Banfield Pet Hospital review: damaged my healthy dog! 8

I have a bad experience with banfield hospital here in Sugar Land, TX! I took my dog to the vet to get her shots done, signed on the wellness plan and they took my dog into the other room. When I watched them take the blood from her paw they pulled it so bad that my dog snapped at the doctor. I have a 3year old pug, she is the sweetest dog ever, she loves everybody and I believe everybody will agree that if the dog wouldn't be hurt she wouldn't bite! So basicly they gave her a shot that she didn't need and wasn't required by law. The next day I discovered my dog shaking and limping. Called the hospital, during the office hours and they told me that the docs and nurses are gone, so go to the ER. Basicly after ER I ended up paying about 100$ at banfield for their stupid shots and wellnes plan and then 200$ at the ER and then after I tried to solve it in a good way, instead of saying that they screwed up and tried to fix it, they told me that I was lying and that I changed my story when I talked to the director and in front of the nurse, and now I am thinking about legal procedures...

Banfield is the worst place you can take your pet. My dog was fine before I began taking him to Banfield.

One day, after a regular check up, he started having some jitters. (two weeks after I signed up with Banfield) I was told I was signing up for a month to month plan (misinformed by the vet at the Gaithersburg, MD location), but soon found out that I was liable for a year's worth of fees.

They couldn't diagnose the problem because the Vets did not know what they were doing. I actually had to tell them what I THOUGHT it was after the research I had done searching through various online medical journals. (I am an IT consultant by profession and have nothing to do with the medical industry)
Soon after Banfield administered unnecessary medication (and charging me over $2000 in medical fees in addition to the monthly "OPTIMUM WELLNESS PLAN" monthly fees), they decided that I might be better off taking him to a "REAL PET HOSPITAL". This is what the Germantown, MD location told me.

So I took him to a REAL PET HOSPITAL - VCA Veterinary Hospital in Gaithersburg, MD, and my dog passed away due to unexplained fluid build up in the brain. I was told by the Vet that it was highly likely that this was because of cortisone administered on an old dog and that the Vet at Banfield should have known better..

The whole reason I signed up for this "alternative to pet insurance" was so that I wouldn't be stuck with crazy medical expenses if anything happenned to my dog. Not only did they create medical problems, they trapped me with fine print on their contract tying me into a year long service aggreement.

They weren't able to diagnose the problem, all I got out of the 3 visits to them, was over 2 and a half thousand dollars worth of bills.

THIS PLACE IS A SCAM!

If you value the life of your pet and your hard earned money, please stay away from BANFIELD, the family pet butchers...

I've had two bad experiences with two Banfield pet hospital locations.

1) My guinea pig was getting sick, so I took him to the Banfield in Largo FL. I had to drop him off there, and it took them all day to finally get around to examining him. By the time they did the exam, he had gotten worse. The vet called, and I told her that if the guinea pig looked really sick, was in a lot of pain, or didn't look like he'd recover to just put him down. I didn't want him to suffer. The vet said we should treat him, and that he had a good chance to recover. I allowed them to treat the guinea pig, bought the antibiotics, brought him home, and he died the next day. I'm pretty sure his lungs filled with fluid from the respiritory infection he had. I felt horrible. I didn't want him to suffer.

2)A few weeks later, my dog hurt her leg at the dog park. I figured I'd give a different Banfield location a try. Turns out, my dog pulled a muscle, but they wanted to do a series of x-rays, pain injections, and send her home with pain meds, for a total of $365. I declined, and came home and studied up on the pain med they wanted to give my dog. Turns out, the meds they wanted to give her can be fatal, especially when given to certain breeds, labs being one of them. My dog is a lab. The vet tech also had no clue how to answer any of my questions. I don't think he had any training whatsoever. Also, the vet stretched my dogs leg in a way that hurt her. I asked the vet if that hurt her, and he said yes, and did it again to "show me". I told him to stop.

End conclusion: At most Banfield's, they don't care if they harm the animal. They just want your money, even at the expense of your pets wellbeing. I'd pay the extra and go to a real vet, or look into some other sort of pet insurance

I had one bad experience with Banfield and i will not ever go back again...
My Yorkshire terrier 16months old went in to get her booster shots of parvo/distemper and leptor.
she weighs only 4 pounds, and very healthy...
i ask the Vet isnt that to much for such a small dog to have at one time...Vets response...she is healthy and hardy, and no allergies she will be fine...
i insisted she give her a bendryl shot for safety reasons...
SHe agreed...
i further ask if she could break up the shots...she said No...
Well my gos got her shots, and eight hours later, her eyes were glossy, her nose dry, hot body, and violently vomiting green bile every where.
Then she started to have dry heves, and choking..and fell on the floor.
I rush her to a all night pet hospital, and they gave her a steroid shot, and bendryl shot, and told me that this was just to much at one time for her, she was so small, and they the vet should of gave it to her in two different sessions...
Futhermore, the pet hospital advise not to bring my dog back to Banfield...
200 dollars later...was the bill...and they said she was moderate to severe in allergic reaction...
she was put on two days of baby food, and bendryl medication...
I went back to Banfield Hospital, and all they said was that they were sorry...and that next time they will break up the shots...i said this is what i said to do in the first place...they dont care...it is all about making money...no soul...
jessica.

All animals can have vaccine reactions. Most of the time, it is the smaller breeds. I work for a Banfield and it is POLICY that we educate our clients about vaccine reactions and recommend giving a Benadryl injection 10-15 min before giving vaccines. If the owner declines the injection, thats their fault, not Banfield's. And, if there is a vaccine reaction, it is the owners responsibility to pay for the services. These services do include, benadryl injections, IV fluids, and occasionally steroids. It can take a pet several days to get completely better but you should NEVER stop giving medication unless directed by a doctor. That is both a human and animal medicine policy. There is a reason the doctor tells you how long to take/give the medication.

STOP COMPLAING ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE TO SPEND AT BANFIELD! we are on of the cheapest clinics around. go to a low cost clinic and see what happens. we had a puppy come in that got neutered at a low cost clinic, and it was brought to us that following night because he was bleeding internally. we were unable to save the puppy because he was too far gone. turns out the clinic they went to doesn't do bloodwork before the surgery, and the puppy had a rare bleeding disorder. WE CHARGE THE WAY WE DO TO HAVE AS MANY ANSWERS AS WE CAN TO SAVE YOUR PET. STUFF HAPPENS! WE CANT SAVE THEM ALL. AND WE ARN'T ALWAYS RIGHT! JUST LIKE YOUR DOCTOR!

We have had our GSP hunting dog in the Top Wellness Plan for years.
Last year these Hacks, butchered our dog. Removed a cell mass, and only put in a few stiches.
Leaving their office the dog bleeding would not stop.
Next day they needed to put in staples, as they should have to begin with.
The bleeding still continued, I called they said he can't move or it will still bleed.
Next day the staples began coming out. During these days of recouperation, I had to hold the dog not to move at all just to stop the bleeding.
After the staples came out, the wound would get bigger and bigger every day.
I called daily asking what I needed to do next?
After 5 daily trips to their office, they said now we can only treat it as an open wound.
Now it is 3" by 4" square of open wound. Treat it as an open wound was their only cource of action?
After a week of this, I took him to the Specialist and had a real Vet. DR. redo the operation.
Another $1, 500. to correct their hack job.
Staples were again used to close the wound. This time put in correctly, and they held and healing began. Bleeding was never an issue.

Thinking this was only one bad operation, we stayed in the Wellness Plan.
Yesterday he went in for his update, shots, X-rays the whole deal.
I dropped him off at 7:30 am. Expecting to pick him up after 2:00 pm. as directed.
12:30 they call me, "we can't mussel your dog, can you come in and help?".
I drove right over to find my dog running aound their kennel area.
I asked, What 's the problem? They said he just growels at us, and we can't mussel him.
I put his lead on and took him outside, where he took a pee as soon as he got out the door.
Two more steps and he began pooping. I thought he had all his business taken care of before I dropped him off at 7:30 am. But I guess 4 HOURS in the kennel waiting for treatment was too much time. He has never in 10 years of life ever done his business inside and never in his kennel.
No there was not any emergency treatments going on, they just knew they had all day to their job.

THESE TECHS CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DOG THAT NEEDS TO GO OUT, AND AN AGRESSIVE DOG? Where do they get these people?

Our GSP is a lover of all. And has never snapped at anyone.
I went back in to talk to the Vet., and discussed What took so long? And why hadn't treatment started. He said, "I don't know? They said they couldn't put a mussel on him?"
I said, "Why don't you have any system in place to put a mussel on? If that's want you need"
He had nothing to say.
Now I need a new Vet. We only began at Banfield because our family Vet of 15 years with other dogs retired.

Needless to say, NO WELLNESS PROGRAM ever again.

I wish I had read more about these Hacks before we ever began any program.

Banfield is a Terrible place don't take yo dog my 7month old Pitt die cause of them he was healthy before his vaccines then after his shots he was breathy very fast called them an let them no they said it was normal then he started to not eat got diraherra vomit took him again they said he was fine kept calling cause no progress was showing then on the 5th day after his vaccines my dog past away I blame them an I will never send any of my pets their again in the left showing him healthy before the shots on the right is a day before he died banfield did this