Who provides your Dogs' health care?

[Ruckus]

What kind of health care plan do your dogs have? Local vet, Chain Store vet (Banfield), Humane Society? Or do you guys just buy the shots and stuff online (www.1800petmeds.com) and administer it yourself? Or do some of you just go to the vet/humane society whenever you notice something wrong with your dog(s)?

Im currently signed up for a 1 year Puppy Wellness Plan from Banfield (connected to Petsmart). Paid $299 plus a $140 one time membership fee. Includes all shots, neuter/spay, complete physical, routine deworming, and walk-in checkups. Cant say im too happy with them though. Sure they provide all the services and stuff, but their doctors are really unfriendly and impatient. On top of that, they seem to only want to milk me of my money. Everything is very rush rush and impersonal. Maybe its just my Banfield. Since I already paid the $140 one time membership fee, Im deciding whether I should sign up with Banfield Adult Wellness Plan once my Puppy Plan is up.

 

[Old Dog]

Since I already paid the $140 one time membership fee, Im deciding whether I should sign up with Banfield Adult Wellness Plan once my Puppy Plan is up.
_________________They already have your money for this go around. Why not find a good reputable vet to go to in your area that will take time with you and your dog and not treat you like would of the herd. These people are only interested in your wallet its affliliated with a petstore chain. Can't be much of a vet when you consider how much they can make with their own practice probably young out of school that don't know squat except how to give shots.

Find yourself a real vet when this contract is up and let this be a lesson learned. You want a vet you can trust and one with experience and one that will take time with you to answer your question and take interest in your dog not your wallet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[corykins22]

thats because petsmart sucks! (i work in the grooming department at a petsmart, we dont have a banfield so i dont know how they act, but i havent heard good things about banfield from others) i would definately go to a local vet who has good recommendations from other people. ask around and see what other people in your town do with their dogs. i go to a local vet where i live and he is really great, he takes time to talk to me and answer questions i have. sometimes the nurses or vet techs whatever you call them, can seem annoyed, but that is usually when i have to call from work for rabies info on a client. anyway, i wouldnt waste the money at a place that is short with you and seems annoyed that you are even there. they only care about getting your money, trust me!

 

[nancy2394]

I've found out recently that sometimes you have to try a few different vets until you find one you can trust and most importantly.. your pet trusts. I usually would gravitate toward the cheapest vet around to save the almighty dollar. But in retrospect... I may have saved a FEW bucks here and there, but I was not happy with the care my pet received, nor was I happy with the way I was treated on more than one occasion.

I recently switched vets again and found myself this older man who is a one man vet with a handful of assistants and office help. He has a small practice and does not have the accomodations to take care of large dogs. But, my large dogs have all passed away now and I have a small breed dog. He is always willing to open his office in an emergencey and if it's something he is not able to take care of he has another wonderful vet he works closely with that has expertise in areas he may not have. He is a very knowledgeable vet for the everyday pet problem but he will be the first to tell you that cardiac is not his thing and he will automatically refer to this other vet if the problem is beyond his scope rather than trying to treat an animal and hope for the best. He truly cares about each and every pet that passes through his doors.

He is the nicest, caring and compassionate man I have ever met in his role as a vet. He talks to my pet, rubs her coat and plays with her before he even does his exam. Yeah, he's a few bucks more than I would have paid elsewhere, but I dont' mind paying a few bucks more when it means my pet is not going to have a stressful situation each time we visit the vet.

I really think word of mouth makes a big difference. Ask your neighbors, friends, relatives, co workers in the area who they take their pets to and if they are satisfied with their choice. It might be a better way to start than just out of the phone book like I did because I was new to this area. A good vet will have loyal customers who will praise his work. Goodluck!

 

[MyDogsLoveMe]

WOW I have Banfield insurance and it has saved me so much money and my vets are awesome and so is all the staff. I am sorry to hear that you have such a dislike for yours. I love mine they are all so personable and love both Izzy and Nalla.

 

[Mordy]

i don't have insurance or a wellness plan for my dog since i don't like the very limited options you have.

i'm very picky about what i use and don't use on my dog, for example i don't give every vaccination under the sun every single year, since it's total overkill and an undue burden on the immune system, and i avoid fort dodge products like the plague if i can.

i also want a competent vet who doesn't only do routine "assembly line" type of work. with the exception of one accident, all my pets are in good health and never had any serious issues *knock on wood*, but if they did, i would take them to the best specialist for any particular condition, certainly not to some chain store vet.

all things considered the vet clinic i use may not be the cheapest in the area, but the staff is knowledgeable, doesn't question my decision to not feed my pets commercial food or to not give more than one vaccine at a time instead of everything in one day.

i only get charged for what i actually need instead of some kind of wellness plan upfront, and i put money in a savings account in case of emergencies.

 

[Julie]

Mordy,
Why do you avoid Fort Dodge Products?
What would you reccommend? and why?
Thanks.

 

[fastpitchchic]

I also have my pups on a banfield plan. I have had nothing but experiences with the vets and the staff. They are very personable and loving. My vet even gets down on the floor with my pups and plays with them for a few minutes.

 

[juliefurry]

I have taken my dogs to three different vets in this area. I love the vet that I go to now, when I get him and not his dorky assistant who knows jack squat. The first vet that I took Shelby, my old husky to, told us that the cause of Shelby's discomfort was arthritis (she was only two) this vet knew right away something was not right took x-rays and blood work and did everything under the sun and found out it was not arthritis it was cancer. He helped us with a reasonable payment plan for the surgeries and chemo that Shelby needed and he really cares about all our dogs. If they are in for some reason the next day he is calling to make sure they are ok (even if it's just for shots). When they put Shelby to sleep he took care of the cremation of Shelby and even gave her to us in a beautiful urn (and numerous other clients told us that he has never done that for them). Then a few days later we got a card in the mail signed by the whole staff.

 

[EliNHunter]

thats because petsmart sucks! (i work in the grooming department at a petsmart, we dont have a banfield so i dont know how they act, but i havent heard good things about banfield from others) i would definately go to a local vet who has good recommendations from other people. ask around and see what other people in your town do with their dogs. i go to a local vet where i live and he is really great, he takes time to talk to me and answer questions i have. sometimes the nurses or vet techs whatever you call them, can seem annoyed, but that is usually when i have to call from work for rabies info on a client. anyway, i wouldnt waste the money at a place that is short with you and seems annoyed that you are even there. they only care about getting your money, trust me!

Cory... Maplewood Animal Clinic in Muncie is the BEST!!! Been there forever and is ALWAYS where we would take all our babies!!!

 

[Ash47]

I don't have pet insurance either. I just pay at the time of the doctor visit. I love my vet. My animals are very comfortable with him, except Oreo who hides between the wall and bench. Precious didn't want to leave when she was spayed last year.

 

[Bowowee]

i don't have insurance or a wellness plan for my dog since i don't like the very limited options you have.

i'm very picky about what i use and don't use on my dog, for example i don't give every vaccination under the sun every single year, since it's total overkill and an undue burden on the immune system, and i avoid fort dodge products like the plague if i can.

i also want a competent vet who doesn't only do routine "assembly line" type of work. with the exception of one accident, all my pets are in good health and never had any serious issues *knock on wood*, but if they did, i would take them to the best specialist for any particular condition, certainly not to some chain store vet.

all things considered the vet clinic i use may not be the cheapest in the area, but the staff is knowledgeable, doesn't question my decision to not feed my pets commercial food or to not give more than one vaccine at a time instead of everything in one day.

i only get charged for what i actually need instead of some kind of wellness plan upfront, and i put money in a savings account in case of emergencies.

- Just curious. What is wrong with fort dodge products?

 

[bubbatd]

Cory ...EliN spoke before I could..... do you go there ?

 

[oriondw]

I have a private vet that we go to when ever we have a need for him.


No plans or anything like that. I dont see a point in having one.

 

[aurorab]

We also use Banfield. All 3 dogs. Our vet is wonderful!!! He once sat in a tub w/ ice to get a very sick dogs temp down, plus this dog was w/ a rescue and he took a very reduced fee to help out. The dog got better, major thanks to the vet! We moved about an 1 1/2 hr away bit still travel back for visits (my parents live right there). If we have to we will go to the one around here but we just like him so much!
W/ banfield you can transfer to any other Banfield. So if you don't like the vet try to find another Banfield. Also Banfields can either be owned by the vet or corporate owned. Find out which is the case a your banfield. Either way call corporate, even if it if vet owned they have to live up to certain standards. Corporate is great and very helpfull!
Say you go on vacation and something happens to your dog. You can call them and they will find the nearest Banfield.
Also w/ 3 dogs the cost of the office visit alone would be crazy w/o the plan (office visits are free w/ the plan). The one time only fee is a bit but after a few visit and vaccines (especially puppy booster) is so pays for itself.
Plus you don't have to buy all the extras there. I can't believe they got you to buy all that stuff. My vet only has us buy stuff if we need it and then it is up to use to buy it or get it elsewhere. Plus they price match so if you can get it for less elsewhere they will match it (all Banfields have to do that but don't always tell people about it). Since mine is vet owned he keeps his prices down as much as he can.
Most important, CALL CORPORATE, report the vet and see if there is another Banfield in you area.

 

[showpug]

I use a vet that we adore. He is very good with the animals, matter of fact in the way he speaks and has been doing it for a long time. He probably thinks we are weird because we drive quite the distance to go him, but it's worth it! He never tries to sell us extra stuff and is not eager to over-treat a simple problem. As far as vaccines go, I do all of them myself at home. I worked in a vet clinic long enough to how to administer them and what to buy etc. I keep very good records and bring them with me to the vet visits. A good vet that I trust is hard to find, so I really hope this one never retires!!!

 

[RD]

I go to a local vet, there are two vets out of four in the clinic that I trust with my babies. The others, while I'm sure they know what they are doing, just do not have the same ability to explain and elaborate on things for me, which is something I really appreciate in a vet. (I don't tolerate it when a vet will try to just say "blah-blah is wrong with your dog, here's some medicine and call me if there's no improvement". I like to know details.)
I don't vaccinate my dogs for every little thing, so they're not in there for shots every year. They go in for checkups and procedures like neuters, but I mainly take them to the vet if I notice something is wrong.

I really miss our vet in Idaho, he was wonderful and on top of being honest, and good at explaining things to me, he was a sweetheart who was always so kind and patient with my dogs. Even Ripley grew to love him.

I have no wellness plans for the dogs and I buy their preventative meds from my vet.

 

[Gempress]

I go to a great vet, and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

Only once did I try another vet, and that was to get Zeus' neutering staples removed. The vet came into the waiting room, didn't say a word to me, and took Zeus to the exam room without me! He came back a little later and told me "This dog doesn't like cats." I told him that Zeus lives with two cats. The vet looked at me like I was an idiot, and said "Well, he was growling at one of the cats in the back when I was taking out his staples."

Well, gee! I bet he'd be grumpy too if a complete stranger had a set of pliers and was pulling pointy things out of his b@lls.

 

[Mordy]

- Just curious. What is wrong with fort dodge products?

fort dodge is owned by wyeth, and both are companies with highly questionable business ethics.

there have been various issues about vaccine quality, but the worst incident was the whole proheart 6 heartworm injection thing, of which many dogs died and fort dodge refused to take responsibility.

i could write a book about it, but instead i'll just direct you to http://www.dogsadversereactions.com, a site put together by people who were directly affected by this disaster. some lost dogs, others are battling severe health issues that will remain a problem for the rest of the lives of their dogs.

 

[showpug]

fort dodge is owned by wyeth, and both are companies with highly questionable business ethics.

there have been various issues about vaccine quality, but the worst incident was the whole proheart 6 heartworm injection thing, of which many dogs died and fort dodge refused to take responsibility.

i could write a book about it, but instead i'll just direct you to http://www.dogsadversereactions.com, a site put together by people who were directly affected by this disaster. some lost dogs, others are battling severe health issues that will remain a problem for the rest of the lives of their dogs.

I remember when I worked at the clinic and Fort Dodge came and gave us our staff education seminar on Pro Heart 6. Yes folks, the drug companies are the ones that educate the vets! Anyway, at the end of the seminar they offered free doses to our dogs if we had them at work with us that day. I did, but passed on the offer thank God!!!!!!!