Banfield Pet Hospital
reviews and complaints

My pet was in need of a teeth cleaning, at least the last time I took her to Banfield that is what they told me. I called several vets and Banfield quoted me the lowest price of $175.
The vets around me all quoted me from $325 to $400, so I went ahead & made an appointment at Banfield. A month passed and it was time, I had to get up two hours early to get downtown, but since I was saving sooo much money I felt it was worth the extra hassle of also driving a 2 hour round trip. When I got to Banfield they told me the cost was gonna be over $425! I took my dog back home and will let my local vet help me from now on, as Banfield has lost my business forever for their part in this bait & switch operation.

I originally purchase a pet plan for my Rottweiler when he was just 8 weeks old. I was told by the staff that the plan could save me thousands of dollars, so I signed up. After many visits, I saw that I was not saving very much at all, only about $5-10 per visit. I actually found a local vet closer to where I live and the prices were great. In the meantime, I had a couple of months before my pet plan expired. I continue to allow Banfield Pet Hospital to take their monthly fee from account until the expiration date of my plan. I personally went into Banfield Pet hospital and told the staff member to make sure that they cancel my pet plan because I had found a very good vet and the prices were very much affordable. The young lady told me that the plan does not automatically renew, so I thought I had nothing to worry about. After checking my credit report approx 10 months later, I see that Banfield Hospital has placed my account into collections. I have disputed this with the credit reporting agency and still this has not been corrected. I have contacted Banfield Hospital and still nothing. This situation angers me because I never gave anyone at Banfield Hospital the authority or the ok to renew the pet plan. I feel ripped off and now I am suffering because my credit score has dropped as a result of this and Banfield Hospital has been of no help to resolve this issue. I have also written their corporate office and no response . It has been another 3 months... I would never recommend Banfield Hospital or their pet plans to anyone!

Called October 4, 2013 to schedule appointment the following day because our 14 year old cat, Abby, appeared to have a large hair ball that she was unable to get up. Appointment was scheduled by Justin for 2:00 PM, October 5, 2013; we were not a walk in. Once there, no one even asked about the cat before they started talking about purchasing different plans with Banfield. We tried to explain we were not there for any reason other than for our cat who by now was obviously in distress and was breathing very raspy. We told them Abby had not eaten anything nor did she drink any water as she was unable to swallow. The different plans were brought up several more times. Finally they said they would "examine" Abby and after the examination we were told she did not have a hair ball, but she was not well. So, okay, if it is not a hair ball, then why is she not feeling well. We are told they do not know so they need to do blood work and a urinalysis. We asked if they shouldn't do an
x-ray since it would show if she had a hair ball obstruction, they said no, this is not a hair ball. It was explained to them that we came to Banfield based on Angi's List as their prices were very reasonable at which time we were told it would be around $300 for 2 tests! We asked why do two, why not do one at a time and if the one tells us what is wrong, then we do not need the second test. They said it cannot work that way. Can't an x-ray tell us? Again, we are told there is no need for an x-ray. So they did blood work and a urinalysis. After 20 minutes or more they came out and said the blood work was "all over the place" and it was "loopy", whatever that meant. The urinalysis indicated Abby had a bladder infection and her one kidney had infection, the other kidney was perfectly fine. They also said she was dehydrated which we already knew since she could not drink water due to not being able to swallow...we already told them that when we got there. The vet says to take her to an emergency clinic and have her hydrated with IV's. We asked why he couldn't do it and what good it would do anyway if she cannot swallow water. We would have to keep her on IV's if she cannot swallow. He said he would give her a subcutaneous injection where they inject her with fluids. We have had this done to several animals so we knew what it was about. They took Abby in the back and in 15-20 minutes brought her out and said our bill as $309! We were given a medication for her bladder and kidney infection. As we were leaving we asked why her breathing was still so bad. They never addressed that. Now they said she has a lung infection so here is another medication, it is another $30. We also asked where they did the subcutaneous injection since there was not a lump on Abby. Usually there is a large bubble where the fluid sits and it takes a couple hours to disperse her their skin. They claimed it already dispersed in 15 minutes before they brought her out to us.
They then printed out several pages which when read seemed to be about someone else other than us and Abby. This print out indicated parasite (flea) infestation...ABSOLUTELY NOT! My cats are treated constantly for fleas and Abby did not have one flea on her much less an "infestation". It was as if this was a boiler plate print out that just randomly selected various symptoms and conditions. It was generalizations and incorrect information that supposedly was told to us by the Vet. We were told the next day that WE refused an x-ray. This as totally inaccurate since WE were the ones asking for it.
So, regardless, the next day, less than 20 hours after the appointment, Abby was still breathing poorly through her open mouth, took a strange breath, made a raspy gagging sound and fell over. She was dead. We did not know at the time she was actually dead and went to her side and her mouth was open and there in her throat was an obstruction that sure looked like a hair ball. She was definitely dead and she was only 14 and this should not have happened.
We called Banfield Monday only to be told by the Office Manager that we refused the correct treatment based on the printed notes. She was rude, just as the rest of the office. I am not sure how we are going to proceed but we are going to attempt to at the very least get our money back. The cost of just the appointment was TWICE the amount stated on Angie's list in February of 2013 so in less than 8 months, their appointment fee has doubled! DO NOT GO TO BANFIELD. This was such a mistake I cannot believe I was the reason we went there. They are more concerned about selling their Plans than they are about the health of our pets. Terrible experience.

called Friday Aug 23 in the afternoon to see about my dog getting his rabbi shot, the woman told me they do a walk in clinic on Sunday 12-2 for $15.00 a shot they didn't charge an office fee. I took my dog there on Sunday at 12 Dr.Teets and Robert said I couldn't do that because I already was there once. I was told it was a walk in clinic nothing about you have to be new, I wasted my whole day waiting to go as well as 3 days, I could have gotten him him somewhere else, I spoke to the manger at Petsmart where the clinic is he didn't even know about the policy changing as far as on the newcomers.My thing was I should get it done for the $15.00 with no office fee because that is was what was told to me, they both were very rude to me and embarrssed me in front of my daughter as well as other customers, it is not my fault that their employees didn't know what was going on with the new policies, I SHOULD be able to go back and get this service for what I was told.

After having both of my dogs on the wellness plan for 6 years now I will say after today's experience I will NEVER bring my pets to this vet again! I had my first ever emergency visit for my dog as she got into the trash last night and started to profusely vomit and did so for sometime. I called at 11:40 to see if they could see my dog, they asked if I could make it there by 12:30. I said yes as long as traffic is bad since i drive over 25 miles from the eastern shore of Maryland to Annapolis and yes my dog vomited in my car during the drive. i walk in the door at 12:43 due to a back up on the bridge as I explained to them. The receptionist asked my name then asked me to hold on a moment and went into the back room, my dog at this time was dry heaving in the waiting room. :-/. We she came back out she informed me they could not see my dog because they were going to lunch and I could wait if I would like but after they got back from lunch I would have to wait a couple of hours due to other appointments. She instructed me I could take my dog to the emergency vet center down the road if I would like. They are lucky I had my three children with me when she informed me of this. I calmly collected myself and walked out that door and will NEVER step foot in there again. As I was waiting at the er vet I called to cancel my optimum wellness plan and the gentleman I explained the situation to was at a loss for words at what they said to me. He was very kind and I will be calling back Monday to file a formal complaint. I am happy to say the very kind vet at the emergency room got fluids in my dog who was dehydrating and gave her anti nausea medicine so she would stop vomiting. She is now resting comfortably and has had no more vomiting. I am writing this review to warn others how they may be treated in the event
Of an emergency with your pet. The sign on the wall that states sick and injured pets will be seen first is a bunch of bull. They just won't see you at all and send you down the street.

I figured that they would be more price friendly than my original vet. I played the fool into them. The whole place is a sham and guilt you into your pets health and dig deep into your pockets. The vets are hit or miss, three times it was a miss. My original vet is actually much more reasonable and caring. If you are a seasoned pet owner or just starting out as one, don't go there at all. Shop around for a local doctor, just like you would for a human doctor.

My chihuahua/dachshund mix went in for his routine comprehensive exam and teeth cleaning. Something he has had done every year for the last 4 years. When I picked him up, he was breathing a little heavy. I didn't think anything of it until the next day when he was clearly having a hard time breathing. I took him back to Banfield and they x-rayed him and "thought" he might have something in his lungs. They were getting ready to close so they rushed me out and told me, "if he makes it through the night" and he is still having a hard time, take him to the emergency vet clinic. They gave me directions to the emergency vet clinic but none of his records or the x-rays they had just taken. My mind was racing at this point. I was driving home and decided to just take him over to the emergency vet clinic. He was immediately admitted. They took x-rays at no charge to me so they could see what was going on with him. They saw some cloudiness so they put him on antibiotics and put him in an oxygen cage. Of course, when they tried to call Banfield there was no answer. Long story short, my dog never got out of the emergency vet clinic. They did everything they could for him. He went in on a Sunday and died the afternoon of the following Sunday. Don't waste your money on the Banfield wellness plan -- it is a rip off and they care nothing for your pets. Get a pet insurance policy for your pet so that you are covered no matter where you take your pet. I am heartbroken. He was only 8 years old. Banfield killed my dog.

My great dane had been going to Banfield since she was 9 weeks old. She received all her shots, spay, and routine care from them for almost three years. We even purchased the insurance. However, when we needed them most, they let us down. My dog was vomiting large amounts of pure blood. She had done it four times throughout the night and once in the morning. We took her in and the stuck her in a crate and told us they would get to her when they could. Since we just walked in, we tried to understand and said nothing. Several hours later, they called us and informed us that she was dehydrated and need immediate IV fluids and an x-ray as they thought her stomach was flipped. I explained that we would have to pay the next day as we knew that my husbands disability check was being automatically deposited. They told us before they would start treatment, we would have to pay them $500 up front. Remember she was on her death bed according to their vet. Several times I explained about the bank deposit the next day and the fact that I had pet insurance. They still would not treat her without $500. We found a vet that was willing to take payments from us, a vet who had never seen her before. So, we picked her up and took her to the other vet. When we picked her up, she walked out on her own, not being on her death bed. We took her to the new place where the doctor checked her skin turgor for dehydration, she was normal. He checked her stomach for tenderness, no pain. He checked her for blood in her throat and rectum. No signs of blood in either place. He said she had a lot of foam in the back of her throat. He gave her a shot of Vitamin K, script for antacid and antibiotics, diagnosed her with having been poisoned, charged us $40 and sent us on our way. She has been fine ever since. I suppose I should be greatful that they were such sticklers about the money because it saved me $500. However, I work in the medical field and if the doctor I work with treated his patience the way my dog was treated he would be sued for malpractice. I guess its a good thing she isn't human. I think this is an injustice and it should be dealt with. They should not be allowed to treat an animal like that

Poor service, quotes one price and then when you get there they tell you another price.
The wellness plan is bogus.

The employee was very argumentive. The same employee told me to shut up and called me a "[protected]@#$h". Well, I know my chihuahuas better than someone that has never before seen them. I had a scheduled appointment at 12noon, arrived at 11:25am only to be left in waiting area til 1:10pm, No apolgy for this outrage considering I have had this appointment for sometime. They have no problem taking my money on time but this unprofessional behavior is not acceptable!

I recently took my little 8 lb Chihuahua dog to Roanoke's Banfield Hospital, she was mistreated and roughly handled. She had a heart murmur and all they could do was make her more uncomfortable, when I saw what they were doing, holding her up by her back legs on anesthesia, oxygen tube and an IV, shaking her to get fluid from her lungs, 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 Dr. may have broken a rib, I believe the anesthesia stopped her heart and the shaking of her body upside down. I told them I wanted to take her home when she came around, they advised me to take her to a hospital. They brought her back for a few minutes then they told me she needed to go back on oxygen. They said it looked grim and I should do the right thing. No attempt was utilized to treat her with care, or discuss putting her on heart medication. I was in the room 3 different times and I am traumatized by what they allowed me to see.

My son took his very sick puppy to Banfield Pet Clinic in Kildeer, Il because of vomiting and the dog was not eating. They ran blood tests, etc and he was diagnosed with Parvo. The care at the clinic wasn't necessarily the problem, although the Vet accused my son of "nickel and diming" the Clinic. The veterinarian (Thomas Johnson) wrote an Rx for Bactrim, 480 mg. I took the Rx to 2 pharmacies, and they could not fill it because it was written incorrectly. Of course the Clinic was closed at this time, and there was NO number that I could reach the Vet. And wouldn't you know it, the following day that particular clinic was closed. I called another Banfield Pet Clinic (in Sdhaumburg, IL). At first I was told that there was nothing they could do, since they did not write the prescription, and they were unwilling to help me unless I brought the dog to THEIR clinic. After much insistence, the Vet there, got in touch with Dr. Johnson, and was willing to write another Rx. Then we had to drive to pick up the Rx. It wasn't until I threatened a lawsuit against Banfield Pet Clinic, that I finally got some action. The lady at the Schaumburg clinic said they had nothing to do with the Kildeer Clinic. I reminded her that the " Banfield Clinic " is a corporation as a whole, and that should the puppy die from not getting the medication he needed, someone would be held responsible. They were able to pull up the records at the Schaumburg location, so I couldn't accept that they could not do anything. In summary, I can't believe that no one was willing to over step the line to help me. They would rather see an innocent puppy die, rather than try to communicate with another Vet within their "corporation and network of Vets". I will NEVER bring any animal of mine or my son's to Banfield. They are unprofessional, and care more about making money than they are about animals. Shame on Petsmart for allowing Banfield to operate from their stores. I will no longer shop at Petsmart as long as they are affiliated with Banfield Pet Clinic.