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I use to work for Banfield as a Hospital Director, so I know all about how they run their practices. I have a 12 year old male cat you was diagnosed with a bladder stone 3 years ago. After spending extra hundreds of dollars at Banfield with several wrong diagnosis and my cat left in pain. They finally decided it was a stone and it had to come out. They said the surgery would cost $1600.00. I called several other vets and found one that said the surgery would run me $400.00. What was the huge difference? My complain it now after 3 yrs my cat has been on a prescription diet that Banfield vets put him on and he is doing fine. I wanted to renew the prescription the other day when I was there with another pet of mine who was being seen for allergies. The receptionist told me to wait a moment that he had to talk to the Cheif of Staff. When he came back he told me that they couldn't renew the prescription as the Cheif of Staff had never seen my pet and did not have a client relationship with him! How absurd! I had a complete meltdown and they had to put me in a room and close the door! I told the Chief of staff that Banfield changes vets and receptionist and Chief of Staffs every other day! Does that mean I have to bring my cat in every other week to meet them too! It was in their computer with the note that my cat has to be on this special food for life and they are the ones who wrote the note! But would they re-new the prescription! NO!. I have never been so angry. I have since found the food at another vet who didn't even bat an eye! They just wanted more of my money for an office exam and who only knows what else! I know how they run their business from being on the inside of it! It is nothing but a huge racket!
The veterinarian is absolutely correct. It is illegal for a vet to prescribe medications without a client-patient relationship already established. Think about it logically - would you ask your doctor to prescribe a medication to, for example, your husband, when that doctor does not even know his medical history, ot has never examined him. I don't think so! By law, a vet cannot prescribe medications without a client-patient relationship. Please check this before YOU make such absurd claims! Thank you!
Angela has it right. Vet offices are not pharmacies.
I work for a Banfield and my vet gives free office visits to people who need prescription cards. She won't give them out to people without examining their pet which is perfectly within her right as it's her licence on the line.
It is a corporation, and of course it is a racket. I would not trust them with a snail. My dog ended up with a $4,000 back surgery and $600 mylogram for a pinched nerve that could've been fixed by the doggie chiropracter.
IF you were a hospital director then you'd know they HAVE to SEE the pt before giving out any perscription including diets. You would also know that as en employee you get a free wellness plan and whatever discount goes along with that plan on services outside of it. You appear to be more of a disgruntle employee jumping on the bandwagon then someone with common sense and a real issue.
I know this was posted a long time ago, but I can provide so competent information. FIRST, from experience in the veterinary medical field, unless a veterinarian has specialized in nutrition, they really don't know much about animal nutrition. I have taken 1 maybe 2 nutrition classes in veterinary school. It covers a general topic and hardly qualifies as specializing. Vets are paid to put certain foods in their clinic. If they endorse something, you know they are getting money for it. The perks of advertising. SECOND, if your animal has seen a vet at that particular hospital and there was a change in staff, they should have confidence in the prior vets decision. If not, its not hard to look over the condition of the animal since they do supposedly keep records of patients in their system.
Banfield, in general, is not somewhere I would take my animal personally. They do NOT provide complete veterinary care. They only offer preventative care which sometimes goes to the extremes of treating with too many drugs. I am fostering 2 dogs that are under the "wellness plan" there (the owner is in Afghanistan and has no choice but banfield since he travels A LOT) and the vets constantly tell me that I am just a student and dont know what i am talking about when it comes to properly treating an animal. Obviously I do know a little if I have gotten this far.
The vets there have NEVER tried to form any sort of relationship with my dogs and I much less EVER explain to me why I am supposedly wrong when I say SAMe (used to promote and restore healthy liver functions) and/or diet change would lower an elevated liver enzyme count instead of the Clavamox (a common antibiotic) they recommend. I may not be a vet yet, but I know what to use and what not to use, and if I don't, then I sure as heck find out.
I took my two seven week puppies here. I have had them for four days and had already taken them to the vet close to my house for shots and heartworms and an overall full check up. On the fourth morning I had them I had awoke to find them acting very lethargic and I have noticed they didnt eat any of there food or drink any of there water, they had also vomited in several areas. I called there vet to be told that they couldnt see them till that afternoon, I was scared the puppies couldn't wait that long. I did some research online to find Petsmart had a program with insurance and payment plans and you could bring them in right away. So that is just what I did.
When I got there they took the puppies as soon as I walked in and were very fast and nice at first. then when a room came open they allowed my daughter and I to go in. Within the forst five minutes literallywe were in the room, I signed seven different price quotes. For a total of the last one being 1, 814. They stated I would have to pay a small portion down payment, nothing specific said, then 12.99 a month which sounded very great for me, I thought I could make at least five payments a month comfortably. They told me to leave and come back at six to pick them up and take them to urgent car. I recieved a phone call from them while I was on my way to pick them up stating one of them has died. I was devasted, and so upset.
When I got there I was told I had to pay the whole total up front to get my other puppy and transfer to urgent care. I did not have that much money so I had absolutely no idea what to do. I explained I was told by one of the nurse about my payment plans, they denied anyone having that conversation with me and demanded the money then because they were closing and if I didnt pay she would be left unattended and and uncared for all night long. I had to leave my puppie and I felt absolutely horrible, I was so angry about them lying to me, had I known I would have not left them. The next morning I recieved a phone call at 7 am telling me If i was not there in 30 minutes they were going to put the puppie to sleep and file charges for pet abandonment and theft of now to be 2, 587 dollars. They said my puppie was in stable condition and recovering well, so I need to come up with the money. This was just this morning so I have yet to hear from the local police department and find out what is going on with my puppie. I have absolutely no idea what to do about this and my daughter is so upset that we cant go get her. Does anyone have advice or have a similiar experience?
hmmm...
problem 1, 7 week puppies don't have heartworm, maybe you mean intestinal worms? problem 2, it sounds like your puppies had parvo.
problem 3, Banfield has wellness plans (for when your pet is well), not pet insurance, and no payment plans at all.
Now I don't even really like Banfield as an ex employee but you have a crappy complaint Alona, and you are not helping the situation.
As for the original complaint, you are semi right with regards to the food. Yes a veterinarian should check your pet semi-annually, and you should have a UA done annually because pet can have different types of bladder stones even when on prescription food. My own dog used to flip-flop between struvite and oxalate and I had to go between u/d and s/d and monitor her urine pH. But at the same time, once you have done this, you should be able to get your prescription food and not have a problem.
Ihave an have an rx from my vet for a food my dog has been on for years, you have to turn in the rx to get a "medical" card from Banfield, for the privledge of making a purchase from Petsmart. They wouldn't accept the rx as it was over 6 months old...I requested they call the vet...after waiting over 20 minutes to try and purchase food...I left and will not go back. I'm not sure exactly what the scam was, but the health of my pet is the last thing on their mind. Will not go back to PetSmart!
I am looking to find Alana, the office manager, and Dr. Anna Cortinez, who left Banfield in Chandler. I would like to know where they have gone. I only trust them with my Belgian Shepherds. Please, if you know where they went, please contact me at Cecile@cox.net Cecile Sharp