Banfield Pet Hospital
reviews and complaints

We moved out of the USA in October 2021. There is no Banfield within 5,000 miles of where we live now. There have been no services since before we left. I just noticed my card was still being charged. I want to cancel the plan but the automated system says I can’t until 2023. Charging me hundreds of dollars without providing anything in return is unfair and borders on a scam. I’m waiting on hold now for over 30 minutes to try to talk with someone. Thankfully, I have a VOIP phone line without international charges or just waiting could cost me 50 to 100 dollars.

Whenever I call to try to get my cat care, I am forced to wait 2-4 weeks to get an appointment with anyone. As I cannot drive and take a cab, I cannot just drop her off in the morning and come back later in the day (as this would be $40 just in cab costs, which forgive me, do matter to me, as I am living on SSDI). It doesn't matter how sick my cat is, I'm told that I just have to wait for an appointment weeks in the future. I have always been put on a cancellation list, to be notified when someone cancels, so I can bring her in sooner. I have never been called. I mentioned this to the girl on the phone today, and she said, "The list is quite long", which I understand; but then she encouraged me to call every morning, in case their was a cancellation, because apparently they give the canceled slot not to the people on the list but to whoever calls in the morning. This is insane. What is the point of the cancellation list then? What is the point of appointments? Am I just supposed to call every morning, like I'm taking her to a free clinic, except that it is a free clinic that I am paying for? I feel like I am paying for a service that I have very limited access to, and I'm very frustrated, and I'm worried about my cat, since I have to hope that she doesn't get sicker in the weeks that it takes to get her care. I shouldn't have to make an appointment weeks ahead of time, and if you make a cancellation list, the appointment should go to the people on the list, and not to whoever happens to call first when a cancellation happens. I have zero confidence in my vet. I am currently looking for other options to take her to, once my contract expires, because I don't feel I am getting the care for her that I thought I had. She deserves to be seen when she is sick. Not three weeks after she gets sick.

I am Lillian Perry and my two female cats are 'Miss Ciely' and 'Sophia'. They have been taken care of by Dr. McGee, who is now the Chief of Staff at several locations here in So Cal, since they were kittens.
For nearly 2-3 years, my cats have not received services although I am still paying monthly. I reduced the payment because of this.
Dr. McGee has been the only one who could examine them, as the persons at two of the locations I've taken them to for their annual teeth cleanings and exams, are unable to handle them. They cannot even get them out or the carriers.
I would like to cancel and leave Banfield. I am also requesting a refund on services not rendered going back 2-3 years. I am a customer who has brought my cats to Banfield since they were adopted there back 12 years ago.
I've always felt that Banfield does not like working with cats past the kitten stage, and now I'm sure of it. I don't think the vets are trained to work with scared cats who never leave their homes, especially after this nearly 2 year shutdown. Banfield caters to dogs, plain and simple. It's hard to believe that people trained in this profession cannot even get a cat out of the carrier they are in.
My phone number is [protected], which corresponds to my cats accounts.
I called after the last incident at the Summitt location in Fontana 92336 - where my cats and myself are regularly treated badly for the last few years by the staff. I switched them to the Rancho Cucamonga location when Dr. McGee began working there as Chief of Staff, but now she works there periodically because she is working several locations. On the day of the appointment she was not available due to a family emergency. A person named CHAD had contacted me days before to tell me of this change, and I consented to take the cats in anyway, because I was told that the Doctor on duty could handle any pet. I was wrong. I never even met him or spoke to him as I picked them up.
The Rancho Cucamonga location is better and friendlier but Dr. McGee is in high demand, and obviously the only Banfield vet who specializes in adult cats in SoCal. I've never seen any pet other than dogs at either location.
I will never refer cat owners to Banfield.
My cats will now be allowed to live out their days at home and not allowed to go through the trauma of service visits with people who do not or CAN NOT service them - beginning with getting them out of the bags.
Thank you.
Lillian Perry

To: banfieldcares@banfield.com
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2021, 11:04:05 AM PST
Subject: RE: Complaint and command RE: Banfield Pet Hospital 10210 59th Ave SW, Lakewood, WA 98499

Hello
I'm here to write complaint about my bad experience with one of your nurse or assistance front desk person at 1021 59th Ave SW, Lakewood, WA 98499 (253) 582-4617.
I had it a schedule to drop off my two dogs at the Lakewood location for the Preventive Care- B... (male), C... (Female).
Ms. Candy help to check in two dogs. One of Nurse came out take my first dog B...
and My M. Schuazer. small dog with thing necklace pink leash with my dog carry leash already attached to her.

Ms. Candy ready to take my dog to inside at the moment, my dog did not want to go with her, same time, Ms. Candy drag the dog and she was joking but she (Ms. Candy) continue to
dragging the my dog. It was short moment but as owner, too upsetting to watch, person who does care less about the dogs comporting and she saw it but continue to dragging my dog.

At the moment I did stop her, and I did offer her to take her close to inside entrance dog. and Same time, I told her please do not treat my dog like that and you are joking my dog.

also told her, my dog is part of my family, I do not like it way you handling my dog. and Ms. Candy talk back to me, she said that is Animal!~

OMG!~ (In that moment) It means, is okay to treat my dog and dragging my dog and joking her it's okay to abuse my dog or other dogs too?

Also, afternoon she was on front desk, I trying to directly mention what she said is not right and complaint to her but immediately, Ms. Candy said, I do not want to talk to you!

I'm very sure Person like it should be belong to Pet Hospital and handling Pet care Service. She makes my day miserable and almost tears in my eye ready to crying awhile

talking to manger of Ms. Ashley.

My Pets been with Banfield cares for over 12 years handling by Federal way location since poppies. I never had it bad experience like today.

normally some nurse carry my small dog (C...D), never dragging my dog to joke or continue dragging over it, not like her.

There's couple sitting with her dogs waiting to get services, they watched our situation and Couple nearly shake there heads, disagreed on Ms. Candy's action and talk back to customer, It's an Animal! on her comment.

People should comfortable and trust leaving there Pets to Banfield cares, without doubt about leaving my dog's on your hands not worry or wondering about abuse my pets.

I'm writing my complaint is not only for me but I'm representing all Pet owners, Who sincerely care about there Pet is Part of there family.

Who is working for the Pet Hospital as just job!~ I want Ms. Candy to think as treat it with a warm heart, even if it is not her dog.

If not she's not belong to Pet Hospital at all.

Regards,

I have been a Banfield Wellness Plan customer for several years. Currently with 3 dogs enrolled. Service has steadily declined each year for the past several years. On Saturday 11/27/21 I called my Banfield hospital to try to bring my sick dog in and was told that she could not be seen until Wednesday 12/1/21. The call taker would not even offer to fit me in for a visit. I had to take my dog to a local vet for a visit which ultimately cost me almost $500. Much of this bill would have been covered by the wellness plan I have at Banfield for this dog. This is a large sum of money that I should have not had to incur. I want Banfield to reimburse me for all the fees from this visit except for the prescribed medication.
In summary, Banfield is a poor representation of what a pet clinic should offer, constant revolving door of vets, rude staff, and long if not impossible timeframes for appointments. I pay almost $150 per month for the wellness plans for my 3 dogs and this is the service I receive. I want a managing representative to call me and provide my sought resolution.

We are residents in Florida and Ohio. Joined Banfield plan for wellness and day to day needs. Also hope of sharing records between locations. Turn over of vets at their locations results in unnecessary appointments to renew prescriptions. Locations are over booked and in some case referring us to other Banfield locations an hour + away. Today we called on our sickly 12 year old golden and was told best they can do is a week out and if he needs to be put down we will need to schedule that a week out. This is a disgusting, overwhelmed un-empathetic and negligent business model that has put money ahead of pet safety. Until they are properly staffed they should be banned from acquiring anymore practices and should be barred from selling these plans that they can not responsibly fulfill. If an owner needs to go out side Banfield then Banfield should reimburse 100% of the cost and refund cost of the plan.

I have been taking Daisy to Banfield located in Hybla Valley, Alexandria, Va. since I adopted her in 2012. She got sick in the weekend of 10/24/2021. and we took her to emergence vet early that morning. They did blood work and said her vitals were ok and few other small matters .That total bill was $700 They were going to do xray but being a senior citizen I could not afford extra $400. Since I had Banfield ins. I would take her there Monday morning as the ER vet said to take her to see her primary doctor. And they would fax Banfield the results. Banfield opened at 8 am but got no answer so I drove to the hospital to get appt. They must of gotten the fax from ER and the man working the desk disappeared into the back while I was talking to a young girl. He came back and said the vet. would not see Daisy to take her back to ER Vet. They were prepared for us and refused to see her even tho I begged and cried for the vet to just check her out.

This is my second German Shepherd lost to Banfield by a wrong diagnosis, if one at all. Chloe, we lost last Sept 21, 2020, after bringing her to Banfield 3 times. She had stopped eating. The Vet said, " her blood work was fine as we stood outside the room at Westwood" (actually behind the desk). Chloe had Lymphoma. She had not eaten anything for over a week. On October 3, 2021, we lost Lady, a new rescue. I brought her to Banfield for her regular shots (3-year rabies). The Vet gave her an exam and told me her tummy seemed a little puffy and to watch it and if it had not gone down, we would do an ultrasound when she got her heartworm shot next month. She did not do the ultrasound that day, did no bloodwork, and said, I refused it in a necropsy report. Lady died of a ruptured growth on her spleen. It could have been from her pressing on her stomach. I watched my dog die right in front of me. It damn near killed me. If the Vet had done the ultrasound right there, I would have been able to put her down with dignity or have her spleen removed. I never had an option. I would not walk into a Banfield if my life depended on her. We now have a new rescue. I will NOT bring her to Banfield. The girls at the desk have no compassion. I called. I told them my dog was in terrible distress. They said, "give her 3 1/2 Benadryl and come back at 4:30 p.m. She was dead by then.

I had to put my dog down on October 12, 2021. I pay for a wellness plan every month, and they would not do anything for him. The Veterinarian had such an awful attitude, and all she suggested was to put down my 16-year-old miniature schnauzer. Getting appointments with them when I did have an emergency with him, were scheduled two weeks out. I had to take him to Blue Pearl Veterinarian Hospital, two weeks earlier because he had pancreatitis. On October 12, 2021, they asked me to bring him in for a drop-off, and I did. This is when I got the bad news that his kidneys were failing. Pepper, has been on Levateracitum an anticonvulsant oral medication since February 2021, I had mentioned several times to Banfield Hospital, that I don't think Pepper was tolerating this medicine very well. I got no response from any Veterinarian, at the Fredericksburg, VA location, nor did I get a response from the Augusta, GA location, and now my dog's life has ended due to their negligence. This company is awful, and all they seem to do is want to put dogs down, instead of treating them. I two pay for the rest of my wellness plan, even though my dog has died. They need to be shut down, this company is scamming customers out of their money.

I have been a customer at banfield since March 2020 and I am extremely disappointed at banfield hospital. My dog has had worms since I got her, every visit that I have made to banfield I have expressed my concerns. They would ask me what kind of worms was I seeing in my dogs stool and each time they would tell me that the worm medication that they were prescribing her would clear it. On October 6th 2021, I called extremely disappointed, telling them that I was still seeing worms after ten months of insisting and finally they told me that they have been prescribing the wrong medication this entire time. I pay for the dog health insurance and I have been paying for the wrong medication this entire time. The people on the phone were extremely rude claiming that it was not their fault at all and that it was hard to diagnosis and on top of that I had to pay for the correct medication. I completely understand that the medication would prevent ticks, flees, and heartworms but what they were giving her was for round worms and hook worms instead of tapered worms. Even though my plan said that the medication would be covered, I still had to pay an extra $50 for the injection to remove tapered worms. I have called many times expressing my concerns and was always dismissed. They promised the vet would call each time and never did. They collected stool samples and never saw anything. Why ask me what I was seeing if my dog wasn't going to be helped? I absolutely would not recommend.

We took our 3 year old healthy happy Chihuahua in on 8/20/21 for a dental cleaning to the Banfield location he has always went to for his care. After convincing us he needed a dental cleaning we added it to our plan. We picked him up that evening and he was ok. They told us a cough was normal so to watch him. He started breathing heavy late Saturday night and into Sunday. He then developed a cough. We took him back Monday morning where he was diagnosed with Aspiration Pneumonia. He was sent to be hospitalized for treatment. He stayed there for 2 days and died from cardiac arrest at 1:30am on 8/25/21. They did something during that dental. It has been acknowledged by the chief of staff. We went in on8/25/21 to speak with the vet and the tech that did his dental and the technician was doing a dental on a pet! WHY? If a tech had done a dental on a pet that died as a result of it why is she still doing them? Take her and the vet that was supposedly in the room the whole time off of dentals. Period! We are heartbroken and livid at the same time! The chief of staff is doing everything he can to make it right but I never will be. We have gotten no apologies or anything from the tech and had to make the vet talk to us. I'm gathering information of any kind related to the dental and his health records from day one. I'm not sure if a lawsuit is coming but the state veterinary board is going to get a complaint filed with them. They need to be stopped!

I started my puppy on a Wellness Plan when I got him. 11 months into the Plan I inquired about canceling the plan because I didn't feel it was beneficial. I was told that I had to call the 800# AFTER his next series of shots, which were scheduled at that time. I then called the 800# after we left the office the day of his shots and the recording stated that the plan could not be cancelled because it was already automatically renewed. I tried talking to someone and they told me the same. I now have a derogatory report on my credit report for $362.00 which the credit company will not compromise on at all. I feel like suing Banfield for fraudulent negative marks on my credit report.

This morning we brought our 2yr old AMAZING cat into Banfield (Harrisburg location) to get a teeth cleaning. Approx. Half hour after we brought him home he DIED. I'm telling you all this because a year ago when he had his teeth cleaned he had a bad reaction. We made Banfield FULLY aware of what happened last time. When I spoke to the tech this morning, he said he would speak with the Dr and that they would do something different with his meds this time. After speaking with the Dr. after my cat started convulsing in my arms, foaming at the mouth, he told me they gave him EXACTLY what they did a year ago. I am not a vet so IDK but common sense tells me that something isn't right here. How does ANY Dr for ANY animal give the same medication they had a bad reaction to again? I am BEYOND ANGRY that my 16yr old daughter just lost her best friend. We will be speaking with the medical board tomorrow to see what can be done if anything. I will say, my dog WILL NOT be going to Banfield any longer. Please BEWARE if you bring your animals there, that the staff actually listens to you when you speak.

Also, if anyone has any insight on someone we can talk to, to try and figure out what happened, I would greatly appreciate it. This is very hard for us to wrap our heads around this right now.

We just want answers how this could happen.

I am filing a complaint against the Vet Hospital Banfield Josey Oaks.

I took my Cat Max there on July 1, 2021. I took him for his yearly check up and shots. When I spoke to the Vet she said that the cat was like any other cat they get and was a little difficult to deal with but it was normal. They said they needed to put him to sleep to work on him. I agreed if it was necessary. I don't really understand how a Vets office isn't prepared to deal with all animals. When I went to pick up my cat he didn't seem himself and I noticed his fur was wet. It wasn't until I got home that I realized he was sitting in his cage in his own Urine. The ride from the vets to my house is no more than 10 minutes. His fur was soaked in his own urine like he had been sitting in it for awhile. When I called the Vet I was told it was my fault and that the cat was difficult, even dangerous. But when I had spoken to the Vet earlier my cat was like any other.

My cat wandered around my house like he didn't recognize it for days after. He was also skittish like he had been beaten. I believe the Vet not only hurt my Cat and let him sit in his carrier in his own Urine but that they also over medicated my cat.

I want to make sure no other cat has to go through this.

Thank you
Robert Stark
[protected]@gmail.com