Banfield Pet Hospital

I refuse to use any Banfield Pet Hospital ever again! I had been using them since 2009 simply because it was convenient after I relocated to another state. However I am fed up with them taking advantage of pet owners, delivering substandard medical care and taking advantage of pet owners.

I took my 9-year-old Yorkie into the Banfield Pet Hospital in Norcross, GA to be treated for blood in his urine. When I brought him in, he was completely fine otherwise. Despite the blood in his urine, he had no trouble actually "going", he was very energetic & playful and still had a healthy appetite. I was treated by Dr. Bunkley, who we had also seen 3 months prior when my dog broke off one of his toenails. I can't really fault Dr. Bunkley because she's not a fortune teller and cannot predict when a pet will react to medications. However had she asked more questions about my dog's medical history, followed up on the previous meds she prescribed and actually listened more to what I was telling her about my pet, she may have realized that my dog does not respond well to oral antibiotics. I mentioned this to her during our follow-up call for the broken toenail. Although I didn't take my dog in for an in-person follow-up, I did mention on a call that the prescribed oral antibiotics that made him incredibly sick (i. e. vomitting, lack of appetite, etc.). He was so sick from the medicine that I was forced to stop giving them to him.
At any rate, she did a urine analysis for this most recent illness and concluded that he had bacteria in his urinary tract, which we already knew. She prescribed two boxes of Clavamox at $25.00 each, in addition to the $130.00 I was spending on the analysis and office visit. Not sure why the charged me for two upfront, knowing that I could not return them for a refund if he had a reaction. Again, taking advantage of the pet owner! Not even 24 hours and two doses of this antibiotic later, my dog was violently ill! He was vomitting seemingly every other hour, he was not eating at all, he was not drinking water at all and he was barely moving. He would not respond or even look at me when I called his name. Something told me it was the Clavamox, so I decided to stop giving the medicine to him. By the next morning, his condition had not improved and I literally had to carry him outside to use the bathroom because he wouldn't move from his bed. After about 36 hours of him not drinking water, I got worried that he might be getting dehydrated and called Banfield. Dr. Bunkley was off for the weekend and so I spoke with the front desk clerk, Monica. I explained what was going on and after she "consulted" with the vet on-duty, she said that they recommended that I come in to have blood work done and an IV, which would cost me another $300.00! She also said that my dog would need to be dropped off and would need to remain there pretty much all day for the IV. Not only did they not try to pinpoint the cause of the sudden sickness before making a recommendation, they really didn't care that I just spent $200 a day and a half earlier. Oh by the way, they sold me two bottles of antibiotics (one that was brand new and one that was barely touched) that I could no longer use and couldn't even take them back for a refund. Their goal was to get me in and do whatever then needed to rack up more charges. When I told her that I thought we were jumping the gun, she said "ma'am how can you expect a proper diagnosis if the finance is an issue. There could be an underlying problems like testicular cancer that's causing problems." Right then and there, I hung up.
I did a search for another local vet and read up on some reviews. Called up Medlock Bridge Animal Hospital and they were able to see me on short notice, even though they worked on limited Saturday hours. Got there and was immediately met with a warm and concerned greeting from their staff. I was feeling better already! After getting checked in, Dr. Marshall (who is FANTASTIC) came in and did a thorough exam on my baby. She asked lots of questions, she LISTENED very well and she had Banfield fax over the previous urine analysis results. Long story short, he concluded that my dog was simply having a reaction to the Clavamox and that an injectable antibotic (Convenia) was best to treat the UTI, while bypassing his intestinal tract and avoiding any further stomach upset. She also recommended an injection (Cerenia) that would ease the nausea, as well as an IV since she did believe he was a little dehydrated. And as I suspected, she didn't think blood work was unnecessary at that particular time. She made her conclusion on examing my dog, good old fashion common sense AND listening to the dog owner. She is an A+ veterinarian! Her and her team treated my baby VERY well and spoiled him with love while they gave him the injections. The IV also only took about 15 minutes, which confused me since Banfield said it would be an all day thing?! Finally since their office is closed on Sundays, Dr. Marshall gave me her personal email address and asked me to contact her if my dog had any reactions to the treatment. I was so very appreciative of even wanting to got the extra mile in making sure my baby was okay. It is great vet that not only knows animals, but loves them and is purely motivated by taking care of them. My gut told me that she wasn't offering me services that I really didn't need but was doing what she felt my dog truly needed.
Within 24 hours, my dog was getting back to his old self! The injectable antibiotic was in his system and seemed to be clearing up the UTI, he was up & walking about (even playing with his toys), he was drinking water again and I was able to feed him some bland chicken & rice without any vomitting whatsoever! All in all, I think I spent about $150.00 at Medlock Bridge (half of what I would have spent if I followed Banfield's so-called recommendation). I was regretting that I ever went to Banfield in the first place, as the faulty medicine was the reason I had to make another trip to the vets. I probably could have gotten the right medicine the FIRST TIME from Medlock Bridge and would not have the need for an IV, or have had my dog suffer for those 36 hours. Either way, I was just happy to see my dog on his way to being healthy and happy again. I am thankful to have found Medlock Bridge and Dr. Marshall! On the other hand, I am very disappointed in Banfield and vow to never use their facilities again. Their check-the-box service impersonal, rushed and doesn't allow for actually listening to the pet owner. Banfield is stricly motivated by money and they are the Walmart of veterinarians when it comes to their operations. I had to throw away two full bottles of expensive medicine that was never right for my dog in the first place. He left in a worse position than he was when we originally arrived. Had the vet at Banfield listened to me or even asked more questions, she probably would have realized the injectable was a better way to administer the antibiotic. I do believe that Banfield purposely tries to take the long route to treatment, recommend unnecessary procedures (instead of trying to get to the root problem quickly and efficiently) and they use phrases like "it could be cancer" as scare/guilt tactics. I recommend that all pet owners avoid using Banfield and try finding a good, local vet that can give you and your baby the medical attention and service you deserve... without trying to take advantage of you!