Banfield vet services at Petsmart?

[Happiest mommy]

Hi all we will be getting a puppy soon and want to start fresh with a new Vet etc, not that my old vet was bad just VERY expensive (still paying a $3000 dog bill) I know Petsmart offers plans and I wanted to know for those of you guys that use their services how do you like them and cost wise how is it? I have also been looking into pet insurance any/all advice. thoughts, insight will be much appreciated TIA you guys always offer the best advice

 

[chyam]

I found them to be expensive, although they are convenient...I would ask your friends who they use...they wanted to charge me $300.00 for blood work on a cat I owned, I called around and found the same blood work for $125.00 with another vet although I had to travel a bit farther.

 

[Leader of the Club]

When we got our pup 2.5 years ago, I researched Banfield and found nothing good. There were no positive reviews then--lots of negative reviews from several different sources. Try googling it.

Call around to other vets in your area and ask their prices. We have vet that comes to the house and he is VERY reasonable.

 

[jedijill]

I've actually found the experience to be good. I got sticker shock when I moved to this area from my home in Kansas City, MO. My dog generally needs her teeth cleaned once a year and between that and her vaccinations, I find the cost to be reasonable. Be aware that they will try to upsell you on everything...just keep that in mind. I miss my hometown vet but Banfield works ok for me.

Jill in CO

 

[NCDisfan11]

I actually work for petsmart in NC and I have to say I will not use Banfield at all. Even with my associate discount for their service they are overpriced. Plus being a large corp. They do not hire the best people. My dog can be aggressive when cornered and scared (since she was abused as a puppy, before i got her). They told the vets there numerous times that she needs to be handled very carefully, Their response was to get 3 vet techs and a doc to hold her down in the corner and try to muzzle her. Needless to say i grab my dog and walked out. Another instance I had an appointment for 8pm. So I arrived 10-15 min early...only to sit at the waiting area until 8:45pm. They kept accepting walk in apps and got behind on their schedule, but never came and told me anything while i waited, they just left me sitting there. I would say you should search around for a locally owned and operated vet in your area because there is a better chance that, they will actually care about you animal and will be comparable in price if not cheaper.

 

[Frannie115]

We love Banfield in NC. Our toy poodle has been going there for 7 years now. We started with their low end insurance which covered an exam every 6 mos. and all vaccinations. Now that he's older, we've upgraded the plan to include dental cleaning. It's $32/mo. He just went and had his exam (includes stool exam & heartworm test), teeth cleaned and all the tested needed and vaccinations. We paid $0

They can be slow sometimes but have a drop off service too. You have to be careful with the exams and tell them beforehand you don't want any extras like nail clipping.

 

[MartinaC]

I have found that the best vet advice I have gotten has come from our dogs groomers. If I like the groomer and trust them I will ask who they take there dogs too and 3 times now I have gotten a good vet.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

I used to take my cat to them when they had free saturday morning visits available, but I stopped going to them because they try to pressure you to do needless tests and then say they would do it if it were their animal. Didn't like that at all. Plus, even with the Sat visit, it was STILL really expensive. Their deworming medicine was twice what others charge and they wouldn't give me a prescription to have it filled online because "they wanted to make sure I was getting the highest quality medicine from them". Yeah, right! I would steer clear of them.

 

[diznee25]

We had such a bad experience with Banfield. They gave more vaccines than what was needed for our dog, although we didn't know it for awhile. They don't allow you to get meds from other companies, and the doctors/pet nurses seem so stressed and over worked that we never got the quality of care I was looking for. And we've gone to 3 different Banfield locations in 2 different states. (Colorado, and Maryland.)

We now take our dogs to a local vet (that is also a hospital). They are GREAT with our pets. They doctors and nurses hug, and kiss our pets, and are very nice with them. Plus they always try to save us money and never order tests or vaccines that aren't needed. They are also cool about letting me use an online store to purchase heartworm/and flea and tick products at a discount.

If you do decide to go with Banfield, please be cautious of what vaccines they are giving your dog, and how often they administer it. Make sure you're getting the quality of care you want for your dog. Not all Banfields are bad, (I least I hope!), but the 3 locations I've visited seem to be the same. In my opinion Banfield sucks people in with their cheap plans. That's why I started going there. But in the end I got what I paid for! Cheap prices for cheap service.

diznee25

 

[Megkel]

Please say yourself the hassle and don't do Banfield. They are beyond awful! I originally went with them because I was new to dog ownership and know I would have my dog fixed. The thought that I could pay every month and then take my dog whenever pretty much for free was appealing. My dog developed an ear infection. The vet had her on 2 different pills, cleaner and drops. The ear infection never fully left and would keep coming back. We moved and I found a vet on my own and they are amazing! I took her for the same infection and they gave her a cleaner and drops. Surprise her ear infection (knock on wood) has not come back and it only cost me $140 for the visit, shots and the meds.

My mom went into Banfield with her new puppy around 4:30 one afternoon because he was sick and she didn't know any other vets in the area (she had only had him for a few days and was a surprise Christmas gift). They closed at 5:00 and she asked if they could see him since he was acting off and they were closing soon. They assured her they could see her and took her back to the room. Once the vet saw him he said there was nothing he could do because they were closing soon and to take him to the emergency clinic (he wasn't eating or drinking). They charged her $50 for the doctor to say there was no time to see him.

Overall it wasn't an enjoyable experience. It always seems like they try to sell you more than you need. I know they have pressured me into getting the dog a flu shot which to me made sense to me since horses need a flu shot every year. However this is not really the case for a dog.

Congrats on your new puppy, hope you find a great caring vet

 

[pezaddict231]

Congrats on the new puppy. I would look into Pet Insurance, this way you are allowed to see any vet you want and it would cover things like diagnostic tests and things like that. My mom goes to Banfield because a family friend is a vet there, but she said she would not do the plan again because they are always trying to get you to run some test or other and the tests all cost extra, so it is not an all inclusive plan like she thought.

 

[marie1203]

I would never take my pets there even if they pay me. Their insurance is more expensive that regular vets and the staff is not very experience. You usually can't tell the difference between a good vet and a bad vet until you have something serious going on (in this case was something simple). We never choose to take your our pets there but when we went to pick up one of our old fosters they were taking her there. The puppy had lice and at banfield they shave her and gave her frontline to get rid of lice!. Everyone knows that frontline doesn't get rid of lice. The girl that had her was new to pet ownership and they never told her that it can pass on to humans and furniture. I just couldn't believe so I went there to make sure that what I was reading her record right. When I got there the vet tech was rude and confirmed what I was reading!!! When I told her frontline doesn't treat lice she didn't know what to answer. And she went to the computer and pull out info on lice and just started reading. At that point we stood up and left. We took her to our regular vet which couldn't believe it either. Needless to say I will never ever go back.

 

[Frannie115]

I'm surprised at all the negative comments about Banfield. I have to say our dog has been very healthy. He will be 10 in June.

You do have to be firm with them about the extras and just say no. They know us now and don't even ask. They never have a problem with us ordering his heartworm meds online. One time our dog had a sore (bug bite) on his paw and they gave us an ointment for it. The tech even told us to save the tube (of course, by expiration date) just in case we needed it for something else and we wouldn't have to pay for it again.

I guess we got lucky with our Banfield

 

[LilMommyBug]

I guess we got lucky with our Banfield too. We have had no problems and they are always nice & helpful.

 

[ThisIsTheYear]

We have been there 5 times and each of those 5 times, we saw a different Vet. I didn't like that at all. The vets names were changed on the glass behind reception and on the business cards and everything. I am in the process of finding a new vet. Their prices aren't that great either.

 

[Shelli_5]

I've been taking my dog to our local Banfield for almost 8 years (since he was a puppy) & I've been very happy with them. Unfortunately, Chester has a lot of chronic health issues. Their plan has saved me a bundle! I haven't experienced them trying to "pad" the bill or add on extras. I think it all boils down to whether you like the vets at your nearby Banfield practice.

Good luck & enjoy your new puppy!

Shelli

 

[Deb & Bill]

Each Banfield is individually owned and operated. So one Banfield is one Banfield. Unless the vet owns more than one.

My son works for Banfield as a dog walker and cage cleaner. And occasionally he will work on Saturdays at a vet tech in training. He really like the vets who own the business he works at. They are very good to their staff and good to the animals.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

We live across the street from one, and so they're very convenient. I use them for routine things -- shots, heartworm tests, things where I know what I need and there's no interpretation needed. They're also really good about paperwork. I've boarded my dog a few times at different places and Banfield will always fax paperwork over in like 5 minutes.

But, I'd still drive back to my old neighborhood and see my old vet for anything serious, or if I needed opinions on something behavioral. I just trust them more.

 

[Happiest mommy]

wow! I can't believe the amount of negative reviews on them, they just opened a Petsmart and I was hoping to start our puppy with them on a plan now i'm not so sure my vet is good just VERY expensive hmmm.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I would never take my pets there even if they pay me. Their insurance is more expensive that regular vets and the staff is not very experience. You usually can't tell the difference between a good vet and a bad vet until you have something serious going on (in this case was something simple). We never choose to take your our pets there but when we went to pick up one of our old fosters they were taking her there. The puppy had lice and at banfield they shave her and gave her frontline to get rid of lice!. Everyone knows that frontline doesn't get rid of lice. The girl that had her was new to pet ownership and they never told her that it can pass on to humans and furniture. I just couldn't believe so I went there to make sure that what I was reading her record right. When I got there the vet tech was rude and confirmed what I was reading!!! When I told her frontline doesn't treat lice she didn't know what to answer. And she went to the computer and pull out info on lice and just started reading. At that point we stood up and left. We took her to our regular vet which couldn't believe it either. Needless to say I will never ever go back.

Frontline Plus does treat biting lice and is labeled for it's use along with fleas and ticks.