Banfield Pet Hospital

[vandynole]

Does anyone take their dog to Banfield, which is part of PetSmart? I've been going to a vet clinic/hospital that's within walking distance of my house, but I haven't been thrilled with their service. I thought about trying Banfield because it's the next closest, but something about going to a vet at a big-box pet store creeps me out a little. Any advice out there?

[julieandchili]

JMO, but any of the vets that are attached to big box stores, or the vets with the huge very fancy offices, have too much overhead and need to pay for that overhead somehow. Guess who pays? You do....in their fees and services.
When I got the pup....I checked into puppy plans (a bundle that included all shots, deworming, fecal tests, spaying/neutering). The fancy vet office associated with the pet store, and the snazzy office down the street from me charged $850.00 for the puppy plan. The wonderful vet Ive been taking him to has a small office, all the neccesities but nothing fancy....charged $360.00 for the puppy plan.
:confused: HUGE difference, huh?
Plus the smaller vet seemed to take more time with me....explaining and educating me all about new pup.....and the big fancy vet....well I felt like it was sort of an assembly line.

[bubbatd]

I personally like small privately owned clinics ..The two I've gone to were established in the '50s. To me they hire Vets with the best credentials ...the cream of the crop. Neither had more than 4 or 5 vets. I was comfortable with all of them and found over the years if one had more experience in a certain field, they'd concur .

[Aussie Red]

Yes I used Banfield for years until I realized that I was paying double and triple the cost else where.
They have a program that costs $ 21.00 per month called the well pet or wellness program with saves you money ?? ha ha until you go somewhere else and find out just how badly you were taken. As far as the vet care it was outstanding but then so is my vet now and at 1/3 of the cost. Oh yes and Banfield is not part of pet smart they are just renting from petsmart. They make it clear that they are linked in no way just have a rental lease to practice in their stores.
That way you can't go after petsmart if a mistake is made to your pet in Banfield.

[cowgurl6254]

I personally would never go back to Banfield. I got a cat spayed there once and they ended up charging me double what they had originally told me it would cost. They did a ton of extra things that I had never asked to be done. They have ripped me off on several occasions, and I will never be back. I would rather support small local businesses anyways...:rolleyes:

[bubbatd]

Small, local "OlD' clinics rock !! Nothing can replace a Clinic you can count on ! Sure, when you have a young healthy pup.. you can save maybe $5...but many years later you want a vet who knows you and knows the dog ! In both my clinic and former clinic ( I moved ) ... I've called emergency very late at night and got a call back with in 5 minutes. They knew me and knew if they got a call from me , it WAS an emergency ! What price can you put on peace of mind. ? If I called a 24 hr. vet and said ... " Chip isn't himself " what could they tell me ?? My vets know I mean business.

[Southpaw]

I don't think it's a bad place but they definitely charge a LOT. We took Lucy there once because our vet couldn't get her in for another 3 weeks, but Banfield could get her in that same day. They checked out her ears, cleaned them, and gave us medication for her ear infection. It was about $150. When we went to our vet, they gave Lucy a full exam, gave her a shot, did a stool sample, and gave us medication for her worms. All that cost about $150 as well. Sooo I think we got more at our vet than we did at Banfield for the same price.

Doesn't mean they are bad vets but they sure like to charge a lot lol.

[Sheka]

they charge WAAAYY TO MUCH, for EVREYTHING. its like the petsmart of all vets. THey charge u for evrey second they spend even LOOKING at the dog lol

[Danegirl2208]

i used to take my dogs and my cats there..never liked them, and there prices are ridiculas..i prefer the small vet offices

[elegy]

i took my cats to a banfield when i lived in virginia. the one vet i really really liked. unfortunately, even when i requested her, half the time i was scheduled with somebody else. it really irked me. i went to their vaccine clinic for vaccs (no office visit payment, just the vaccines, but my pets did get as thorough an exam as they'd get most places) and once when my kitten was sick. i paid full price for her exam, x-rays, medication, and prescription food, and it was all quite reasonable.

price-wise they were pretty middle of the road.

i've since worked for a different corporate vet operation, and it wouldn't be my first choice for my pets. a lot depends on the individual doctor, but there's a lot of nonsense that goes along with it.

i think it's really a shame that so many of the responses to this post have been money-based. what's important to me in chosing a vet are willingness to listen to me, flexibility, convenience, and providing the best possible care for my pets. yes, it's more expensive to have an iv catheter and pre-operative bloodwork for "just a spay" but that's the standard of care i want for my pets, and i don't want to be looked at like i've sprouted a third arm when i request as much.

[SummerRiot]

Honestly, I think those types of vets dont have any other place to go so take what they can get.
The reason for the higher prices, is because they have to give a certain percentage to the pet store as well.

When I worked at Petcetera a while ago, we had a vet clinic attached to the pet store itself, but no vet wanted to work there lol

Usually its the "fresh out of school" vets that go to places like that for experience.

I prefer my vet clinic. Its not "small" per say, but only 2 vets work there.One is Riots vet and I love her, he loves her... and the other.. I feel like he isn't confident enough in his work because he is ALWAYS suggesting more ways to spend your money - ie biopsys that dont "need" to be done, blood work that doesn't "need to be done".. omg. I hate going to him - and he OWNS the vet clinic!! lol

[Crazy Turbo]

Yes I used Banfield for years until I realized that I was paying double and triple the cost else where.

They have a program that costs $ 21.00 per month called the well pet or wellness program with saves you money ?? ha ha until you go somewhere else and find out just how badly you were taken. A

Well its $21.95 a month for a year and that includes hysterectomy surgery or castration surgery. It also includes most of the vaccinations needed. Best part is you have unlimited free visits if you think your pet as any illness. Also many lab tests are done for no extra charge.

I went today after not doing a search on this forum. I was treated really well and they didnt rush me one bit. I thought they would have but they let me stay and ask as many questions that I had. Very friendly.

They actually offer a lot for $260 a year and for my puppy i think its worth it.

This is not a :spam: :D

[Crazy Turbo]

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/banfield.html Yikes. Maybe I should have searched more.

But then again the place I went to seemed friendly and caring about my puppy. Maybe they just wanted me to sign up to the plan. Guess only time will tell now.

[shadowfacedanes]

I worked for Banfield for nearly a year. I would never suggest that anyone bring their pets there.

If you're looking for a clinic that's modern and hip to the latest technology....that's Banfield. But if you're looking for a doctor with a warm and cozy feel, that's likely not your local Banfield.

Banfield is a corporation...Banfield is all about profit. Banfield is about "move 'em in, move 'em out."

As an employee, I wasn't told anything about making the customer happy, making the patient feel comfy, all I was told was SELL SELL SELL those **** wellness plans.

I was also asked to break federal law while working at Banfield. As a tech, I was not allowed to handle euthanasia, yet I was asked by my office manager to euthanize a parvo positive rottie pup so that the vet didn't have to "get the virus" on her and could squeeze in as many appointments that afternoon as possible.

I quit the next day.

Not a Banfield fan here....not at all.

[~Jessie~]

*Shudder* ... Banfield...

We used Banfield when Rylie was a puppy... we were roped into one of the "puppy plans." We went to 2 different Banfields (we transferred to one closer to us after moving), and both were awful. We cancelled the plan when they took a fecal of Rylie without asking, and made her bleed really badly.

All of their services are way over priced... the vets thought that our chi mix foster was a Boxer puppy (and one of the vet's even bred boxers in the past). The rooms were not clean, the staff was never friendly... just bad, bad experiences overall.

[jess2416]

*shudders*

OMG...all those people :( I hate ready stories like that

[happyhound]

Angus died a few hours later. Earlier today, I checked my account and found that Banfield had charged my credit card another $35.95 for this month's Optima Plan payment! I called Banfield and told them that the plan should have been canceled when Angus died. They said 'no', payments would continue for the next 10 ten months as I had signed a contract. I told the person on the phone that I had signed up for the plan to care for my LIVE dog and didn't understand why I should continue to pay for a wellness plan on my dead dog - the dog that had died because of the surgery they performed!


Quote from a website listed earlier ... talk about compassionate :yikes:

[shadowfacedanes]

It's true, if your pet dies within the time period of your wellness plan, you will still continue to pay for the remainder of time you signed up for.....

[Crazy Turbo]

Guess I cant get out of this contract now.

Although this clinic seems to be friendly and very clean. So maybe there is a chance a few can be good?

[squirtsmom]

Costs way to much for what you get.

[doberkim]

Honestly, I think those types of vets dont have any other place to go so take what they can get.
The reason for the higher prices, is because they have to give a certain percentage to the pet store as well.

When I worked at Petcetera a while ago, we had a vet clinic attached to the pet store itself, but no vet wanted to work there lol

Usually its the "fresh out of school" vets that go to places like that for experience.

I prefer my vet clinic. Its not "small" per say, but only 2 vets work there.One is Riots vet and I love her, he loves her... and the other.. I feel like he isn't confident enough in his work because he is ALWAYS suggesting more ways to spend your money - ie biopsys that dont "need" to be done, blood work that doesn't "need to be done".. omg. I hate going to him - and he OWNS the vet clinic!! lol

The vets that work there are not vets no one else will hire - many people are happy with the pay at a place like that, the s upport system in place (VCA has an amazing continuing education program, for instance).

And I don't see anything that the other vet has done that suggests he doesn't have confidence. I can never really think of a time that a biopsy of something or bloodwork is something that doesn't need to be done. IF you don't want to spend the money, then by all means just say you don't want them - in fact, it makes him a BETTER vet for offering them to you in the first place. If he hadn't you'd be on here posting about how he never did - vets can never win. At least his records will say you declined these things when the masses come back malignant, or the bloodwork could have shown a disease much earlier... If you know more than him, why bother going to the vet, period?

[Buddy'sParents]

You couldn't pay me to take any of my dogs or cats or rats to a Banfield pet hospital.

[Lizmo]

I would never, ever take one of my dogs to a Banfield Pet Hospital.

Not very much because of the people (any vet can be bad) but it's in a PETSMART for crying out loud!

[MafiaPrincess]

Even if they happened to be cheaper than my really over priced vet I wouldn't go there.