Banfield Pet Hospital

I bought a kitten over the internet & had it shipped to me from Iowa. The kitten arrived sick the evening of July 29th, the next evening I took it to Petsmart to Banfield. They charged me $248.00 for a vet to tell me she could not read the xrays, didn't really know if anything was wrong or not. They gave me some MILD antibiotics with some papers that told me the kitten had a mild infection, nothing to worry about. The vet sent me off telling me take the cat someplace else if it got worse. They were closing & wanted to go home. I did take the kitten to another REAL vet 2 days later as the antibiotics did not seem to be working... in short a couple of days later the kitten DIED. DO NOT USE BANFIELD PET HOSPITALS!

We purchased a puppy on 12-21-07 and within 24 hours we noticed that she was having some problems with diorama. I went on line, performed a fair amount of research and discovered that this is fairly common problem with puppies. Potential common causes were stress due to leaving mom or littermates, changes in food or drinking water and eating random things off the ground, which this puppy was prone to do. We decided to monitor her, continue feeding her and giving her bottled water (which we drink ourselves).

After about 24 hours the problem had not resolved itself. I researched on line and discovered that several reliable web sites recommended that �½ teaspoon of Pepto-Bismol be given for ever 10 pounds and as she was only 2 pounds we gave her 2 to 3 drops out of a dropper every 6 hours for 24 hours. They said if she wasnâ��t better to take her to the vet.

We took her to Banfield Pet Hospital at White Oak in Garner NC, which is located in the Pet Smart at the White Oak Shopping Center in Garner on Christmas Eve.

I took the puppy in, requested an appointment and described to the receptionist her symptoms (diarrhea, not eating and difficulty drinking). The receptionist told me to hold my pet on my lap, not to let her down on the floor or touch the walls because the symptoms I describes were associated with Parvo which was highly contagious. She could hardly answer our questions or provide any level of service because she kept calling other customers on the phone to remind them of them of wellness appointments�like literally kept calling and talking to them right in the middle of talking to me. This didn�t make me think they were very concerned about my puppy or very customer oriented.

In any event I had to sell an expensive piece of personal property for practically nothing to raise the money to take her to the vet so when the nurse came back with a long list of testing to get me to sign up for I very politely explained to her that I had managed to scrape together $200.00 and wanted us to work together to prioritize testing and treatment options to try to help my pet as much as possible with my limited resources. I must admit that she was NOT very supportive of my plight, stated that �people come in here all the time wanting us to help them with their pets and have no money� and she was not helpful in terms of helping me prioritize testing and treatment on a limited budget.

We ended up testing the puppy for Parvo and for parasites. The office visit and testing ate up over half my $200.00 budget. The puppy was negative for the Parvo and positive for a large number of parasites. The nurse explained that for her to have that number of parasites she might have contracted worms in vitro from the mother. She was only 8 weeks old, weighed a little less than 2 pounds and had been de-wormed on 12-18-07.

The nurse came back with a long list of further testing, blood work, IV Therapy, Medications, Vitamin Supplements and Special Pet Food the cost of which was total beyond my reach. I once again explained that I had worked hart to come up with money I did bring and that I could not afford all the things they were recommending. I asked for help deciding how to prioritize. She was pretty stubborn and I eventually decided on the two medicines, a subcutaneous IV to get some extra fluids into her, the vitamins and the special puppy food.

I told the nurse that I used to work in an emergency room and that when people came in with similar problems the usual course of treatment was to give them something to treat whatever was causing the diarrhea (in this case the two kinds of medications), give them an IV to temporarily get some fluids into them (I opted for the subcutaneous IV) and then give them something like Donagel to combat the diarrhea itself (which was not given as an option). The nurse tried to convince me for a second time to leave my puppy there and pay several hundreds of dollars, which she knew I didn�t have for pet IVs to treat the diarrhea. I asked if there was anything like Donagel for puppies. At that point she refused to talk to me further, brought my puppy back to me and asked the vet to come in and talk to me.

The vet was very agitated, seemed upset and I very politely explained to her that I was not trying to be difficult but was just wondering if there was anything like Donagel for puppies. She stated, �you have to be very careful with the medication you are talking about because she is a small puppy�that medication is out of date and it is illegal to dispense out of date medication�we are not allowed to do that�. The vet again tried to talk me into leaving my puppy there and paying for over a thousand dollars of IVs and other testing. She told me she could not help me prioritize care because she might get sued if something went wrong. She further stated that if there was a bad outcome here they could not be held responsible because they had �offered� me additional testing and IV therapy, which I had refused (simple math equation: limited $ = limited medical care). It felt like there was little hope for my pet so they made up a long list of testing/treatment recommendations totaling over a thousand dollars (which few people I know could afford to pay in cold hard cash up front) specifically so that if anything happened they could blame it on the fact that the pet owner �declined� some of these services.

Let me just say that in people land if a doctor or hospital does not have the medication to save your life they are required by law to obtain it from another pharmacy or hospital. Banfield is a national chain with multiple locations in my local area and in retrospect they could have referred me to pick it up at another location. If I had gone to another location they would have charged me another office visit (I called another Banfield about 30 minutes from my home). Also in people land doctors and nurses are caring compassionate individuals who are actually interested in saving your life. This is apparently not so for the staff at Banfield who appeared to be more interested in monetary issues and avoiding being sued that whether or not my puppy lived. They seemed actually angry that I would not come off some credit cards and just charge up thousands of dollars in care for my pet. They did not even send me home with a pamphlet on purchasing pet insurance or their infamous wellness plan. In retrospect I realize this is because they did not expect my puppy to survive. Putting her down was an option I never got.

To be quite honest if I had that kind of money or charging capabilities I would have spent it to save my pets life because I loved my pet more than my money. I spent every single cent I had to my name that day at Banfield, they refused to let me pay them 3 days after when I got paid, I was treated very disrespectfully for merely asking for an anti-diarrhea medication and my puppy died a day and half later.

I believe in their over zealousness to avoid doing things that might get them sued they failed to provide the minimum quality of care necessary to keep my pet alive. I believe that they should have made the medication I requested to combat the diarrhea available for me to purchase even if they had to contact another Banfield rather than suggesting I pay money I didn't have to keep her IVs for days on end or purchase vitamin supplements and special food when I had already told them she was refusing food. All she did was puke that all up anyway. Something to combat the diarrhea would have at least given us a fighting chance. If we could have controlled the diarrhea she may have began eating again. Also their attitude was really out of line. I have worked with nurses and doctors all my life and never have seen or heard of anything like this. Why in the world the nurse just stopped talking to me I will never know. In human land we have the right and responsibility to ask questions about our medical care but apparently at Banfield this is grounds for the medical staff to get antagonistic and refuse to continue talking to you. Also when the nurse stopped talking to me and sent the vet in I could actually overhear the nurse angrily talking to another staff about me. Can't tell you how unprofessional that was! I was actually nice and respectful when talking to their staff and unfortunately can't say the same about them. Who has the responsibility to be professional and courteous the customer or the healthcare professional? They actually seemed insulted that I walked in the door with limited amount of resources. I told them point blank that I was not expecting miracles but just some help prioritizing care because of limited resources. The impression I got was that they were actually insulted that they were being asked to provide medical care for only $200.00. I guess the sky should always be the limit because once you set that standard everyone understands that once you have a sick pet the money in your wallets and bank accounts will grow wings.

The kicker is that my sick puppy was seen on Christmas Eve in a store located in a Pet Smart and the lines were long. When I was given the medications the vet gave me a little card and told me to �give it to them up front and they will get the food for you�. I went up front, waited in a long line, gave the cashier the card and she looked at me like I had two heads. She sent me back to Banfield and the receptionist there showed me where the medication was. I then drug my sick puppy back up front, stood in the same long line all over again and was finely able to check out the food she never ate.

Sorry for the ridiculously long post but this whole experience was ridiculously long, tedious and the really difficult part was watching my pet die a slow painful death on Christmas when she probably should have been put down. She was 8 weeks old, weighed less than 2 pounds, had an excessive number of two types of parasites and received de-worming medication again prior to the recommended time frame. What do you think her chances of survival were? Would you have at least given me the option of having her put down? She whined off and on all of Christmas day, we spent all day holding and cleaning her. It was pretty pitiful. The message I got from Banfield is that only wealthy people willing to spend hundreds or even thousands on their animals should be pet owners.

First of all you are dumb for buying a kitten over the internet and having it Shipped to you...Are you a ###ing ###? Of course it was sick you [censored] it came from a ###ing puppy mill then you have the nerve to blame banfield for your kitten diying...YOUR DUMB i hope you dont have children cause they are probably dumb too.

I called store #0273 on 05-31-08 to ask if I could bring my dog in (prince) a 7pd yorkiepoo to see if I could bring him in to get his yearly shots and explained to them that I was from Kansas Banfield here in Atlanta, visiting and needed these shots. They said come on in were not busy. I said go ahead and call and get records from Kansas so we could be prepared they agreed. well I got there they made me wait a half hour before they told me they did not even call Kansas to get Princes records and tried to call them in the room by this time a hour had lapsed and Kansas Banfield was closed so they could not obtain his records and could not give him his shots that day. So they recommended I go to store#0280 the next day Sunday 06-01-08 the next day and call first and have them retrieve his records before we showed up and that it would all be taken care of that day. As disappointed as I was after waiting an hour to hear this I agreed and left that evening. On 06-01-08 I called store#0280 and explained the situation they told me no problem to come on in that there was an hour wait but they would go ahead and call the Kansas store and retrieve prince’s records. I headed.

to make a long story short, you could have avoided all this and called your home banfield yourself to get the records faxed over.

It’s our mission to provide our clients and their Pets with high quality medicine and exceptional client experiences on every visit, at every locatio. We apologize that your visit to one of our hospitals was unsatisfactory. To address your specific concern, and to help us improve our overall service, we would appreciate it if you would call us at [protected] to tell us what happened.

Which Banfield? They are ran independantly, the one in Franklin Tn which is the first one I ever used is Great. Great Vet and wonderful staff. So I figured they were all that way. Moved to Scottsdale Az went to Banfield. Not a good place. So you need to clarify where this hospital is and who the vet is. The one in Franklin Tn in Petsmart is the best vet. I have ever had and I have had animals my entire life. Now only if I could find one here in Scottsdale like Dr Coffeen! So far have only been to one Banfield here. What was suggested to me, was to go in watch the staff. Talk with th evet and interview them like you would hire anyone. So that is what I am going ot do. As all Banfields are not the same!

I've taken my sick cat to Banfield and they were impolite and I felt that all they wanted was my money. They sold me these pills that weere too large for my cat to swallow when I tried returning them, they were like 'Oh, we can't possibly take them back." Can someone just close these hospital Carpetbaggers?

I'm sorry, but I have had veterinary technician experience at Banfield as well as animal shelters and you cannot blame Banfield for the death of your pet. Did you ever consider going to the person that sold you the puppy to find out why it was so sick to begin with? As far as the parasites, depending on what they were (most likely hookworms and roundworms), did you personally see the pet get de-wormed the first time, or was this something the person that you got the dog from told you? I agree, Banfield pet care can get expensive, but it is NOT an emergency clinic. And if you had gone to an emergency clinic, they see dollar signs just as much, if not more from you than a corporation like Banfield does. Banfield's goal is to educate the public on PREVENTATIVE care. I can certainly understand where you are coming from, because I have also felt cheated by veterinarians in the past. I have a diabetic cat that I have spent close to $10, 000 dollars on ( which i know people must think is ridiculous), and after years of failed treatments all it took was a little self education and one specialist with a kind heart to make my baby well again. I apologize for the way you were mistreated at this Banfield. Just like any business, some places have their bad apples, but some places actually have people that care about the well being of your animals. A lot of the bad attitude might have had something to do with the fact that you waited 3 days ( which is a lot of time to a puppy) until Christmas Eve to get the dog treated. I realize that is no excuse. The receptionist was not wrong to tell you to keep your puppy off of the floor. Puppies should not be anywhere besides home until they are FULLY vaccinated. On top of that, Parvo is highly contagious and you could be endangering the lives of everyone else's puppies. The fluids were definitely necessary. When you are talking about medications, I can only guess that you are talking about antibiotics or de-worming medication. The special food was probably A/D, which is the only food that sick puppies will eat, and it's easy to feed by hand if necessary. As for vitamins, the dog has NO nutrients in it's body if it's infested with worms. None of this stuff sounds unnecessary to me. I'm SURE they could have found a solution for the vomiting, however, which disappoints me. I agree that more could have been done to save the life of your pet, but if you thought it was not going to cost a crud load of money (which your shelter/breeder/whoever should reimbursing you for) I am afraid you were wrong. ANY clinic is going to be that way, and if you weren't happy, you could have driven all night to find someone that would have shown you some compassion with the price. I guarantee it would have taken you that long.

It sounds to me like Banfield killed your puppy. I recently bought a Mastiff puppy who became ill like what you described about a week after I brought him into my home. Puking, bloody stool, not eating. I took him to a local 24/7 emergency vet clinic. As a walk in and first time patient there I was in an exam room and speaking to a vet who actually seemed like he cared about my dog within 15 minutes. We tested for parvo..negative. He gave me a strong dewormer, a weeks worth of antibiotics and a weeks worth of nausia pills and said it was most likely parasites in the intestines, which the worming pill would kill. Two days later my puppy was back to rampaging through the house and eating more than a small elephant. My total vet bill, including medication was $56. I did not get charged the emergency fee due to the fact that the vet had an emergency surgery while we were waiting on the parvo test results so I sat in the exam room for over an hour. They apologized and waived the extra fees for my time.

I used to take all of my animals to Banfield. They over vaccinate, tell you your animals need vaccinations against things that are not a concern in your area, and care way more about money than your pet. Thier wellness plans are a horrible money sink and dont do much at all for you if anything other than routine shots come up. I allowed them to operate on one of my dogs to remove a lump on his tail...they did something wrong and ended up killing all the blood flow to his tail. It required amputation...which they tried to charge me for as well. I won that fight and did not pay for them to fix what they caused.

And to anyone reading this DO NOT purchase their wellness plans. They are horrible. I had two dogs on their plans...about 36$ a month. I changed my home phone number and then a few weeks later I got a new debit card. When the plans failed to bill on the old card, they just kept racking up the amounts for 6 months, never notifiying me by mail. I went to make an appointment one day and the receptionist informed me I owed them $500 which had been sent to collections, told me to come back when I had taken care of that and reinstated the plans...oh and that I would have to pay the initial fee again since they had lapsed. I called their billing people and settled my "debt". Two months later I started getting bills from an outside collection agency who says they have no records of me making any payment. I called the Banfield people, and they at first tried to tell me that I would have to prove to the collection agency that I had paid...after a heated discussion they agreed to contact them.

Banfield - Great Customer Service and Pet Care!

Take your pets to a local vet. This supports local business, and usually better care. It took me a while to find a local vet and one that was economical. I refuse to take my animals their, it is a rip off and all they care about is making money.

My dog had a required routine vaccination and I was told he would need a booster in three weeks. Returned for the booster and they wanted to do another exam. I said nothing had changed in his health in three weeks and all he needed was a booster. The nurse said it was their policy to administer an exam. I told her it was not required and I should not have to pay for an office visit. I told her to get a manager to discuss this. Manager said exam was required to "protect my pet" from getting an injection if he was sick. My pet is not sick. I told her their policy was unfair to consumers, and she could charge me $40 now and lose me as a customer forever or do what was reasonable and waive the exam. She would not allow the injection without the exam. So, after a total of SIX MINUTES of exam total, one each by the nurse and the vet, guess what... my dog was healthy and could receive his booster shot! This was after waiting 12 minutes in the consult room after I checked in on time. I have NEVER received prompt attention, I guess this is their strategy to keep you on site for at least half an hour, including waiting to check out and pay, so you don't realize how stupidly expensive their $40 office visit is. They got their last dollars from me. I am NEVER going back to them. Advice to all - take your pet to an injection clinic for routine vaccinations.

I just had the same exact experience less than an hour ago at a Banfield. I went there with my cat less than 3 months ago and had a bill for $65, and I paid with care credit - no problem. I went back to Banfield today for the same problem with the same cat with another $65 bill but this time they tell me I cannot pay with Care Credit because of the $250 minimum. I tried to call Care Credit but they are closed and the other Banfield that I went to is closed for the day as well. I was never told this before they did the examination on my cat, despite the fact that I wrote on my "new patient" form that I was paying with Care Credit and that the individual knew that I was only going to go in there for a $65 visit. After a 45 minute argument between myself and the employee who claimed to be the manager and clearly was not, we agreed to leave the balance open on the account until "I could get enough money to pay it", but I'm going to do my research first and see what I can work out with this unprofessional bunch of people who work at Banfield. I strongly agree that if Banfield is going to force their customers into this policy that the least they can do is put a sign up or inform their customers before the visit. I WILL NEVER GO TO BANFIELD AGAIN NOR RECOMMEND THEM TO ANYONE!

I agree with the $250.00 complaint. I took a tiny kitten (less then 3 pounds) to Banfield in East Hanover New Jersey to be tested for lukemia.The visit was $48.95 the test for lukemia was $56.15 the test came back positive. The vet. suggested that because I have three indoor cats I could keep the kitten and let her live outside, I felt this was not fair to the kitten or any other cats that might come in contact with her. The vet then suggested I put her to sleep, I agreed and was then charged an additional $149.00. My total bill was $254.10

From Banfield The Pet Hospital,
Thank you for your feedback and we apologize for any inconvenience your experience may have caused you. Banfield sets a minimum for our CareCredit users because of the fees we incur. We partnered with CareCredit for the express purpose of having clients pay for Pet care that they could not afford paying by other means. Because of our initial error with your first visit, we are having our Client Relations Team review your specific case and one of our associates will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

I will leave emotion out of it, however I want to educate. A puppy should leave mom and siblings at 12 weeks for best socialization, 8 weeks is widely excepted and 6 weeks is too young.

wht can of manage? demodex? treatment is not a quick fix.. or if she was treated with shots it may have been scabies... mange can take 45 plus days and requires multiple neg skin scrapings to be sure the pet is healed.
A dog that small should not get vaccines tht late in the day or you may end up with a er bill, chis are HIGH vaccine reactors. A diphenhydramine injection can help prevent that.

vx are usuallystarted at 6-8 weeks

March 10, 2011, I took my 8 year old shih-tuz in for a mammory removal and spade.Instead they ended up doin a "biopsy." They called me twice to let me know updates and to pick her up at 6:30.the third time they called I drop my phone.the dr said he had "bad news"and she had went into I guess "cardiac arrest." Said when they left she was fine and the next thing they were calling the dr in to try&revive her. When I went in to see my little angel she was on the table covered up in her favorite blanket with dried up blood.Her tongue was hard and eyes wide open.and there was nothin we could do but cry.and the dr said "if there's anythg he could do" yea right! Didn't even sounded like he cared! As far as the bill, they were still worried bout their damn money and refunded the things "they didn't do/use" to us.like I care.I left the building while I watch my fiance bring our baby out in a box! there is nothin bringing her back!thanks to banfield my pomeranian is without a sister and we are without a daughter.Banfield, their crew, and especially the drs there at and in fayetteville, NC will BURN in hell&i hope I'm alive 2 c it!

Cats are more prone to death from heart problems during anesthesia than dogs. Hospitals that have the ability should offer a cardiac ultrasound pre-op and explain the reasoning for the ideal standard of care and then the owner should be allowed to make an informed decision. I have worked for Banfield for about four years and have seen the good and the bad. Banfield as whole is changing their focus to a more care driven and less $ driven motive. I have seen so many good changes as of late. With that being said please call the Corp Office and request a quality review.
Banfield actually has very high standard protocols in place. Those standards need to be upheld, during a quality review they will find if protocols were followed and look for areas of issue. If protocols were followed maybe they can have closure, if not then it needs to be addressed. The standard for a dental cleaning is pre op blood work, full physical exam, iv fluids, pulse ox, blood pressure monitoring, ecg, anesthetic monitoring and pediatric grade anesthesia. It is meant to be human grade medicine.
Cats that are docile at home can become very fractious very quick from things as mild as restraining, drawing blood etc. the safest thing in that case for the cat and staff is sedation. I can swear to you it is safer for your cat to be sedated then for them to get more worked up and distressed. You can not reason with an angry cat.
Banfield has a strict fractious pet protocol that is regularly reviewed and improved. The standard is that if a pet become fractious pre sedation then you stop and follow the correct course depending on the case. For example you may use a different sedation then normal etc. There are certain points where you stop and send the patient home and try again.
I am so sorry they lost their friend. 8 (

Annual dental cleanings are meant to prevent dental disease. Depending on diet, condition of gums etc a dental cleaning for a 1 yo healthy cat may be a very good idea. However you always weigh risk and benefit.

Regardless of the vet a few ideas to make sure your pet gets the best care:

Find a Doctor not a name you trust. I have seen some of the best doctors pass through ( and when we are lucky stay) the world of Banfield. And some that I have reported. (good and bad just like any practice). Know your vet and request them .

Find a staff "friend". I have had many clients that I stay (sometimes off the clock) until their pets are done and they pick them up simply because they know me and ask me to keep an eye on their baby. Most of us that work in the vet field do so because we love pets . Know your contact by name and make a point of expressing your trust to them and letting them know who you are a little bit. I lead clients to certain drs/nurses etc based on their needs and wants. I (and many others ) have no problem with letting it be known what we think you would want. (ie. I know this family they DO NOT want him here long because he gets anxious etc). Its nice to have an inside voice.

DONT RUSH! It is always good to check in but do not try and get a specific time, or make a team squeeze you in for any anesthetic procedure. If things are rushed they are more likely to involve error.
(I.E I live 20 minutes away I don't wanna drive across town and come back can you have them done by noon).
When we are talking Medical care you want the Dr to have as much time as possible, also with anesthesia the longer the pet is at the hospital after recovery the longer he is under supervision of a Dr and or a nurse.

If you see a problem tell the manager. Don't complain to them . HELP them better their staff and and lose dead weight. ANY good manager wants to know when (and who so please write names of who you talk to etc) and how their staff preforms . Letting them know when your service is wonderful helps to keep quality employees and if its poor it helps them prevent others from having the same issue.

Sorry for the rant.. I can understand how you are feeling and I know it is a lot to ask when your upset, but ask for a quality review and have as much info as possible. It is the way things get better, and even if you never go back, it may help another pet.

I have never heard of a year old cat needing their teeth cleaned. That's beyond odd.

When they do clean teeth, they do use an anesthetic. I don't get the aggressive part where they need more anesthetic. I was under the impression they were knocked out when they did the cleaning.

Unfortunately no one can predict how an animal or a human for that matter will react to an anesthetic. I'm sure sorry about you baby.

Banfield Hospitals strive to make quality Pet care affordable. If you have not already done so, we recommend you consider one of our Optimum Wellness Plans. Not only will you give your Pet the care it deserves, but you can save up to 50% (or more) on the cost of regular veterinary-recommended care. While certain procedures such as surgery may appear to be more costly at Banfield, this is due to the measures we have in place to ensure the safety of every Pet we treat.

Wow, $100 is cheap for all that they did. I think you may have just found yourself a new vet!

Lady you are a ###. First who the hell leaves a dog alone in a house to be injured not once, but TWICE?! The only way a dog could be getting injured like that is if it's owner has a crappy living environment or they are beating the pet. Whatever the cost it was to pay to help that pet recover was worth it no matter where you went to get the pet checked up. On a personal note I would have charged your ### twice as much and then taken your pet from you. You don't deserve the honor of being a pet owner...

actually, if you look at your invoices when you get them(at your visits)...it says how much the service would have been without the wellness plan. it also says how much you saved so far this year because of the plan...The amount I saved in the first couple of months of having a plan was more than what the monthly fee for the year was.

If it's confusing, it's not my fault. It's my position that the company has the obligation to make the nature and operation of the plan crystal clear to pet owners BEFORE they sign up and DURING the annual auto-renew process. The fact that there are so many complaints about the same issue (Google "Banfield Wellness Plan") says clearly that this is not being done and leaves the impression that Banfield wants it that way.

Putting happy troll comments after complaints may be part of "reputation management, " but as someone who has worked as operations manager in a service-oriented business, let me offer a couple suggestions. First, you said "I'm sorry" several times but it was never followed by the magic word... and, Mr. Venckman, what... is... the magic word? "WE." If you say "I'm sorry WE did not do enough to help you understand the plan before you lost your dog, " that might help. Heck, you might even say, "I'm sorry that "WE failed to correctly diagnose your dog's problem and let you pay for three weeks of treatment for urinary infection when he probably had bladder cancer, " which would be even better.

Pointing out my confusion blames the customer. Try saying, "You're absolutely right, we did not do what we could have to explain this plan, " followed by, "And this is what we're going to do about it." It doesn't even have to be something you do to help me. It could be something to help other customers avoid the same problem.

But my sense is that your company is more interested in (a) covering your rear in case someone sues you, and (b) wringing every dime out of customers because dead pets have been accounted for as a profit center in the business plan, so I'll keep getting explanations of how I am wrong. And you'll lose customers like me. As soon as I can get out of the other dog's contract.

Cofusing at the very least, bordering on deceptive. The actual amount of the discounts and the actual amount held against our plan for services provided is never disclosed to the consumer. There are no statements annually, only an e-mail message (inevitably saying that the cost is going up). The only printed disclosure we receive is when they print the statement for each visit with a note that "your wellness plan saved you $XX today."

I know I'm stuck and I know I was wrong about my understanding of this plan, but that's my point. I want other people to be aware of this and not sign up for an Optimum Wellness Plan unless they have carefully read everyhing in the materials and feel comfortable that there is no unclarity about the plan. This obviously is very difficult to do in the store when you have your pet with you (squirming and barking at all the other dogs in the store) while an inexpereinced store associate runs through a canned spiel that presumably included something about the binding nature of the contract but which is difficult to undersatand at best. So implying that a customer is at fault for not understanding it is only adding insult to injury.

The automatic renewal is obviously where there would be a better opportunity for informed consent, because I have no way of knowing if the terms of the contract changed over the 12 years we had it. I assume they did. But it obviously flies under most people's radar. Googling "Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan" gives Banfield's paid ad and several pages of consumer complaints, so obviously they are not doing a good job of obtaining truly informed consent.

If this is a budget payment plan like the gas company, they should send a monthly statement clearly spelling out how much is being charged against the plan and how much is truly discounted, as well as the balance owed for the year, so consumers know where they stand. As a courtesy, they should also offer some means for customers whose pets die to receive a prorated payoff. The fact that the company absolutely refuses to consider anything like this in any case whatsoever tells me that this eventuality is clearly planned fopr as a part of the business model. As is the lack of clarity. Read the complaints, which uniformly express the same shock and surprise that I felt when given this news. Maybe there are that many careless consumers in this country, but maybe Banfield could do better job of providing clarity BEFORE the unpleasant eventuality I encountered happens. Not letting inexperienced store reps sign people up for these plans (as a way to get today's visit "free") would be a start.

Paul,
The services provided in the Wellness Plan are packaged at a discounted price. When a plan is canceled, then the discount is obviously no longer in effect, which might be what you are experiencing. I understand how this may be confusing, but this set up to ensure that clients cannot use all services in one month and cancel payment for the rest of the year. More importantly, I hope you are doing well following the passing of your dog. If I did not explain this well, or you'd like further clarification, then I do encourage you to call our Wellness Plan Relations team at [protected].

"only paying for services that were already provided." So this plan doesn't save us anything, as far as I can tell. Pay now, pay later, pay upfront, or pay on installments... you're still paying sticker price. It juts doesn't become obvious until this siutation arises because it's coming out of your checking account without your thinking about it. I'm sure the above argument reflects the contract and the legalities perfectly. I'm saying it just disappoints me and serves to obscure the true nature of this "wellness plan." I hope others are more careful than I was before they sign up.

Paul,
I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your dog.

Please know that you are only responsible for paying for services that were already provided. To cancel a wellness plan, you may do so by either paying for the services your pet used while on the wellness plan, or the remaining wellness plan payments, whichever is less. If you would like to discuss the details of your plans further, please contact our Wellness Plan Relations team by calling [protected] or emailing WellnessPlanRelations@banfield.net.

Also, Banfield recognizes that being able to see the same doctor is important and benefits everyone: pet, client and the veterinarian. Recent changes to our electronic medical records highlight the client’s preferred doctor, making it easy for the hospital team to schedule for specific doctors even when the client doesn’t specifically request one.

You're lucky you were able to cancel the contract. They're making me keep paying for the next three months even though my dog is dead. And even then, I worry that they'll still keep deducting the fee every month because they have my bank account information. The wellness plans are deceptive and end up costing you more than going to a regular vet with straight fees. Plus there's no personal relationship at Banfield. You get whatever vet is working there this week.

Do you know that Banfield has over 700 hospitals and is owned by Mars? Yes, the same company that makes M&M's and Royal Canin pet food? The same company that earns 27 billions dollars every year?

Do you know that the only pet food that Banfield sells is Royal Canine? This is a quote taken directly from their website: "Many years of experience have led us to select Royal Canin as our preferred dog food."

After reading these few facts, do you think that Banfield cares more about giving great medical care or making money?

Banfield The Pet Hospital:
It’s our mission to provide our clients and their Pets with high quality medicine and exceptional client experiences on every visit. We apologize that your visits to two of our hospitals were unsatisfactory. To address your specific concern, and to help us improve our overall service, we would appreciate it if you would call us at [protected] to tell us what happened.

This is completely incorrect and the ramblings of an upset employee who was fired for some reason or another. Banfield is excellent and treat all animals with care. I am disgusted by this person and their fallacies.

Heartguard / wormshield should be given to pups much younger then 6 months not safe for a 13 week old pup? HEARTGARD Plus has a wide margin of safety for dogs of all breeds and sizes when used as directed. It is approved for puppies as young as 6 weeks, pregnant or breeding female dogs, and stud dogs. (from http://heartgard.us.merial.com/hgp.asp) Also fyi only one heartworm test covered on a wellness plan a year and you can not test until7-12 months-- it takes 6-7 months for the heartworm to develop to the stage detected in the test. On the cat-- yes fip is a corona virus. please see more info about vx at https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.pfizerah.com/PAHimages/compliance_pdfs/US_EN_PP_compliance.pdf
The vx has been a disputed thing in the vet world for years.. mostly due to ? of efficacy . However Felocell FIP did not cause illness in cats when administered intranasally. It did not cause illness in cats infected with feline leukemia, in cats exposed to feline enteric coronavirus, in dexamethasone-immunosuppressed cats, in nonvaccinated cats that survived FIP challenge, or in kittens. Fip is very common very deadly and not so easy to test for. many articles can be searched for that give more info. What she stated about the corona titer is also correct as they test for corona virus antibodies.. high or non decreasing levels indicate fip.. however chances are the pets had fip and the virus hit a weakened immune system. I would reccomend contacting shelters etc local vets or rescues that may have a fip survivor kitty that can come live with your kitty.. Always research your vet hospital before you need them. And I dont me the brand there are a lot of Banfields. When you have volume you see many ends of the spectrum. Banfield has strict protocols and high standards, but there are always bad apples. Banfields vision is good and some of the best and worst pass through the doors as both customers and staff

They had given my kitten the "FIP vaccine" and my puppy the "corona vaccine". Both vaccines have not been used in years by other vets because it is thought they are more likely to cause the infection they are supposed to prevent. Needless to say my kitten now has an extreemly high corona titer. She passed corona on to my other kitten who ultimately developed FIP and passed at the age of 8 months old

Um...how does your kitten have a high corona titer? kittens are not given corona. you not making sense. ive been going to banfield for 9 years and have never had a problem. the heartworm pills that were recalled were recalled for a low amount of ivermectin and they were supposed to retest at no charge and give a new box of prevention, it states that in the letter they sent out. Its not banfields fault that a medication was recalled when they do not make nor manufacture the medication. Also how old was your puppy? was the puppy on heartworm prevention from the time you bought him?

I'm sorry, but I have to say something about this. The other vet that you took your animal to the following day could not has possibly been able to adequately say that your cat's kidneys or liver was failing or that he was a diabetic without doing some type of diagnostics--via bloodwork, urinalysis, radiography--something to support things views. Otherwise, it was just a guess---point, blank, period and that's not vet medicine. Although I do not know the entire story surrounding the first vet, it is the vet's call to decide if it is OK to put down an animal, WITH SUPPORTING EVIDENCE, that it's in the pet's best interest. I also do not know if you had any history (supporting documents) on your pet available to the vet--that maybe another vet had diagnosed your cat with x, y, or z...that all would have made a difference. They have the right to refuse to do that if they think that it is something that can be treated or helped. Since it seems you did not want any diagnostics preformed and merely wanted the cat to be euthanized, no one could say if it was treatable. Sure, you also have the right to take your animal to another vet who may or may not preform the euthanasia as well, but the proper way for things to be done, is to make a diagnoses or have some type of supporting evidence that this animal has a condition that can not be treated or that quality of life will be affected even with treatment and it's in the best interest of that animal to be put down. Let me give you a simple example--using your own vets "presumptive" diagnosis with no supporting evidence. Let's say your cat was a diabetic...so sick that it was now a DKA, which is worse than just being a diabetic. He would be very sick, but the condition is treatable and can be managed if the owner is willing to manage it. Something like this could have been easily diagnosed by a urinalysis or blood work. Most vets would not feel comfortable putting an animal down without knowing the reason why they should have to put it down, especially if it's something that can be treated.

This Vet clinic needs to be closed down. They have killed to many innocent animals and they always say that the animal died of something else...

They killed my dog, Missy.

Report them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YugT3uDpinA

I work for an animal hospital.

We NEVER, EVER EVER EVER allow a sedated pet to leave our care until they are fully awake, alert and responsive. We will take all the time necessary to demo how to give meds, and our nurses explain the doses, and then when we charge you out, we go over everything AGAIN. We make sure everything was explained to you, go over the doses again, then explain every single charge. Our clients standing in front of us are the priority...professionalism and excellent training and proper time management are why we can handle emergencies while processing regular appointments.

We never work alone so that there is always another person able to field the rest of the work while the other person is dealing with the client.

I am appalled at the behavior of this hospital staff and the doctors. It's simply bullsh-- to have allowed you to leave with your cat when he was "limp". This angers me beyond belief!

I am also I cat mom who has a little guy that is prone to urinary blockages. You won;t know this until it happens...some cats never have a problem. He was cath'd once, I said never again. Making sure he was getting enough water (this is sometimes the reason they get blocked in the first place - they need water and wet food!) I discovered my guy simply didn't like the water dish...he preferred the sink! So I left bottled water in the sink every day. Whatever works to get him to drink! I also purchased a natural cranberry powder supplement for his food. That was 4 years ago. No more blockages since. (He still doesn't like the dish, but he seems to like this coffee mug with the pic of a dog on it! :)

I am so sorry for your loss. Shame on Banfield. (By the way, we never refer anyone to them for a reason.)

For future reference, tape worms are easily treatable. Most pet stores have pill form medication for them. Sorry about your experience. That is horrible!

What did you expect from a supplement? Why don't you just go to Wal-Mart and buy some fish sticks for your dog.