn't read the fine print.” “So, even though your agent clearly told me something that wasn't true while trying to get me to sign up for the plan that she would make a commission on, and threw the fine print inside a huge packet of papers where I had to sign and read, you still cannot make any exception?” “No sir, no exception.”

Banfield charged me $150 for the office visit, urine tests and medicines, but took off $40 for the office visit, so for this vet visit it was twice as much and with the "discount" cost me $110.00. I noticed the medicine was over $30, when I was told earlier that this medicine would be $20.00 (I am rounding the cents). I asked about this and was told it was never $20. On top of that, they tried to sell me a lot of other procedures. They are twice as expensive for the same exact medicine, gave incorrect and what seemed like deceptive information and were overpriced altogether, making me feel like I went to the proverbial "used car dealer". I will never ever use their services again.

A day later, the vet tech phoned in an estimate to me - nearly $900. I got a second opinion from another vet who said it wasn't bothering him, had been there awhile and given that he was 11-years-old, he would watch it for a while. Nevertheless, I was worried about cancer, so agreed to the surgery. I called five vet clinics, and the most expensive to do the same procedure was $500. The vet did the procedure. It was a fatty tumor and I am out $1,000 total for unnecessary surgery. The vet was well aware of my cancer concerns with my other dog. This felt opportunistic and predatory. I urge people not to use that clinic unless you have unlimited resources. They took advantage and saw an easy way to make money for the clinic. They put my dog in jeopardy for a fatty tumor and charged twice the price that other clinics charge. Avoid this place.

Don't get in a hurry if you plan to visit this location. Whether it's a scheduled appointment or an emergency, expect to spend 30 to 45 minutes when dropping off and picking up your pets. If you are waiting with your pet during a scheduled appointment, bring your Kindle and a snack. You should know that Banfield Pet Hospitals may be privately owned (franchises) such as the location in Wake Forest, NC. If you experience a problem at a privately owned location, any kind of problem, the corporate office will not do anything more than listen, document and send your complaint back to the location you are complaining about for resolution.

I'm giving the Wake Forest Banfield Pet Hospital one star. While the staff is good, I have to vote with my wallet. I don't appreciate being told a procedure will cost ~$70 when I am already paying ~$60 a month for a pet plan and then getting hit with ~$130 bill not including the medicine. Part of the ~$130 was a Elizabethan collar sold to me at the discounted price of ~$31 (original price ~$36). A designer Elizabethan collar was available online for ~$21. I believe Petco has a similar one for ~$16.

I took the time to explain the situation to the veterinarian. I told her that I felt the situation was not right. I told her I would call her corporate office and talk with them about it. Not as a threat, but I didn't think she had any control over the situation. The following day she called me and explained with an arrogant tone that she was the Chief Operating so and so, which means she is the franchise owner. She said any complaint made to the corporate office simply gets kicked back to her.

Well, hello, if he has been consistently on the meds, why would he need another test or office visit?? I am also reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. Why would they start my dog on a med and then jack me up for $100+ to get a REFILL? BAD BUSINESS. I will never bring any of my pets back to Banfield. PetSmart should get smart and DUMP their in-store Banfield dog clinics.

When they called me at home, they stated they didn't know what was happening, she wasn't coming out of her sedation and they didn't know why. And another assistant stated they didn't know what to do. What is it that I am supposed to think when I am told all this? How am I supposed to feel? I did not mean to say malpractice and I take that back. But I feel they may have been negligent during the procedure based off of what they told me themselves.

I am saying this in warning... Cosmos has high liver enzymes. Last summer, he tested at 330. For a dog his size, he should test at 100. I had him tested twice last year. This year after he showed signs of severe pain in his legs, I took him in for a script for pain meds. They took a syringe and marked how far I should fill it with pain meds so that I wouldn't give him too much. They warned me that the pain meds would cause his liver to get worse instead of better. I decided I would prefer to see him live a pain-free, shorter life. I took him home and gave him these meds until he ran out.

When the script ran out, I set up an appointment at a local vet, as I had read so many bad reviews during that time. I took Cosmos, my 6-pound dog, in yesterday, they did a physical (much more detailed than Banfield's, FYI) and wrote up a script for the same pain meds. The doctor handed me a syringe and asked me to show her how much Metacam I have been giving Cosmos, I showed her the .5 ml mark. Her jaw dropped. Cosmos had been over medicated. He should have been receiving .2 ml per day, receiving more can cause his liver to go into failure more quickly. I have also burnt through his pain meds way more quickly than I should have, meaning that Banfield was set up to sell me his pain meds at twice the pace they should have.

This morning I filled the syringe to the .5 ml mark and then transferred it over to the larger syringe to see how many pounds that amount was normally recommended for. I had been giving Cosmos enough pain meds for a 20-pound dog (remember, Cosmos is 6 pounds).

It started when I brought my barely 3-pound puppy to Banfield for her first vet appointment at 10 weeks old. I chose them as they were very close to my house and I liked the association with PetSmart. They talked me into the puppy wellness plan for $21/month, and that seemed reasonable as it covered her spay and vaccinations, etc. At that first appointment, they gave her a Lepto 3 way vaccine. After the vet tech gave her the shot and left the room, I watched my puppy have a grand mal seizure in her crate and go limp. I ran out to tell someone, and they rushed her in the back. Then someone came out to tell me they didn't think she would make it. She was too small and they couldn't find a vein to put an IV in. They basically told me to wait to see if she pulled through.

Somehow, she did, and once the dust settled, their only explanation was that sometimes small dogs are allergic to the binding compound in the 3 way vaccine and will go into anaphylactic shock. I was surprised then, that they would even give this vaccine to small dogs if they knew that. However, their quick response to the ordeal and the fact that they saved my dog and seemed caring and compassionate through it all made me want to continue with them as my vet.

After that ordeal, whenever I brought my dog in for her "comprehensive exam" (they insisted on this every six months), they would watch her for the day and give her Benadryl before and after all vaccines which I appreciated. But as the years went on, and my dog was now 3 or 4, I started to wonder why Banfield insisted she come in EVERY six months for yet more and more vaccines. I began to question them on this. Some of the vaccines that they acted like were absolutely necessary, I later found out were for illnesses we don't even have in our part of the country. But, I thought, this was all covered under the wellness plan so it wasn't like they were making any extra money off of it. I didn't realize it wasn't normal until I asked other dog owners that said their dogs got maybe two rounds of vaccines as puppies and that was it. They didn't need Giardia, kennel cough, Leptospirosis, etc. every six months.

Because of the vaccine thing, I considered cancelling my wellness plan. Then I got a second dog, who had a seizure and collapsed after getting into something poisonous (we never found out what it was). I rushed her to Banfield, and they dropped everything, got her on an IV, and got her through it. So now I felt that they had saved both of my dogs, and so I continued on with them.

Then about a year and a half ago, I noticed the hair starting to thin on the tail of my original dog. She also had black spots on her stomach. At the time, I was going through a break up, moving, and the second dog went with my ex. So I chalked it up to my dog being under stress with all the changes. I brought her in to Banfield and they just seemed utterly puzzled about the black spots. One vet thought it was just dirt. They didn't know what to do and told me to just wait it out. I waited it out for 6 months. She lost all of the hair on her tail and most of it on her back. All of the skin where she had lost hair turned black. Finally they said they wanted to test her for diabetes. It wasn't that. Then they started in with the really expensive tests, Cushing's being the main one. I would go in there and they would list off $600 worth of tests like they were absolutely needed. And then say, "Well, if you upgrade your plan, it will cover this, this and this," and talked me into the $45 a month plan.

After they suggested the Cushing's test (and told me rather clinically that she would die within 3 years if she had it, which really caused me to become a total mess), I decided to get a second opinion. I paid $45 to a different vet to ask him if he thought she had Cushing's. He said no, and quite frankly, he was surprised they even wanted to test for it because she didn't seem at all like a Cushing's dog. But he said it was probably necessary in order to rule it out, and move forward on diagnosing her hair loss. So I paid Banfield the $200 to do it. She was negative. They eventually decided that the hair loss must be due to her "somewhat low" thyroid, and gave me thyroid meds. I've been giving them to her for 6 months and her hair hasn't grown back, although it hasn't gotten any worse.

Meanwhile, in the first 6 months of this year alone, my dog has been in and out of the vet for an array of issues. She got a urinary tract infection, and since it was her 2nd or 3rd one in a year, they wanted to do more expensive tests. I let them do X-rays, and told them that was it. They had added an extra charge to have a "professional lab review of the X-rays" or something. I said that I didn't want to pay that, and they admitted it wasn't necessary unless the X-rays were really hard to read. Well they called me later that day after taking the X-rays and insisted that they had to charge me the extra $100 for the lab review because they couldn't read them. The lab said there was nothing wrong with the X-rays, and her UTI was solved by antibiotics. So I felt that was a total waste of money.

Less than a month later, she got what they thought was a gastrointestinal virus. After a month and a half of me bringing her back because it wasn't getting any better, and 2 rounds of antibiotics, they wanted to do a $300 test on her gastrointestinal system. I asked them if it was possible it wasn't a virus at all, but maybe worms of some sort. I was right, and a $20 dewormer cured it. I was baffled that I had to be the one to figure that out, and that dewormer wasn't their first course of action.

I think part of the problem is the vets at Banfield are constantly changing. None of the same people are there now than when I first started bringing my dog in. She never sees the same vet twice. So when I bring her in for an ongoing problem, I have to start all over with the new vet. Nobody looks at her symptom history when I walk in there. They just ask me the symptoms as of that day and immediately start talking about expensive tests. Once I figured out the worm thing, a couple other symptoms she had been having before, started to make sense. Now I wonder if her hair loss is due to a serious, ongoing thing that was never caught, involving the parasites she had, or if maybe it was caused by the constant vaccinations they wanted to do when she was younger. I'm hoping her health improves drastically now that all that is behind us.

My other issue is regarding their dental practices. As others here have stated, when you have the most expensive wellness plan, a yearly cleaning is "free". However, it's never free. They call you when the dog is already under anesthesia, and without you being able to get a second opinion or even see for yourself, they tell you that they HAVE to extract 4 teeth and it'll cost $400. The way they sort of run people through like cattle and throw around these huge amounts of money like it's nothing bothers me too. You have to watch the computer screen while they're adding up everything they want to do (most of which is probably not needed), and really scrutinize them about it, and tell them to take off charges and procedures you don't want or need done.

I don't feel that I should have to watch my vet like a hawk on the price. They should just do what's necessary first, and okay the cost of the more expensive, exploratory, tests and procedures later. They should start with the basics as opposed to the more complicated stuff. I realize they are very busy (especially in our town because we're on the border and a lot of Canadians bring their pets to our Banfield), but the way they try to rush you through, it seems like they hope you won't notice unnecessary charges. I don't like that, at all.

Despite all of this, I feel that the vets at Banfield are competent and do care about my dog's well being. But I wonder if they are too busy to be able to give her long term issues the attention they need. I have struggled with the idea of just cancelling the wellness plan and taking her to a normal, pay as you go vet. She seems to be in and out of the vet so often though, that I can't imagine having to drop $300 to $500 every time she gets a UTI or something. I just don't have that kind of money. But, lately that seems to be the case with Banfield as well. AND I'm giving them $45 a month for the wellness plan. So it's a dilemma.

No manager was there all day to help (it was a Friday and not a holiday or any special day going on that weekend, just no one in charge). I never said I won't pay, but a tech comes out and threatens me that if I don't pay right then, they will send it to collections immediately. They didn't give me a receipt for the paid bill, nor for the record of the services made to the cat. I called the manager the next day, and she said that it was a mistake what the three people told me that the shot would be covered, and I needed to pay the bill. The end. The service for a regular visit is almost $500, and they want us to return in 6 months for another $500. No thanks. We will no longer use their services.

They took her back walking. When they brought her back to me, she was screaming in pain! I asked them why she was screaming, and they said she was just upset about the procedure. Of course, they said it with no care. She was getting worse! I asked them what they did to her; it was just a tube up the Urethra, right?! Nope! They stuck a huge needle through her stomach into her bladder! I was so angry with their attitude and they wanted to do more procedures, for more money of course. I asked if she had an infection and they said yes. I demanded a pain killer and some antibiotics, and would take her to the Vet in the morning. She was miserable all night. When I finally got her to our Vet first thing in the morning, she died in my arms! We did an autopsy, she had kidney stones, but they punctured her bladder and she bleed out overnight. When my Vet called them, they had no remorse, and said they did what they needed to do. They took no responsibility! Take your babies to a proper Vet! These people at Banfield do not care about animals. They just want to make lots of money!

Two weeks have now passed after spending $240 and now she is worse today than ever but being on a limited income, I have no money now and the clinic refuses to see her unless we can come up with the cash and they now want to do a test that costs $500 which is way out of my budget... She is now trying to pass a stone, we believe, and has noticeable blood in her urine... The injection that was given was $60 alone and many reviews had stated that their animals as well got better for a moment, only to get worse and, at this point, I am doing what I can regarding the special food and some things I picked up yesterday regarding the urinary tract...

I WILL NEVER AGAIN USE THIS PLACE FOR ANY ANIMAL. They do not stand behind treatments and simply want to take every dime you have left and, at this point, I am expecting my cat to actually die within the next week or so unless I can get this remedied through a local organization that is looking for someone willing to cover the additional costs as that same night, I was also a victim of a home intruder that stabbed me in the neck and I was in ICU for 2 days. I am beyond disgusted with Banfield Pet Hospital and might suggest that others look for a better place that actually has the animals' well-being at hand over the money they can get from your wallet whether or not the treatments THEY DO AS PROFESSIONALS work or does not work...

I made a follow-up appointment for two weeks and when we got there, we had to wait over 1.5 hours before we saw the vet. It seems that when Banfield makes appointments, we should be seen within 15-20 minutes of the appointment time, not after 90 minutes of waiting. When the vet finally did see my dog to determine whether the drugs they had prescribed had reduced his blood pressure enough for a safe cleaning, he still couldn't make a clear determination. After checking it three times and all with wide-swings in results, he suggested I see a heart cardiologist to check his heart (estimate $500-$700 plus vets fees). It seems to me that listening to the heart and determining a murmur is something I would imagine a first-year vet student should be able to determine. Also during that visit I had pointed out that I noticed some growths on his neck and asked the Vet what he thought they were. I was told the lumps under his neck were nothing to worry about, probably fat deposits. As it turned out, this was a serious misdiagnosis.

I was so disappointed by the lack of care and service at Banfield that I went to Forever Pet Dental for a second opinion. After a quick review of the transferred records from Banfield, Dr. ** identified Beau had a serious heart murmur and was not a candidate for teeth cleaning (Sure glad I didn't schedule the cardiologist as advised. Why didn't Banfield tell me that BEFORE I purchased a policy for teeth cleaning that could not be done?). Dr. ** also said the lumps under Beau's throat were very worrisome. After a quick bioscopy and a three-day wait, the tests came back that Beau had lymphoma. The cancer had progressed to the point that a month later we had to end Beau's suffering as the cancer had spread to his eyes and he could no longer eat or walk.

When I called Banfield to cancel the Optimum Wellness Plan, the service rep treated me with the same uncaring tone and attitude that I received at the hospital. We were informed that we still had to pay the remainder of the payments. A week later, I got a card that said, "Don't Forget! Beau is due for a comprehensive exam by 7/1/23."

I will get another dog eventually and I will never subject it to being a patient of Banfield. Also, I will no longer buy products from PetSmart because of their relationship with Banfield. I now know why owners of kennels, pet sitters, and other vets warned us against using Banfield. We will now be joining that chorus and doing what we can to prevent people from having the type of experience we had.

This vet obviously does not like her job because, let me tell you, I would have gotten there earlier and came right in to attend to the dog that was in distress. My dog passed away a week later and I'm trying to cancel the insurance, and they said we still have a balance. Do not ever take your dog there, let alone sign up for their insurance. They try and sell you different medicines for certain vaccines which are not included in the plan, always trying to sell something extra. Oh, one more thing, they have 1 girl answering the phone, checking in patients, and caring for the animals all at the same time, very shorthanded which will not give your animal good care.

She was finally diagnosed with a urinary issue that can be corrected with a special food, or I could opt in to get a $5k surgery that might not "fix" the problem. She has actually been better with being on the food. I called Banfield to see if I could have the vet renew her prescription without having to see her, since my puppy wasn't having issues that would need her to be seen. The lady on the phone told me that there was a "hold" on the wellness plan. I explained that it should have been cancelled a while ago. She then explained that the plans do not expire and that you have to cancel the plan yourself. I ended up having to call the Banfield Complaint Center, and was pretty much told that since I signed something, I was stuck in the plan.

I explained to them that I was never told anything about it being renewed and that I was able to cancel this. I still have heard nothing back from Banfield, so I ended up putting a complaint in through BBB. I did get a response back, basically saying that, "Since you signed, you have to pay." So anyone who is thinking about bringing their dog here, DON'T. I am now stuck with a plan for the next six months and will be paying for crappy service. Half the time, the vets have no clue what they are talking about... Also, they up-charge like a car dealership. I could find a vet that actually cares about animals versus someone who's seeing dollar signs and what they can rip off from people.

I left the room. They came out and said her heart stopped and asked me if I wanted to revive her. I said yes. I was told that during heart massage, the doctor may have broken a rib. I told them I wanted to take her home when she was able to, and they advised me to take her to a hospital. She had an excellent EKG. Then they told me she needed to go back on oxygen. At this point, they were talking euthanasia. I said no, that I wanted to take her home and put her on heart medication. They never gave me a reason for euthanasia. They only said, "You may get a month or two with her," but there's no way they can predict that.

I can only say that if you think your dog has a slight chance of recovering, get your pet out of Banfield because you are just $$ to them. They took advantage of me, as I am a senior. I was alone, and they knew they could frighten me to make a decision for me. I am tormented.

Unfortunately, that HAS NOT happened. On both the 2nd and 3rd visits, they called me on my cell to explain they had emergencies and were running terribly behind. Both times, appointments were made as per the wellness plan, but I ONLY saw a vet ONE time, and that was on the 1st visit, when the plan was sold to me. I paid based on the plan's breakdown of visits or "exams". The only services performed were shots. A vet tech took him to the back and brought him back out. On the last visit after my dog was brought out, he was bleeding pretty good. The staff took him back to check him, and when bringing him through the door, two employees ran into each other in the door, slamming my animal's paw in the door. Of course they so much as did not address it with me; they just took him back again, I can only assume, to check the foot.

And now that I am very unsatisfied and do NOT trust them to deliver the care they said they sold me, I am hooked into a payment plan with them for 12 months. And if you decide to cancel, you'll pay very high veterinary charges immediately. Their home office in Oregon does not try to work with you. They have great protection for their company, but you have NONE for you and your pet. Please DO NOT purchase their so-called plans. You will regret it, I am sad to say!

To make matters worse, I called Banfield because I signed her up for a wellness plan on May 12 and within 2 weeks she had passed. However, I was expected to pay on this plan for the year. If I would have known my pet would have passed away in that short time, I would not have signed her up for a wellness plan. I trusted them with my dog's life and they let me down. I won't ever recommend anyone to this vet or the plan. It's terrible.

On the flip side, my dog goes to Banfield for yearly shots and exams. She loves the people. I, however, have no idea what vet sees her since I never see them or meet them. But when she is ill, I take that 2-hour trip as I have not been satisfied with their care regarding when something is wrong.

The final straw was the fact that I mainly bought the plan to have his teeth cleaned, as he has to be put under. They did a complete checkup on him the day I bought the plan and found that he had a heart murmur. It was not an issue until I wanted to make an appointment to have his teeth done and they told me he could not due to the fact that he had the murmur and would have to go to the cardiologist first! There is only one vet cardiologist in my area and it was going to cost $542! They knew this ahead of time and sold me a bill of goods. I ended up getting a month’s credit for this particular issue, but they would still not cancel the plan. The amounts that they charge for their services are far and above the normal rates than a neighborhood vet charges. How do I know this? My dog went to a neighborhood vet for the first 11 years of his life, as does his sister.

I cannot wait until this hell is over and I am released to go back to my old vet. I feel abused and violated and would like to press criminal charges against this company. I thought I did my research... but did not dig far enough. There are hundreds of complaints out there about Banfield and I would run far far away from this whole company. The kicker is that the second time we brought Cody in, they almost killed him with an overdose of drugs, due to the fact that the vet on staff did not read his file. It took me three vets in the local Banfield before I got one that gave a darn about him. In fact, one of the receptionists told me that the vet I ended up with was the most thorough... hmm. Run, run for your animal’s life.

To make a long story short, later that night, I was petting "Jack" and I noticed a VERY big wart-like bubble in the ear that was cleaned (obviously, they rubbed so hard that they created an embolism)... A week later, after noticing it wasn't going away, I took him in and it was suggested that I get it taken out, and the doctor assured me that that was not caused by the vet techs or her for that matter... I paid a lot of money for his ear to be practically severed off...

It breaks my heart to see the types of people that get hired to care for animals. Well, his limp is still there; of course, it's getting progressively worse. I've left several messages for Dr. Johnson to call me, and of course she hasn't yet. I don't know what to do because if I take him back in, I'm risking his well-being. I do not like this Banfield at all.. It's located in Midlothian, VA.

After that, the doctor wanted to charge me $2,500 for a surgery (tightrope) that I paid $1,000 at another vet (who confessed to me that he had to fix 2 of these kind of surgeries from Banfield!). They also told me that no one in town specialized on this kind of surgery... Banfield is ok if your dog is not sick or just need current vaccines. Other than that, they’re just going to try to rip you off.

All of the doctors at Banfield are inexperienced and incompetent. They are clearly only concerned about getting as much money from you as possible. I worked at a vet for over 5 years and know a little bit about what a good vet should do. I recently took my Great Dane into Banfield in Palm Coast and paid a lot of money for a complete senior wellness exam with a full CBC blood panel screen. The vet barely looked at my dog and did not even notice 5 large lipomas until after I pointed them out to her. She spent LESS THAN 3 minutes examining my dog!

She did not ask to review his records nor did she carefully listen to heart and lung functions. It was very clear to me the whole exam was just a sham to get money and she did not care at all about my dog's health. She seemed annoyed that I asked questions and did not have informed answers for any of them. They supposedly did a full CBC panel which (miraculously) came back in about 5 min. However, they did not give me the results, and when I came back to pick them up, I noticed there was an abnormally low level platelet count (148). The doctor had not even noticed it until I pointed it out and then made an excuse saying it was "normal".

A reputable vet would have ordered a manual check of this to confirm. A low level platelet count can be very serious. I now have to go to a real vet to have this checked. The CBC panel itself was not nearly as inclusive as most panels done at regular vets, yet they charged me 3x what most vets charge! I told her about my dog's cognitive decline and the doctor said she had never heard of Anipryl, which is the most commonly diagnosed prescription med for this, nor did she know about choline or Cholodin, which are the most commonly used supplements for canine cognitive decline! Remarkably uninformed! She did not seem to care at all and did nothing to check him for this...

She also said no adult canines can get ear mites, which is a lie. She pretended to briefly look into his ears. (This is not the way to check for mites... you have to take a swab and look under a microscope.) When I worked at the vet, I personally treated at least 30 adult dogs for ear mites. Finally, they charged me twice what they originally quoted for Rimadyl and only gave me 10 days' worth with no refills!!!! I had to go back in to get the Rimadyl because the vet forgot to add it during the first visit! When I finally got it, it did not have the full amount, and most of the pieces were broken up.

Two years ago, when I took my Great Dane into Banfield on the "platinum plan" for a complete yearly exam and screen, they left him in a small cage all day long. When I picked him up after work 9 hours later, he could barely walk and had feces and urine all over him! They told me they did not do anything for him that day... no tests... NOTHING! They had forgotten he was there! The doctor refused to come out and talk to me and they even tried to charge me for that! They also gave him a 6-month supply of bad heartworm med that was recalled! They did not want to reimburse me nor did they apologize for their incompetence. If you care at all about your pets, I would avoid this place at all costs! You are going to get much better care going to a real vet.

I had to borrow money. I was so scared with what she had told me. I was crying the remainder of my stay there while I waited. The machine apparently broke, so all results couldn't be given. The next day Banfield said the blood work showed no problems. Well, I never received paperwork on the blood work as they didn't have the results when I left. I was up from 1-2AM last night with my dog's panting. Being really worried, I googled the symptoms. Diabetic/pre-diabetic came up. Not once did your vet talk about this to me. I called another two vets asking them what tests they would run for those symptoms. They said urine and check for diabetes. I need the blood work results that I never received so I can show a competent veterinary clinic what's already been checked. She also wanted me to schedule another appointment with Banfield for two weeks for x-rays to show how many puppies she's having. This costs $350.

Apparently, this vet has no idea what fixed/limited income is. Very upset and disappointed in this company. Now I'm behind $130.00 and so stressed because my dog is exactly the same and now I really can't bring her in. Apparently, the wrong tests were administered to which I don't have results anyway. Communication with them has been difficult. Unless several calls happen, they won't bother returning calls. I did get a mailed response from Banfield, but only after I had contacted the BBB regarding this. It seems they want your money without helping the animals and playing on the owner's emotions. Sickening.

Thanks a lot, Banfield! I don't recommend anyone to use Banfield. They are just a corporate vet that cares about your money. Someone with a heart or at least is compassionate about the animals they service might have found some common ground to help me out. Local vets are the way to go. Support your local vets and not some money-hungry corporate monster. Thanks for nothing, Banfield.

Evidently, it is in the fine print of what I signed as I rushed off to work in the early morning. Regardless, the principle of the matter is that it is misleading.The free teeth cleaning cost me $176.00. When questioning the veterinarian about the charges, in addition to challenging the tech upon checkout, the only thing that I heard was it wasn't their fault. Here is the doozy by the vet, "Wouldn't it be nice if everything was free?" I guess the $25 per month that I was charged and directly taken out of my checking account for the year while I never utilized the plan was a gift. Regardless, I will never spend another dime at Banfield and I am happy to suggest to anyone that I know that they should do the same!

The vet, Dr. **, did the testing and both thankfully were negative. He then tried to tell me that Bug, my non-contracted dog, needed annual shots. He had no way of knowing this. I explained that I was researching some other possible veterinary options and declined any further services. I then asked about them needing a follow-up test in 6 months. He said no further testing was needed. I said that somewhere I had heard they should be tested again in 6 months. When I went to check out, they tried to bill $40 for a physical exam. I explained there was to be no charge and that there was no physical exam done. The only thing I noticed was he lifted the lips of Reggie, the contracted dog. They said that was the exam. I said, "Excuse me, I'm not paying for 2 seconds of something I didn't request."

Then when I got home, I reviewed the paperwork I was given that said "Congratulations! Your pet's ears, heart, rectum, mouth/nose, abdomen, lungs appear to be normal." This is completely unethical to document such when no exam was done. Plus while I was checking out, I reread the letter that Banfield had sent that said "your pet should be brought in 6 months for a 2nd heartworm test." I pointed this out to the clerk. She said she was unaware of that just like the vet. It is beyond me how possibly, after exposing my pets and many other's pets to such risk, that they don't even take it seriously enough to know what they themselves/Banfield say need to be done to make sure my loved family member is protected.

The reporting of a physical exam that was never done is totally unethical and not knowing what follow-up is needed to fully protect your pet is grossly negligent. I will go back to a veterinary office where you see the same vet that has a personal relationship with you and truly cares about the health of my pet. I have never written a review in my life that wasn't super quick, which are always the ones where you had received outstanding service or a product. That tells you how offended I am!

I swear if something happens to my dog, they won't have anywhere to go! I will make to suspend their licenses! The reason I say this is because my older dog had a dental check which was under anesthesia and I was never told about the complications and my 6 y/o male, super healthy dog because even they saw it on the results, has been found after 3 days of the procedure dead at home! These ** people killed my dog!

The best part is when I went there, they said I signed a form where I assume all the responsibility if something happens to my dog. Well, yes, I signed a form but when I asked the girl who was "helping me", she said it was just a drop off form which it was not! Now my dog is dead; my other dog is vaccinated twice in less than 2 months! Their staff is just ridiculous! They don't know what in the ** they are doing!

I asked for an autopsy and one of them said they could only check for bites just in case it was because a spider, etc. and that I will have to pay for the autopsy if I wanted it! Well, guess what?! I took my dog's dead body to them and they had to pay for it! I took my dog to them thinking I will keep him healthy and 3 days later of the first visit, my dog is dead! Don't ever go to these people because it's obvious all they care about money!

Another complaint is that I can never get my dogs in for a sick appointment. I have the insurance but am told they have no openings for weeks! When I asked what I am to do, I'm told to take them to the animal hospital in Langhorne. Are you kidding me? What do I pay insurance for if I need to go elsewhere? I can't cancel the insurance because as others stated, you are charged for the full year. Stay clear of Banfield. Extremely expensive and care is awful!

The lack of informing us of this fact prior to adoption is a whole separate issue that I have addressed with the Humane Society, but I mention it here so that everyone has all of the facts. We had just found out (mid visit) that our new cat that we were already attached to had FIV. We knew little to nothing about it and it was a very stressful discovery. With this new revelation and all of the expenses that the vet had mentioned she needed, I made the decision to sign up for their Wellness Plan thinking I needed it and it would save us money. This plan would cost a one-time membership fee of $37.95 and then $24.95/month for 12 months. It would cover various items including office visits, a dental cleaning, vaccines and a 15% discount on medications and some services, etc.

After leaving that evening, I went home, did some research and had various conversations with Humane Society volunteers and other veterinarians. I decided that I did not feel comfortable with the plan or Banfield and decided to cancel it. According to their contract, I had four days to do so. When I called the next day to cancel the plan, I was informed that I owed an additional $69.60 beyond the $138.23 I had already paid. I knew that I would have to pay the full price for the medications that I had received a 15% discount on since I was no longer on their plan and had no problem with that. But here is where the deceitfulness became apparent. They refunded me the membership fee and the first month payment, but because their plan included a free office visit ($37.95) and a Comprehensive Feline Exam ($45), I had to then pay for them.

There are two huge problems with this. First of all, I had the coupon for the office visit, which was the only reason I made an appointment with them in the first place. (I have a local vet I have used for 12 years. I was just looking to save a little money with all of the other expenses we were incurring with having a cat for the first time adding up quickly.) According to their office manager, that coupon is now null and void due to the fact that I signed up for the plan. Profit has vanished!? She informed me that she could hit her computer screen with a bat and there was nothing she could do about it. The next day is when I learned about the $45 comprehensive feline exam they were charging me was in addition to the office visit ($37.95). Once again, I have somehow committed to this charge when I signed the contract that I am now cancelling. For one, I was not informed that they were doing a comprehensive exam which included a 5-second glance at her teeth, ears, eyes and rectum. I would have never agreed to this and was not informed it was happening or of its charge if I decided to not do the plan.

Second, I have had pets for 17 years and I have never taken any animal to any vet for a well check appointment and been charged $82.95 to just look the animal over, nor do I know anyone else who has had a fee even close to this amount! This didn't include any tests, meds, nothing at all, but looking at her as I mentioned above. When I contacted Banfield Corporate office, they just refer everything back to the actual hospital location and back to the same unhelpful office manager. When I contacted their advocate team, the office manager received the email and informed me that it all defaults back to her (which she seemed to enjoy this fact). In other words, there is nothing I can do for these ridiculous charges and the only one you can work with is the in-hospital unhelpful office manager.

I then let the office manager know that I would not just accept their inappropriate and unacceptable charges. I said that I may seek legal counsel if this couldn't be resolved and would also contact the BBB to help make other pet owners aware of Banfield's business practices. (She also then informed me that the BBB would still defer back to her and it would be of no consequence.) They then refused to speak to me and the corporate office even hung up on me when I asked when my balance was due by and told me to contact their legal department (because I had mentioned the option of seeking legal counsel they will no longer speak with me) which you can only do in writing! We currently have a fungal culture in process ($33) whose results will not be back for two weeks, which they refuse to send me the results of due to the fact that I said I may seek legal counsel. They can't put the results in the mail on a piece of paper for the test I have already paid for. Again, this is completely unacceptable.

I paid the balance due today, before the 4-day cancellation period expired as not to be turned over to any credit agencies and to be officially out of the plan. But what has happened here has scam written all over it in my opinion. I can't believe what I consider as a reputable company such as PetSmart would be associated with such a business with such terrible practices. All over the internet, you find hundreds of complaints against Banfield and the improper handling of both pets and money that they have. (Of course, unfortunately, I didn't find this information out until afterwards.) I would highly suggest that PetSmart disassociate ASAP with Banfield before it brings down their business by association. I will say the PetSmart manager was extremely helpful in trying to aid me in the situation the best she could and did give me a $37.95 gift card to PetSmart to try to compensate, although she continually reminded me that they are two separate entities and she could not do anything about their actions. She also facilitated the cancellation of the contract when I went in to the store when I requested her help since they were no longer speaking with me. I thought I might need assistance to pay the balance and cancel.

I feel obligated to bring this to the community's attention so people can make informed decisions. I know there are a lot of others like me who are a sucker for a good coupon. This is definitely not the one to try to take advantage of! This was certainly not a savings and going to my current vet would have been better by far. And come to find out, my vet performs first office visits for adopted cats free of charge also! (When I originally called to make the appointment before I knew about the Banfield coupon, the girl who answered the phone had made a mistake and told me it was a full $39 charge!) Thank you for taking the time to read of my ordeal. I hope that having this information helps prevent this from happening to other unsuspecting families.

I was recently reviewing my bank statements and found that Banfield was still taking money from my account. I again stopped in the hospital on May 5, 2013 to confirm what was going on and set up an appointment for my other dog (not on the auto pay plan). The clerk again told me that my pet was still listed and I would have to call the number provided to cancel the contract. He told me that they would sometimes switch the plan to the new dog, but for sure they would work out something.

On May 6, 2013, I again called the number and gave the answering clerk the information requested. She said there were no notes in the system and she could not confirm I had called in the past or that I had stopped by the hospital to take my dog off the plan. I explained to her that I was sorry that nobody entered the notes, but I really wanted a refund or some type of compensation for taking the amount from my bank account. She (Daniel) told me that she could not do that and did not have the means to help me. I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager and was told there was no supervisor or manager on the staff, but I could speak with another representative.

I asked her if there was a complaint number I could call and she again told me there was no complaint department in the company. I asked for a call in number and to speak to staff that could help me and again was told there was no such number. I again asked her, "Are you sure there is nobody I can speak to," and she started to tell me she was having problems hearing me. I made one last ditch effort to get some type of information for complaints and the only thing she would give me was a PO Box. The total amount Banfield has charged my account is approximately $280 ($39 per month).

It is hard for me to believe that a company the size of Banfield that is associated with PetSmart would not have the functionality to address such requests. In all probability, the clerk who took my first call was not fully qualified to close an account. Make certain the information was documented. Call centers are areas that have a very high turnover ratio, and sometimes we forget this is the very first place our employees start and they make mistakes.

Please refund the amount of $280 back to my account.

I was able to take off of work the day (Wednesday) following her spay procedure. She was fine, eating and drinking normally. On Thursday, my husband reported that when he had left for work, that Roxy was fine. Her usual self. When my daughter and I came home to find Roxy in a bad state, I called Banfield and told them she was bleeding. They put me on hold. When her condition quickly worsened and she began to surrender (her intestines had dropped out from her), I screamed for my neighbor, knowing I did not have time for Banfield to get back to me. He ran to us, tore off his shirt, wrapping her up in it, and instructed me to drive to the local animal hospital. Roxy died shortly after we arrived to the hospital. I was told by the emergency doctor that Roxy was unconscious, was bleeding to death, would need a blood transfusion, would need surgery to put the organs back into her body, was in critical condition, her organs unassumingly had been exposed and probably had bacteria on them, and that she was in critical condition. My husband and I chose to end her suffering at that moment.

Skipping details and fast forwarding: When I spoke to the Banfield doctor (Dr. **) later that night, she explained to me that Roxy had eaten her stitches, damaging and exposing her organs, and had eaten her intestine, severing it in 2 places, resulting in excessive bleeding. The Banfield doctor that did the spay procedure asked me if I thought that maybe the cone was too small. The doctor asked “me” if I thought if the cone was too small! I replied with, "I wouldn't know that. I am not a doctor." She also asked me if Roxy was trying to “get at her stitches”. I said no. She was not. She asked me if her back toenails would possibly have been able to open up her stitches. I replied, “I did as you asked: I got Roxy groomed the day before her procedure, including having her toenails clipped.” I have spoken to several people, including dog experts, who are baffled as to how a 4.5 pound puppy shih tzu would be able to chew through the 3 layers of stitches required for this procedure, had the procedure been done properly, while wearing her cone. Roxy still had her baby teeth.

On auto-pilot the following day, a friend suggested I get Roxy's medical and financial records from Banfield. I did. Prior to receiving these records, I called and inquired about specific financial information regarding our “situation”. The person answering the phone directed me to a 1-888 number. I asked her for further assistance and direction from her, as to how to proceed. She said she could not give me any more information other than the 1-888 phone number. I responded with, "Is that it?" She said yes and hung up. I spoke to this service on 4/29/13 and was told that I owe them $77.90 toward my member services for the months of May and June that Banfield had paid. I explained to them that I no longer have a dog and that the services would not be able to be used.

This did not have to happen. I am not done. I have left out what this has done to my children (ages 12, 10, and 8). This poor puppy did not have to die this way. She was spayed on a Tuesday and died 2 days later.

I was told to pay over 500 dollars on that day or I would have payments for one year. I have paid on this bill for a year. Every time they would call and say they wanted to do a check up, I would say, "No way! I cannot afford your checkups." My dog was walking the day after the X-rays a little sore but fine. I am 59 years old and have had many great vets and pets. Please go to a vet that is more concerned with your pet than enrolling you in a program that means less care for more money.

My dog does have some issues so I knew his blood work was going to come back abnormal and I knew he would need a few teeth pulled. After speaking with the vet who was awesome, she transferred me to another staff member who went over the extra fees in detail. I agreed and we proceeded. They called me after to let me know how everything went and when I could pick up my dog. When I got there, my bill was exactly what they said it was going to be. They even decided one tooth didn't need to be pulled. So I don't think they sell unnecessary procedures. The whole bill was much lower than my old vet's. It would have doubled in price. The nurse brought my dog out and went over everything in detail. The vet came out to meet me. She said she wanted to personally make sure I didn't have any questions.

I loved our experience with Banfield. I do feel bad for those of you who didn't have a great experience. I work in the medical field and I have learned that you need to take full responsibility to know exactly what is going on with your health, costs and insurance. Ask questions and learn everything you need to know about having a pet. Unfortunately, animals do get sick and can't be saved. No vet knows everything and nothing is for free.

So anyways, I said I wanted them to make sure that the 1/2 down deposit they made my daughter put down was reimbursed to her and the front desk girl is like "I will have to call our IT department. I don't know how to do a refund." I told her maybe they shouldn't expect 1/2 down until they know for sure a service is going to be done. Now, not only did they have my daughter put down 1/2 of the quoted surgery cost, but they made her pay $165 for the x-ray that was done that day. Oh, did I mention that while talking to the doctor on the phone, she mentions that my dog needed an ear swab test because she had a really bad smell coming out of them and she thought my dog needed a Thyroid test? I consented to the ear swab but told her to hold off on the Thyroid test. She told me to call back in a couple hours because they wanted to make sure my dog ate (now remember this part for later in my story).

So I called back in a couple hours to have the assistant tell me, "So we did the ear swab and the doctor mentioned you wanted a Thyroid test done?" I said no. I told her not to do a Thyroid test. She then said "Oh okay. Well, we will just stick with the ear swab." I said I would be there in about an hour to pick up my dog (this was at approximately 12:00 pm). I was told I would have to wait until after 2:30 as the doctors went to lunch from 1 to 2. I said okay, I will be there at 2:15 pm. So I got there and before even being allowed to see my dog, I get socked with $300 worth of fees for one ear swab test, 1 IV cath, 1 Fecal Test, two kinds of medicines for her ears and another set of x-rays. So now, we are up to $465. I also told the front desk girl, "I don't want to come off wrong but I need to know why you made my daughter buy a bag of dog food with all the money I have paid with your care program (which saves you nothing)?"

I feel Banfield could have fed my dog two cups of dog food. She looked me in the face and said, "We don't have any dog food here." I laughed at her and said, "That was a joke right since you are located in a pet store that is 1/2 pet food?" She said, "No, I am not joking. We do not cover the cost of the food for the patients." So after paying, I am put into a very stinky room. (By the way, did I mention that the front desk people have no customer service skills?) So finally, the doctor came in of course, not with my dog. She pulled up a set of x-rays and said, "Well, here was the object yesterday and here today. You see the object is gone (magic)." So her suggestion was to take her home, let her go to the bathroom and see if there was something in her poop. Then she proceeded to go into this long story about how my dog has bad arthritis in her hips and that she has the onset of hip dysplasia and that we could opt for surgery.

I asked her if she really needed the surgery right now and she did say no. I said, "Can I give her an alieve or something just to help with the arthritis?" She said, "Let me think about this while we are getting your dog ready. I will get back to you with an answer." After 10 minutes, an assistant came in to explain the ear medicines (still no dog) and to tell me the doctor does not want me giving the dog anything but what they have to offer for arthritis that would run me $81 a month. I said, "Well, let me think about this." So now finally after 1/2 hour, they brought my dog in and said, "Thank you. Have a good day." I looked at the assistant and said what about the dog food you made my daughter buy? She looked at me and said, "Oh are you talking the bag of Beneful?" I said yes (so she knew there as a bag of food of my dogs). So she went back and brought out a bag of food with my dog's name on it, not even opened which means they did not feed my dog at all.

Now my dog is home and seemed to be doing better. Every once in a while, she has a gagging episode which I am not sure what is causing it but I guarantee she will not be going back to Banfield. I will be finding a better vet. Oh, just in case you don't get point of the story, do not go to Banfield Pet Hospital!

At 2:00 I called and told them I wanted my dog at 2:30. The blood work still was not drawn at 2:00. When I arrived, I demanded my dog and was charged another $52.00 for blood work. I saw no shaved area on my dog's legs, as the same case a few weeks earlier. I pay $33.00 a month on insurance, but will cancel it in November. I will continue to pay until then and will take him to another vet, then pay that vet. I do not know what has changed within the past few months. He used to enjoy the vet. I know he got no water and was not taken out to use the yard. He went ASAP on the pavement once we were outside. He drank 2 bowls of water when we got home.

Please use your own judgement, but I will not take my baby back to that place. I just wonder how long it would have taken them if I had not gone and demanded my dog. I don't think they drew any blood.

On top of all that, they have the nerve to charge us for what they call care ($345) to let our little guy die alone in a cage. Now I ask you, is that care? They just told us 2 hours earlier he was okay and that we could pick him up later that day! Do not trust them. Money is all they care about!

I told my daughter to put the puppy where the wet area was, so hopefully she would not catch anything. She only weighs 1lb 8 oz. Liz then took us to the exam room. I was uncomfortable about how she cleaned the scale so I found the cleaner and thoroughly cleaned the table myself. The vet tech came in. She was very nice and quiet spoken. She took our puppy's temp and gave her a Benadryl shot. She was very gentle and caring. The vet came in and checked her teeth and ears. She was pretty gentle, although I did not think she checked her out like the other vet, which by the way was very good! She put some cream cheese for dogs on the table to lick while she gave our puppy her shots. Thank goodness I cleaned the table! Our puppy did pretty good with the first one, up close to the shoulder blade.

Then the vet went to give her a shot down around the hind quarter. This is a small dog. The tech was holding her and the vet had her back end. She poked her twice and missed! The third time, she got the needle in, but when she withdrew the needle, there was vaccine coming out, and our puppy's leg started shaking violently. I asked the vet, "What is wrong with her leg?" She said, "Oh, nothing. She will be fine; she will be sore, but it is okay." Her leg kept shaking violently and she was yelping in pain! I asked her again, "Why is her leg shaking like that?" She said, "Oh don't worry! It will stop; she will be sore." We took our puppy home. My daughter was holding her in a baby blanket because she was shaking. On the way home in the car, she let out several loud yelps like she was in a lot of pain. We got her in the house and she would not walk on her leg. She kept yelping. She tried to lay down and she would yelp. She could not get comfortable.

My daughter offered her some food and water. She did not want any of it. She finally went to sleep for about 45 minutes. She woke up yelping! She was disoriented and acted like she could not get her balance. My daughter offered her some Nutri-Cal (which she loves) and she could not find my daughter's finger in front of her face. My daughter put some on her nose so she would eat it. We were concerned that she is so small and her blood sugar would drop from not eating. I called Banfield back and explained to Liz what was going on. She said, "Hang on a minute." I then talked to the nurse, Terri. I explained to her that our puppy was in pain. She said, "Don't worry about it; she will be sore overnight, ain't need to worry about it." I tried to explain that there is a difference between sore and pain. She said, "She'll be alright in the morning."

Our puppy was not doing well. She could not walk, was disoriented and in pain. I called back 10 minutes later and told Liz that she was not doing any better. I explained to her that I have had dogs all my life (I am older). She gave me this, "Uh huh." I tried to explain to her not one dog I have had has responded like this. She said, "Well, if you are concerned about it, take her to the emergency vet or make an appointment for tomorrow. All the vets are gone." It was 6:40 p.m. and they close at 7:00 p.m. Our puppy was getting worse. I called the emergency vet and told them what happened. The receptionist was very nice. She put me on hold and spoke with the vet. She said that her symptoms were not normal for her just getting shots and we should bring her in. We took our puppy to the emergency vet. Poor thing yelped all the way there.

While waiting in the waiting room, there was a couple who had a Black Lab. Her face and eyes were swollen. She heard me tell the receptionist that we took her to the Pearland, TX Banfiled. She was telling us that she took hers to the Webster, TX Banfield for a checkup. When she picked her dog up, her face was all swollen. We found out from her later that they had given her dog shots, and her dog had just had all her shots two weeks before and they overdosed her dog with shots! The doctor at the emergency vet said that it could be three things: 1. She was not sure why they gave her a shot on the same side as the Benadryl shot and that could cause her muscle to be very sore. 2. She could have nicked a nerve. 3. She wanted to watch for an abscess as she had a large lump and she was very sore. She gave her pain medication and a can of high-calorie dog food. She was concerned about her not eating. The pain meds helped some, but there were several times she would yelp in pain throughout the night.

The vet that saw her in Pearland, TX called the next afternoon (Dr. **). She said, "We received a fax that your puppy had to go to the emergency. I told her the above, and she said, "Oh wow! That is too bad she was so sore." I said, "No, for the fifth time, she is not sore. She is in pain!" I told her that it was $86 for the emergency visit and who was going to pay for this? She told me, "I don't know." I told her, "Thank you for calling," and hung up. I had already called the complaint department for Banfield on April 19th. Our puppy was seen on the 18th. The woman there was very nice and apologetic. She said someone would call in 3 to 5 days. I waited - no call. I called them this morning, April 24th. She apologized that no one had called back. I called over to Banfield in Pearland and asked to speak to Brandi, their new manager. I explained the above. She said that this was the first she had heard of it and she would have to read the fax. She said that they should have given our puppy some pain meds to take home since her leg reacted like that. She said she would call me back.

She just called about 20 minutes ago and said she read the fax. She said there was no need to take our puppy to the emergency vet for soreness. I explained for the sixth time she was in pain. I told her, "We videoed our puppy and would you like to see it?" She said, "Oh well, not I don't think so." I told her, "I am sorry but I am a responsible parent and pet owner. If someone is in pain, I am not going to let them suffer overnight." She said, "Well I apologize this happened but there is nothing I can do." I asked her, "If this was your dog, would you be upset with how she was treated and how your staff handled this?" She said, "Well, I was a tech and no, I don't think I would because dogs can move when they get shots." I told her, "I am sorry but I do not believe that you would not be upset; your answer is unacceptable and I will have to go higher up with this." She said, "Okay."

I told her, "Do you realize you have 788 complaints against your company and five dogs have died that should not have?!" She says, "Oh wow! I did not know that." By this time I was past angry. I told her, "I am not accepting your apology and thank you for calling back," whereupon I hung up. I called the 800 number back and told the woman who has been very helpful that I spoke with Brandi and I do not accept her answer and I want to speak to Mike, your area leadership, whatever that is. I am pretty sure that the results will be the same as the ones I have read on here. I cannot believe these people get away with treating animals like this! They need to be investigated! We will see how this turns out. I am not one to back down!

On Thursday morning, she wasn't eating and after calling Banfield, I was told to water down canned food and continue giving her the medication. That evening, she became very lethargic and I took her to an emergency pet hospital. She tested very high for Parvo, and after going into cardiac arrest, had to be put to sleep. I am very upset that this was not caught at Banfield the day before as I might have been able to save her.

After doing research, she was showing all of the signs, but she was not tested. I contacted the clinic director and was just told that it's not usually tested for, even if symptoms are showing. Within 30 hours, I spent over $700, including $250 at Banfield, and lost my pet because it wasn't caught in time. I am sad and disappointed in Banfield.

I had to ask the vet to even check her teeth and that was it, nothing. Then the vet gave us a prescription for special food and slapped me with two $80 exam charges aside from the shots that the nurse gave. This is ridiculous. Why am I paying $40 to have vet do pretty much nothing and to only criticize my animal and no exam? I was under the impression a full exam was checking all areas of the animal including glands, checking teeth and ears and doing a rectal exam. I will not be taking my animals back to such an unthorough vet.

They charged my account for tests, and for a vet visit. The vet never saw my dog, only the girl (nurse). I was very upset and said that I had to leave. At that point, I was going to cancel my plan but I didn't. Then about 2 weeks ago, I called to request for an appointment for my dog again because he had an ear infection. They told me that they couldn't see him until mid-March. It was about Feb. 18th. I told them to cancel my plan (that I pay monthly through my credit card). I called corporate offices, and they promised me that they would cancel my plan and have a case manager call me within 48 hours. That was on Feb 19th.

To this day, I have heard nothing! Today is March 6th and they conveniently charged my account again! I am furious. I am now on hold with them again, trying to resolve but they just keep talking in circles and putting me on hold and saying that they will get back to me. They keep saying I have a balance from the visit that never happened! So that I should just keep on paying until my account expires in June. This is a crime. They are billing for services never rendered. My dog was never seen by a vet. I had to leave due to waiting so long and the clincher is that they billed us for a blood test that they said they couldn't do because my dog was uncooperative! I am a professional woman and if I charged for services not rendered, it would be considered a crime! I have tried to handle this on my own but have not had much success.

Two days later, we were back with the 1st dog again. He wouldn't eat, was extremely in pain to his abdomen and they told us he might have pancreatitis and needed to keep him overnight. We reluctantly left him there. I was called later that night and his tests for pancreatitis came back negative. However, they were going to treat him as if he had it anyways. I brought him home the next evening, after paying another vet bill of over $523, not a good wellness plan so far, and he proceeded to hide under our table and growl at me.

I took both dogs to another vet who strongly suggested that they were given shots with dirty needles and the first was mistreated. The vet gave them antibiotics and now both dogs are doing well again. I requested a refund of the wellness plans, totaling $855.86 to be told that they wouldn't refund any on one dog's plan as he used it up with discounts and the other dog they would refund only $108.67. I have filed a complaint with the local BBB. However, it doesn't seem to be helping. I am not sure at this point what can be done to recover the loss of money and trauma my dogs have been put through.

We've had good and bad experiences with Banfield since enrolling our dog in the Optimum Wellness Plan, but this one has been the worst. We've tied to resolve this issue with the billing team at this hospital, but they were unwavering. We've collected estimates from over 10 other Banfield Hospitals in the state, all who say we should not be charged extra for these services, as they were covered in our plan. Adding insult to injury, this Banfield administered vaccination boosters which I strongly stated that I did not want to give our dog on the day of surgery. They ignored my directive, gave her two vaccinations, and then attempted to charge us for them (they were included in our plan anyway). They have no good explanation for this, and are unwavering on the charges that they over-billed.

The reception staff at Banfield is rude. The girl checking me in was named Betsy, I think, because lord knows we don’t need to know who checked us in and they don’t wear name tags and all she could do was go on and on with the other girls how she was gonna go out with her friends. And the manager Erin, well, don’t get me started on her. I have no complaints about the vet tech (who took care of my kitty) or Dr. Liz; they were both very professional. You would think that the front desk staff would be more attentive, but I sat as a walk-in for over three hours and I was the first to arrive with no one else, not even appointments, showing up.

I was slid the walk-in sheet when I told them I had an emergency and no appointment, and no one asked me what was wrong. And the manager was standing there talking to her daughter. How do I know? Because the girl called her mom. They both looked at me several times but didn’t even come over to me as I was crying and petting my cat in her carrier. I was there from 9am-2pm all to be told they couldn’t help me because I couldn’t shell out that kind of money. This is the worst place ever. If I didn’t have an appointment for a free visit, I would have been charged for a fee for nothing. Don’t go there unless you want your pet to die.

They called me now; this is the second time. They are rude. The lady said if I don't do it tomorrow, I have to pay out-of-pocket. It’s real smart to give her shots while in heat. Normally, it takes 3 people to hold her because she screams and squirms severely. Now, when in heat, she's more sensitive, not to mention the un-neutered male dogs in Petsmart walking around. My dog hasn't even been out while in heat. She does her business in her potty patch. I do not want chances of an unwanted pregnancy. I don't want to put her through it. They know she's in heat because I spoke to the same lady yesterday.

God forbid, I tried to explain things; she talked over me with a rude tone. I'm not gonna argue over the phone but let's see how quick she gets rude with me in person. Chances are little between medicines because every time I go, they wanna give her some type of medicine. I've spent $400 out-of-pocket. She supposedly had ear infection last time I went. Now, I didn't get antibiotics for it - I didn't have money. They said it looked real good but to finish it. Lol. Wow, really? All I did was clean her ears. The shampoos they gave me cost $22 bucks a piece; they are too expensive.

Meanwhile, my dog was not getting better. The doctor who was in tears said that we could not feed our dog with the eyedropper as she might aspirate the food and drown. So, after one day with my dog at home and she was still not eating, still not defecating, we decided to feed her by eyedropper, Gerber First Stage Rice for babies. In two days, she passed the blockage (that Banfield claimed wasn't there). On Mother's Day last year, she was alive and well, back to herself again. So, she's better not to any help from Banfield.

So on this wellness plan, she gets a free teeth cleaning. We are told by the nurse this procedure is covered by the plan, that this visit will be free of charge. Of course, it was not free. They wanted some $145 for more blood work and anesthesia. I said, "Please give me my dog; we will be going home now and please take me off the wellness plan." The doctor then threatened to sue me for the procedure they had not even given or began. I told her, "Please give me my dog. We are leaving!" Then the doctor said that she picked the wrong career, mixing business and healthcare; she did not go to school to sell insurance. She will not be with this company much longer. She understands my frustration and she will stop deducting the monthly charges from my account. Of course, that didn't happen, so I am still paying for something that was of absolutely no benefit to my dog.

One night, he got very sick and I went outside with him. He started to throw up a lot of blood. I called Banfield in a panic explaining this to the girl, who then told me I could not bring him there as they had one emergency; and they could not handle him to take him to an emergency hospital or another Banfield. We rushed him to a emergency clinic who had him in the back for five minutes. They came out to tell us he had a huge mass in his mouth that burst. Tests were done and it was determined terminal; there was nothing we can do. $2,500 and a horrible heartache later, my poor Pablo had to be put to sleep.

I called Banfield and they said they were sorry; they refunded me what I had spent out of my pocket but that’s it. They felt no responsibility for being negligent in their supposed check-ups; not just one check-up but several over two months. I also told them that the emergency vet said this mass has been there and should have been seen if they did an examination. So please, don’t take your beloved pet there. I only had Pablo for three months and it broke my heart. I told them this from the beginning; what I did not want to happen. They assured me he was fine just to get another client. Shame, shame on them and their blood money.

I called the vet to inquire about her worsened state, and he told me it must be cardiac and that I needed full ECG and cardiac work up, and actually tried to get me to sign up for their stupid plan again. He told me her breathing was purely coincidental and had nothing to do with his exam. He also told me that by having the prescription for antibiotics called into my own pharmacy was dangerous, because it was a "human pharmacy". He told me it was my fault for not getting an ECG. I called a vet tech from a different hospital who believed that he was too rough in his tracheal exam and had caused it to swell. He denied it. He told me that there were serious problems and that I had to get her in right away. They want to charge $750 for a work up. This all originated because of a small growth on her gums.

I will never take my animal there again, and I hope that they shut down this trashy, terrible clinic. She developed kennel cough from being there, does not have a heart murmur, and will be okay, thanks to a real vet.

So when she finally couldn't push me into killing my dog, then she starts saying he needs the deworming, which he just had 8 days before. I felt like that was too soon, but I'm no doctor so I kept asking her. But she never once gave me the answer, and she just kept asking me why I was here if I'm not getting anything done. I kept telling her the only one thing I didn't want was the shot he had gotten 2 days before, and I don't know why they couldn't even check him to make sure everything was and was going to be fine. I think she kept tuning that, because she kept going on about how I want nothing done to him. Then she brought up another shot she could give him (which I wasn't going to give him anyways).

Luckily I said no because when the doc finally came in (after having to wait 30 minutes after having to deal with the "plant" nurse, I call her that because that’s the only kind she could be because she knew nothing about shots in humans or animals), she said they never give that other shot to any puppy under 6 months, and he doesn't need the other shot because yes, he did get it 2 days before and it is too soon to deworm again.

I don't know if I was on some weird TV show about how much they can push you into mistreating your animals or what, but the nurse was out of this world! So really, I paid $90 for them to weigh him and check his temperature, not one other thing at all, no checking his hips or joints which should be priority with Great Danes. No one checked his teeth; I'm assuming they would normally do that. Oh wait, she did look in his ear once, but even that was something I could do and tell they were healthy. After having such a horrible conversation with the first "plant lady", I was so overwhelmed with everything, I couldn't even think about what they actually needed to do (you would think they would know what to do themselves, but not this place). The computer is their god, if it says do it, they will. If it doesn't specifically say that, they won’t even attempt to do it.

Where did they hire these people? How do I know more and I've never been in any medical field? They didn't even do a fecal test (which is not a shot) just because I wanted no shots, just because I didn't want to kill my puppy. The one thing bad about the doctor, besides having the worst background check on people’s actual experience and letting things get so out of hand that the dog doesn't even get checked is she knows nothing about what different breeds require. They should at least have a little knowledge about different breeds of dogs instead of just putting all dogs in one category.

Great Dane puppies cannot have puppy food, even large breed puppy food. The amount of fat and protein will cause them to grow too fast for their bones and then they have even more lifelong problems (along with the too many shots killers are trying to put in their bodies). When I told her the facts about the proteins and fats, she looked at me shocked "but he needs fats and proteins." Well duh, but not too much. She needs to do her research and the nurse needs to get fired for being an animal hater and trying to kill them.

Do not go! They are just for looks and for people that don't truly care about their animals, or assume that the vets went to actual school and should know more than the general public. If you do have to take your animal there, make sure you know what is healthy for your family member and don't just let them push you over and cause you years of pain or years of medical treatment to fix what they have done.

Their stupid reports advise me to see "a specialist", and they want to prescribe some sort of medication at every visit. I am horrified as to how these incorrect diagnoses will affect actual insurance if she ever does develop these problems. When I demanded the medical record be corrected, they placed inappropriate comments stating that I am not happy. They gave me coupons to come back for more "care" after the leg shaving, but that was the last straw. Needless to say, they will never touch my pet again. I do not trust them. When I contacted the Banfield home office, I was ignored - they've never responded. At this point, I'm just happy she survived (as so many others I read about did not) and I will not be renewing the wellness package. My advice: take your pets to real vets. Banfield vets do not know what they are doing. Your pet’s life and future may depend on it.

I was upset as they knew it might need stitches. Then when I reminded them that we would have to use the Care Credit, they stated that they could only take it if the visit was over $250.00. The clip and clean that they had time for would not cost that much, but they would be happy to find a way to increase the charge so we could use the card. I refused the treatment and left, taking my cat to the pet emergency. I will never go to them again and will be filing a complaint with Pet Smart due to their association with Banfield.

Another time, attempting to avoid the previous situation again, I scheduled our dog for a drop of appointment to get one of his booster shots. I asked if I would be able to pick him up at lunchtime (I dropped him off around 8am), and they said that would be no problem; he should be done in 2-3 hours. He was not ready at lunchtime; instead, I was not able to pick him up until near 7pm, which means he was in a kennel for 11 hours just so they could poke him one time. But the biggest issue I had was when my husband and I decided to adopt a second dog from the local shelter. We did not want to take the new dog to Banfield, but every other vet in our area was booked for days and we really wanted to have the new dog checked out and tested for illness before we brought him into our house and potentially exposed our original dog to them. The shelter dog was diagnosed with kennel cough (nearly 400 dollars later) and given some antibiotics.

The next week, our shelter dog’s condition continued to decline, so we took him back into Banfield (our mistake) again. We were told it was just the kennel cough. 3 days later, our shelter dog started seizing, so we rushed him in. He was then diagnosed with Distemper (which he had picked up at the shelter), and we had to put him to sleep because there was literally nothing they could do for him. While at the appointment with our shelter dog, our other dog was at the PetSmart Doggy Day Camp, and we asked if we could bring him over to the Banfield and have him tested for Distemper, because he had recently begun coughing and had an extremely runny nose. He was vaccinated for Distemper several times as a puppy; however, given his close proximity to the new dog, we were still concerned. He was tested, and the vet listened to his chest and said it seemed like he just had a little cold. It took them an entire week to get us the Distemper test results, and they did not even call us with them. We had to call them.

A few days after the Distemper test came back negative (we were warned Distemper tests are not an exact science and your dog may still have it, even with the test coming back negative), our dog was extremely listless; he would not eat, and he was showing signs of labored breathing. Again, we took him to Banfield, and they told us it was just kennel cough. I knew better, so I started looking for a new vet. We were able to get in with a different vet, so despite paying for our monthly plan with Banfield, we took him elsewhere.

At the new vet’s office, he was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, and the vet prescribed him several antibiotics and scheduled us an appointment for a couple days later. Had we chosen to stay with Banfield and not taken our dog elsewhere, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have died from pneumonia. He's now 13 months old - completely healthy and happy, and we have not been back to Banfield since their misdiagnosis. I would recommend you avoid them as well. The Banfield office we used was located in Houston, TX.

For example, they will happily charge you for injectable antibiotics when 1) they are not necessary and 2) are costly when you have large dogs, since it is more money for them rather than have you take cheaper oral or topical antibiotics. Wouldn't you think that offering the more cost effective means of antibiotic administration would be fair? No, they only offered the most expensive type, and really pushed it claiming it was necessary when it was not at all.

Another example: I was charged for ear swabs and microscopic exams which were once again done in the back, and was only told they had ear infections. My dog did not have an ear infection. If she did, it was the type that had the symptoms of being clean, healthy smelling and not showing any signs of irritation to my dog. Why did I not notice this or say this myself? Well, I let my husband take my dogs to this vet because we could not get to our regular one. My husband knows nothing about what we usually do at the vets since I typically always take them.

The office manager and Banfield Norwalk, CT is not very nice at all, and if you complain about their charges, they simply say, "Well you signed it". They threatened to have me arrested if I did not pay it. They have no desire to keep customers happy; they are just thrilled to be able to have robbed you blind if you have not done the due diligence to ask around about expected prices and practices. I will never go here again, and I will warn everyone know to avoid this place too.

All they care about is money. I should have known that there was something odd about this place when my partner was able to call on a Thursday and get a Saturday appointment. At my last vet, it was almost impossible to get a Saturday appointment as they were a vet place that truly cared for animals and knew to be fair about costs. They had a huge following. This place is terrible and I cannot stand any practice that looks at money first. My dog who was supposed to go in for a stitch removal and a bandage re-wrap left with the bandage not being re-wrapped, her stitches not removed and instead, I got a $300 bill for injectable antibiotics and an ear swab.

I think Banfield, if they do claim to be an affordable vet, should make known all practices available, not just offer the most expensive. Their practice of only offering expensive solutions is unethical and their customer service is terrible. No one with pets should ever have to be subjected to these vets who want to exploit people who love their pets.

Another time (oh, this gets better) happened just the other day. I came to the same location Oracle/Wetmore to pay my bill. As soon as I got there, there was a family waiting at the counter. So I patiently went, stepped to the corner, and waited with my doggie. So then, the receptionist girl ran to the back and was gone for 30 minutes (no lie). I stood there and nicely waited. It was 6:30 pm and they close the cashier at 6:50 pm, and it was already around that time. She never said "Please wait," or anything polite. So a guy comes out, a tech I guess, and brings a sick puppy out and the puppy vomits in the tech's hands onto the floor about 3 times. They were standing on the other side of the counter from where I was. The people paid (keep in mind I am still waiting) and the guy finally says, "We'll be with you shortly."

Later, the tech orders the associates of Petsmart to clean it up. So the young boy comes out with a dirty mop and drags the throw up back into the back room of the Petsmart, as the drops are going all over the floor (possibly on my dog). So there is no way of getting around for me, other than stepping on it. My poor baby and I are still waiting to be assisted. So 40 minutes later, after the people left with their sick poor puppy, I asked the tech, "What does the puppy have?" The tech says, "Parvo. Ma'am, that is why I told you to wait right there and we'll clean it up before you can come over here." I said, "Are you kidding me?" He took my card and charged it. I am not walking with my dog to the infected area while it's still wet and not pretty much cleaned at all. Don't forget that the drops from the dirty mop were right next to my dog and me. So, I am paranoid because my dog was kind of sniffing the drops of those that were dragged by careless associates of Petsmart.

Finally, the tech came out again and sprayed something on the floor (the only thing that killed Parvo on the floor is bleach), and on that note, I don't even think he was spraying bleach (maybe some clear cleaner, I don't know). So here I am trapped in the circle of throw up dirty mop drops, trying to walk out of this nasty place. Before I left, I asked the guy if my dog was going to be sick now. He smirked and said, "Ha. He should be." So I ran to my car freaking out. This is the second day as I am watching my dog's symptoms. When I got home, I washed my dog and my shoes. Please read the signs of Parvo and please do not rely on those careless people at Banfield. They don't care about your dog or mine. They care about money and getting off early.

Today, I am going to go in and hopefully not to freak out at them and make sure I ask them if I should be worried and I am cancelling the plan. I have had enough with this company. Oh, there are more stories about these uneducated people, who are money hungry. Remember, this is supposed to be a hospital to better health of your animal (that is your child) and not to get your dog sick, which the doggies can die from. And some of you reading this wondering how come I didn't feel sorry for the puppy. I actually did and I know that family didn't care of not exposing that poor puppy to the virus. But at the same time, I was happy they were actually taking care of the problem. As we know, the city of Tucson has a lot of animal abusers and careless people. Thank you, I hope this helps people who are trying to do the best that they can for their babies. I will follow up on this and how my dog is doing. But this ridiculous place, I hope they will close down!

I have all my records to prove my dog was misdiagnosed and I will pursue this matter further. Banfield treated my dog for the wrong ailment. They were more interested in trying to sell me their contract than they were in properly diagnosing my dog. Unfortunately, I read the previous 757 complaints about that company a little too late and my dog almost paid the price with his life. Had I read those complaints, I would have never stepped foot in that facility. Please take the time to read through the complaints. You will see that in addition to pets being misdiagnosed, they are treated with the same remedy, antibiotics.

Since word of mouth is the best advertisement, I urge everyone reading this post not to patronize this facility. Money is their motive, not caring for your pet. I don't want anyone to go through what I went through. I wrote a letter of complaint to the Corporate office; however, they sent it over to the Mohawk Commons store for reply. Their reply was that they didn't do anything wrong. Of course, they would say that, what else could they say? This company certainly has displayed their lack of character. I urge everyone who has a complaint about this company to make your voice heard. Hopefully if enough people complain, they will be closed down.

I brought my kitten home and gave him his dose of medicine that Dr. ** gave us. Probably a couple hours later, my poor little kitten was in so much pain! He was crying so much, he couldn't get up at all. I was freaking out and worried! Questioning whether to take him back to the vet, I called the vet and talked to the doctor. I told him what was going on with my kitten. All he said was, "Oh, the medicine is most likely kicking in," that he is probably experiencing some abdominal pain. He said not to worry and to bring him back to the clinic in the morning if we felt we needed to. My poor kitten was in so much pain, crying and couldn't walk. It was so heartbreaking. I kept on praying that he would be better soon.

An hour after talking to the doctor, I tried to hold him in my arms to make him feel better. After 10 minutes, he seemed a bit better because he was quiet. But that wasn't the case. My poor kitten died in my arms because he couldn't handle the pain. The past two days, my family and I have been grieving over his loss. I am still crying over him because I lost him so quick. Now after all this happened, what I want know is what happened to my kitten? My thoughts are: Did the doctor kill my kitten by over medicating him? Was it the wrong medicine? Could he have done more? How can a kitten, a day before this, be so happy and so playful, then the next day die in my arms? Something is wrong here! Or did the doctor misdiagnose him? I really don't understand?

I am furious! I went back to the vet first thing in the morning to get a better understanding. All they can say was, "Oh, I'm sorry." That's it? No questions or concerns. Very upsetting! I then wanted to cancel my Wellness Plan, but they gave me a phone number to call the wellness center to cancel. She said, "We don't cancel here." My family lost a family member. I want an expert to find out what exactly happened to my kitten! I want Banfield corporate to know this because I've noticed after reading reviews from customers that they didn't like Dr. **. I am very angry and concerned. If you can find me a better answer, please I need to know so I can pass this grieving. Never again at Banfield!

Their response was nothing and they took my money. This all happened within a few hours.

After waiting about 30 minutes for the vet, she came in and told us what she would like to do as far as blood work and tests. I again told them that I have just graduated college and I do not have an extra $650. The vet said she understood and she would see how much it would be to just keep him there and monitor him for the day. Or, if I wanted to take him somewhere else, they could give him medication so he would not have another seizure in the car. After another 30 minutes, a nurse came in and told us for them to monitor him and give him and anti-seizure shot that would cost $315!

I was outraged and I felt like they were trying to play on my emotions to get me to come up with this money that I had no way of coming up with! I told them again that I had found somewhere else to take him and I would like to get him from the back so I could take him to get treatment. The nurse agreed and asked if I at least wanted him to have the anti-seizure shot so he would not have another episode on the way. She said that would only cost $27 so I agreed. After a minute, she came back and said they could not give him the shot if they were not going to be able to monitor him after. I told her not to give him the shot and to just to bring him to me. She said that I could go up front and speak to the receptionist and she would bring him out.

Once up front, the receptionist told me that my total would be $98! I did have that amount so I did pay it so they would give me my dog. But I of course asked, "Why am I paying $98 when you all did nothing?" The receptionist said the nurse would explain what the charges are for when she brings him out. When I asked the nurse what was done for him, she said, "Oh, nothing. He just hung out back there where we held him." So, I paid $98 and spent 2 hours to have my dog held and still have no answer as to what is wrong with him. This place is awful and neither of my dogs will ever return!

On 12/01/11, Kaiya was presented to Dr. Kimberly in the Charlotte, N, NC hospital for illness. Taylor's complaint was that Kaiya was lethargic, has a choking cough, not eating. The only abnormal findings were dehydration level of 5%, teeth discoloration and pale gums. Taylor was told that Kaiya has some form of tick disease. She never denied treatment.

On 12/08/12, Kaiya was brought back for a follow up exam - illness rechecked because Kaiya's condition has not gotten better. This was done by Dr. Gillian. The abnormal findings still include the aforementioned but now added inflammation of the tonsils, a weak pulse, a distended abdomen, enlarged liver, gas-filled loops in the intestines, not palpable uterus and bladder, enlarged spleen, an abdominal mass and extremely concerning labs. All this happening in one week's time. Taylor is told Kaiya has an intestinal blockage and needs an immediate operation to remove the blockage. Care Credit was obtained and surgery was performed only to find cancer causing Kaiya to be euthanized. It's obvious to us now that some of the notes describing the interaction between Banfield's staff and Taylor does not accurately depict what actually transpired. The possibility of cancer was never explained and a biopsy on the mass was never done. The reason why Kaiya's records were obtained and are now being questioned is because of our next experience with Banfield with Knox as the patient.

On 07/02/12, Knox was presented to Dr. Rebecca at Charlotte, N, NC for vomiting and diarrhea. The only abnormal findings were brown exudates in both ears and tartar on teeth. The labs showed a positive finding for ehrlichia. Vaccines were given and meds were prescribed for GI upset and ehrlichia. On 07/03/12, Taylor came home to Pittsboro from UNC Charlotte for the holiday. Knox was again vomiting and still had diarrhea. Knox was presented to Dr. Corinne at the Banfield in Apex, NC. Knox has gotten worse. A radiography was performed showing a gas pattern. A foreign body was suspected but not actually seen. Knox was sent to Cary emergency for surgery. No surgery was ever performed at Cary emergency because they had found negative results on an ultrasound and he had not vomited. Knox was there for two days at a cost of $800.00.

On 07/05/12, Knox was brought back to Apex, seen by Dr. Corrine and Dr. Katherine who now decided to do exploratory surgery on Knox. Why? No foreign body was found. This surgery should never had been done. On 07/07/12, I finally picked up Knox after denying their request to keep him another day. I was given a big syringe to give Knox BeptoBismol and a food slurry that I had to prepare. I was told that he was still vomiting and could not walk well. Knox was carried to the car by Banfield staff.

As soon as we got home, Knox exited the car on his own and urinated. Prior to his arrival home, my wife and I prepared white rice and boiled chicken breasts, which were minced up and mixed with the rice. Knox ate a cup of this immediately and drank water. He continued to eat this twice a day, not once vomiting or having diarrhea. I never gave him beptobismol or the food slurry. Once a day for three days, I did give him the Omni. He improved drastically in two days, being able to play with our dog at this time. Every day he improved and was looking like he was putting weight back on. His stitches were removed on 07/14/12 at the Apex Banfield. He was being slowly introduced back to his regular food by this time.

Hopefully after your review, you'll see that something went terribly awry here twice and you will make the proper adjustments so this matter can end and avoid any further need for us to pursue this with the NC Veterinary State Board, the media and an attorney. Thanks in advance.

I filed a complaint, asking them to waive the fee for restitching and talked to the clinic manager, who refused to help me out in any way. She stated that will not give me a freebie since I didn't put an e-collar on him. If I refused to pay, she would call a collection agency. In summary, Banfield performed an unnecessary, unauthorized surgery and charged me for further complications. The staff was rude and incompetent. I cancelled my plan immediately. No help from their customer service either. They just file a report and send it to the clinic itself.

So I kept asking questions, like what are his chances and since he was just adopted, shouldn't this be the responsibility of the SPCA, and I need to make some phone calls to figure out my options. They kept pressuring me (since they were closing and the clock was ticking for them) to take him to the veterinary hospital in the next town for $1,000 a night and who knows how long it will take. No one knows how long or even if he will recover, it could take weeks at $1,000 per night. And surely they get a kick back because they were very concerned about his "transfer paperwork".

In the meantime, my husband reached the SPCA, who arranged for a veterinarian that night and took full responsibility of his care since he had the disease when they adopted him to me. Long story short, Banfield was only in this for themselves and discouraged me over and over not to pursue the SPCA. I only lost the hundreds they charged me for nothing and not the several thousand they were suggesting for his care. I am beyond disgusted. I will never return and tell everyone I know the same. Find a private vet, who has done this for a while and has a great track record. I know I will.

When my wife called at 9:00 AM, they told my wife that our 5.5-year old puppy had just died. It appears that they did not check on him until my wife called. They told her they thought he was just sleeping. I know exactly what happened - they did not check on him. They threw him in a cage where the other dogs were, barking their heads off. He got excited being around other dogs and barked with them, until he barked himself to death due to lack of oxygen. He should have been isolated to keep him calm due to breathing issues. My wife also had been paying for a monthly health wellness plan which was of no help. Then, Banfield presented us with a bill for $125.00 to cremate him and send his ashes to our home. Two weeks later, no ashes have been received!