Banfield Pet Hospital
Reviews and Complaints

The owner who wrote a blog about "Murphy, " named "Cheryl Caliolio" has the same last name as the vet being discussed by the commenter and the previous commenter. Murphy's owner seemed to praise Dr. Caliolio. But is it just a coincidence that her and the vet have the same last name? If you ask me, it can easily be assumed that Murphy's owner is related to Dr. Caliolio, and she wrote a "blog" to put a good name on the vet and devalue the previous commenter's complaints.

I agree, years ago Banfield was great, but now its another story. So sad! It used to be a convenient and affordable place, now they are sales people and the doctors dont seem to know what they are doing. One even pulled out a book in front of me to research what I was describing. BASIC Seizures in LABS!

We enjoyed the Banfield years ago, the hours, the staff, and the convenience. Now the staff is new every time we go there. Minimum wage, incompetent, Middle school education staff, absolute ###s. Every attempt by the staff is incorrect not once but 12 or more times. I knew how to use a fax machine at 6 years old. They are so Lost. Absolute ###S! They require a fee to terminate their *** plan because they know their service will not stand up to their promises. They denied further service to one of my dogs and want to continue to charge me till the plan ends. Pure harassment and their practices should be looked into by fraud services. Below is a letter sent to the Dirtbag Company.

At my pets last visit the Dr. Insulted me horribly verbally to my face she said "I don't know why people don't take their dogs to Aggression training, Its its like someone Bipolar not going to a Psychiatrist" WOW TO MY FACE OUT LOUD, she would not treat my dog anymore if I did not take her for aggression training. She is perfectly mannered and responds instantly to my commands except for when at that unprofessional zoo. She is 4 years old and has never hurt or attempted to hurt anyone. The employees change lately so often, The personnel are different every time I go. The staff consists of people who are minimum wage, no experience, insulting and mainly incompetent. She does get upset at Banfield, so I always muzzle her there, she is only scared to death. It is not a good environment for any animal that is breathing. Please cancel my wellness plan as of today. I have had nothing but hassles with the local pet hospital. My pet is scared to death and they do nothing to try to soothe her or make up to her, no good "bedside manor" offered. Again hugely unprofessional for a Vets office. Besides that point, it took almost 2 months to get them to write a prescription for Heartgard for my dog, Somehow screwing up over a dozen times. I had to call both Banfield and the online company I was ordering from numerous times. The first request (before 1 year from previous test had expired) they said they couldn't find her in their records, "Find employees with brains" and then they waited long enough for her to need to go for a new test before they would write it, so they denied it. Then I got the above mentioned talk about not wanting to see her again. I asked to pick up a prescription this past Monday, left work early to get there in time and prescription wasn't there. They said they would fax it Tuesday, never happened again. Called them again on Thursday and requested fax, they said maybe they would call the company I was ordering from and send it to them. They sent it to the wrong company and the only way I knew that was that company called me to ask if I wanted to place an order. Finally faxed request again today and they faxed me the prescription. The first time it was wrong and I had to request it again. (my hair is turning grey) Now, finally after nearly 2 months I have a prescription in hand. No professionalism. Everything has just been a tremendous nightmare. When we first started going there it was convenient, evening hours, weekend hours, could go anytime great professional staff. Now it is very difficult to get an appointment and they always request that the pet be dropped off for whole day. I'm sure under the circumstances they don't want me to drop off my pet (since they don't even want to see her)! And I wouldn't want her left in a cage for hours being neglected and scared to death! I would not leave my neighbors pet Rat there! I called in to cancel and they said I still had 3 or 4 months left on contract which I would be liable for even though the hospital does not want to take care of my pet. I have been on the plan for almost 4 years and did not sign a 4 year contract! If Banfield was a Professional Vet with professional staff today as they advertise I would be glad to continue to use them as a vet. Please mail me a copy of the 4 year contract with my signature signed.

I will do everything in my power to Distribute this nightmare story to warn people from getting Scammed into their contract just to find out that their pet is lucky to be still alive today. GO TO A REAL VET NOT A PETSHOP.

This is an actual comment of a grateful client from Banfield --Alexandria.

Murphy's TPLO Surgeries
**First time viewers note: It is best to start from August 2006 and work your way forward**
August 14, 2006
A little about Murphy

Our Introduction

For starters, my first name is Kendra and my husband's name is Rob. We are currently living in Washington DC, as my husband is in the military. This blog is dedicated to our wonderful 2-1/2 year old Yellow Lab named Murphy, who is about to undergo knee surgery in both legs!

Why I choose to create this Blog?

Well for starters, Murphy is an 82 pound Labrador Retriever, one of American’s most popular breeds. I searched the internet and didn’t readily find any documented TPLO surgery accounts that involved Labs (not saying that there may not be any out there).

Secondly, we live in a 3-story apartment and in my searches I didn't find any past recovery cases from TPLO that had this many stairs involved!

Our first level is where Murphy will be confined to during both of his healing processes, it consists of the laundry room and foyer. The second level is where we spend the majority of our time because this is where the kitchen and living room is located. Murphy typically camps out on the couch, but during his recovery he won't be allowed to come upstairs at all. Our third level is where all the bedrooms are located. Murphy is used to sleeping with us as well, so that will be another change that he isn't going to like.

Thirdly, a blog is an easy way for our family and friends to keep track of Murphy’s progress, as well as give anyone who may face a similar situation what to expect during and after a TPLO surgery.

Murphy's Arrival

Murphy became an addition to our family in February of 2004. I drove 5-1/2 hrs to Meridian Mississippi to get him for a surprise for my husband for Valentine's Day. From the moment the two met they have pretty much been inseparable. Their together time consists of wet kisses and playing fetch. We have been blessed with Murphy's temperament and personality. He was no trouble to potty train, and discipline came very easy for him. He has never been a chewer, is trained by hand signals, and even passed puppy kindergarten with flying colors (Except for getting into trouble from flirting with his 'girlfriend' who was a Chocolate Lab).

Past Medical History

Murphy has really only had one minor health problem. He was diagnosed with food allergies after an ear infection sporadically came and went for his first year. We were prescribed Z/D Ultra by Hills by our local Florida vet, and we were told that he could no longer have any normal types of dog treats as well as no table scraps. Taking away the table scraps was easy because he hardly ever got them, we were adamant about him not being a moocher. However, taking away his normal dog bones, and vanilla wafers was a little sad. His treats now consist of carrots and ice cubes. Occasionally Rob will sneak him a tiny piece of pizza crust, and a few pieces of popcorn.

The Final Straw

We noticed about 1 &1/2 years ago that whenever Murphy would wake up from a nap, he would be slow in getting up, and that he often limped for a little while until his muscles warmed up. The first thing we thought of was hip displacia, however his hips were guaranteed as a puppy, and he didn't do it all the time. With that in mind, we literally chalked it up to him just getting older. We did however make sure to question two different vets about it, the last being this past March. We were told that he was over weight (95 lbs at the time) and that it was probably putting a strain on his joints. This really wasn't any NEW news to us. We have been told since Murphy was six months old that he was over weight, but we had a hard time believing it. Labs are supposed to be big and bulky, have thick necks, and broad shoulders. It was also hard to believe because the only thing he ever really gets is his dog food. We took the recommendation to heart and decided it was time to be proactive about his future. We cut his food back to 4 cups a day, and began the use of a measuring cup.

Fast forward to a few days after the Fourth of July this year. We were in the middle of our move, and were staying at a local hotel that accepted pets until we got housing. We tried to take advantage of Alexandria's many dog parks, and about 3-4 times a week we would walk him to the nearby parks in an attempt to give him some normality, as well as continue with his daily fetch routine.

One day, after waking up from a nap he was slow in getting up, and refused to put any weight on his back right leg. He continued to do this for two days. It was then that we decided that it was time to have x-rays done so that we could finally get some answers.

Since Rob is military and we move often, we decided that it would be best to start using Banfield Pet Hospitals as our primary vet. They are attached to most PetSmarts which makes them easy to find, and they have a Pet Wellness Plan that carries from state to state.

On July 19th, Murphy was seen by Dr. Caliolio at Banfield and by that afternoon we had our answers. Murphy’s hips and spine were picture perfect, however, both of his knees were cause for concern. Based on the X-rays Dr. Caliolio diagnosed Murphy with a possible cranial cruciate rupture and joint effusion with apparent bilateral stifles. I didn’t quite understand what all of that meant, but Dr. Caliolio was wonderful in explaining it to me and even went as far at to pull out a text book to help. He advised me that he was going to refer me to a local orthopedic specialist for confirmation.

The Diagnosis

On August 3rd, I brought Murphy to South Paws Veterinary Specialists for his referral appointment. I met with Dr. Daniel Brehm, who looked at Murphy’s X-rays and did several tests. He determined that Murphy indeed had partial Cruciate Ligament tears in both legs.

The following is a link to South Paws website for an explanation of a Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture http://www.southpaws.com/topics/cruciate.htm

After careful consideration, we decided that the TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) surgery would be the best choice for Murphy. The main reason is because we still don’t know exactly how he injured himself to begin with, neither of us can recall any events within the past 2 & 1/2 years where he may have hurt himself. Unlike other surgeries that rely on scar tissue, TPLO uses pins to fuse the bone together and eliminates the need for the ligaments. It is our theory that with the TPLO it will be harder for him hurt himself again, and that it will be worth doing it right the first time. The TPLO surgery is relatively more expensive than other types of surgeries, the cost being $3000 per leg (* However, that price includes everything, including his follow-up visits). The TPLO has a healing period of 6-8 weeks, and history has shown that dogs that have it will typically develop arthritis the same as any other normal dog. The plan is to do one leg, go through the 8 week recovery, and then do the second leg.

Current Activity Level

Murphy isn’t what we would consider a very active dog. His days consist of lying on the couch until we come home from work. Then he wants to go straight outside to take care of business and do what he loves the most... play fetch!

Since the Diagnosis we have had to cut back on his play time which has made him a very unhappy camper. There have been several days where he has been vocal about 'what time it is' and has even gone as far as to go pout in the corner for an hour when he didn't get his way. As you can probably tell, he is our only child!

Winter is coming, and Murphy has spent all of his winters up until now in Florida. This winter will mark his first snowfall, and we are hoping that if we get started on the surgeries ASAP that he will be able to enjoy the snowfalls like a normal dog, and spend the rest of his years happily running and playing fetch like any other dog!

The Date for Surgery No. 1

We broke down and scheduled the surgery for this Friday, August 18th. We decided to start on his right leg first since this is the one that bothered him last. Since he has partial ACL tears in BOTH legs, there is a chance that he could further injure his left leg during his recovery simply because it will be bearing the brunt of his weight for at least the first few weeks. We are hoping that there will be no complications and that his left leg will hold out.

Other Helpful Links

The following are some GREAT links that I found of other people who have had success stories with TPLO:

http://www.lauriebryce.com/tplo/index.html

http://www.ginnie.com/DaDane231.shtml

posted by Murphy TPLO 2006 at 09:47

1 Comments:
Anonymous said...
I am sure "The Murph" will do fine and I hope that for his sake he will have a speedy recovery on both knee's. (Otherwise you two will pay!)
I'm glad that you created this blog and included us! Thank you! I will be checking in occasionally. Talk to ya soon.
Jamie

6:36 AM

Banfield Hospitals should be the "last" place pet owners should consider taking their pets for pet care. I've read many complaints regarding this company and I and shocked that there has not been a law suit filed against them. You would think the corporate office or main headquarters would look into these complaints being that so many of their customers are taking time to tell their story, surely "all" of them (if any) are telling a faulthood regarding Banfield. It boils down to "not caring" as long as money is being brought into the company. What about the customer is always right... I guess this doesn't apply here.

Do you folks know that Banfield has over 700 hospitals and is owned by Mars? Yes, the same company that makes M&M's and Royal Canin pet food? The same company that earns 27 billions dollars every year?

Do you know that the only pet food that Banfield sells is Royal Canine? This is a quote taken directly from their website: "Many years of experience have led us to select Royal Canin as our preferred dog food."

After reading these few facts, do you think that Banfield cares more about giving great medical care or making money?

That said, yes veterinary fees can be expensive, just like human medical fees. It doesn't mean that vets are all greedy and don't give a darn about animals, it just means they want to be out of debt by the time they retire.

Vets are blood suckers? I have never heard anything more ridiculous. Most of my classmates are in debt for over $200, 000. Our starting salaries (for those of us planning to do internships) will be about $30, 000 a year. Most vets are in debt well into their 40s. To suggest that they do any of this out of a desire for money is ridiculous. The only reason anyone is willing to suffer through this much debt, time, stress, and effort is because of a love for animals and desire to make the world a better place through helping them.

Most all vets are blood suckers, I have to double check my price before I even pay the bill. Ahead of time I ask what they are going to do and refuse to pay more. What happen to the love for animals.

I am also in practice as a veterinarian and resent comments that we are blood suckers that do not care about animals. As for the care at Banfield compared to other clinics, you can have good and bad experiences at both. If the commenter cares about her pets as much as she does, she should have cut her losses and run but money was more important than her pet if she kept taking it back.

K Allison, I am so glad you came out and said this. I agree with every word you said, and totally don't believe in anything said in this comment. If you had a bad experience, it was because of the dr's choices or words said to client, not because of banfield itself. banfield does a great job in seeing and treating dogs and cats. they are very proffesional and committed. they are supposed to close at 7 on weekdays and 5 on weekends, but I always see the lights on and clients in the clinic til 3 hours after normal business hours. If you have complaints about them, then it's pretty much something you did wrong or didn't do at all.

I have used Rimadyl in my dogs and in well over 4000 others in the course of 4 years as a tech during college, 4 years in vet school and then 7.5 yrs of being a vet. All NSAIDS carry risks, even in humans. And Rimadyl is not over $40/bottle.

All vets are not greedy blood suckers. It costs between $150-250, 000 to become a vet and newly minted vets get paid between $21, 000 to 65, 000. If we wanted to make the big bucks, we would have gone to school to be an MD...just as long for school, just as much $$ to go there, and literally triple the pay. Most vet clinics are barely in the black, if at all. What you don't realize is that vet hospitals have to be EVERYTHING...radiology, labs, ICU, wellness. Our operating costs each month are close to $38K for a 1.5 doctor practice.

That being said, Banfield, as a company, is more mercenary. I have worked as a relief vet for both a Banfield owned by the main office and one that is a franchise. They do not treat their vets well. And they vaccinate for just about everything under the sun. Our rabies vaccine at our clinic is $5.50 per dose...wonder what theirs is.

Rimadyl is a lethal medicine. I gave it to my 13 1/2 year-old Airedale back in 1997, the year it first came out. I gave him 2 doses and he started vomiting and bleeding out. I rushed him down to Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston. His creatinin levels were over the top. I had to put him to sleep the next day. The vet who prescribed it to him never mentioned it could cause kidney failure. Pfizer paid the bill and it had to be reported to the FDA. I can't believe the drug is still out there after all these years. Pfizer had to pull their ad off the television because they refused to say it could cause death. There is an excellent article on it in the March 2000 Wall Street Journal, titled "Most Arthritic Dogs do Great on this Pill, Except thos that Die." What a horrible feeling it is to know that you gave these pills to help your dog and it killed them.

It is spelled rimadyl and it would not have caused any of the issues you have written about. It costs about 14.00 not 149.00 and there is no way i believe that you were charged that much forr it because their ordering is through a computer with corporate designed pricing, all banfields charge the same amount or near to the same amount and mine costs $14.30

banfield is a joke, most vets just want money. if one ever hurts our dog based on money and not their true health they'd better watch their back because our dog is our child and the kind of greed we see at vet clinics disgusts us. you'd think vets would go to school because they love animals and though many probably do it's sad when they start their own practice or start working for corporate clinics that they get jaded and only think of the bottom line. vets need to know that some people value their pet more than them and that their are serious consequences to abuse that some people will have no trouble inflicting on them. just a warning greedy f offs, you hurt my dog, i hurt you, no exceptions! or at least my husband will, this i can guarantee!

I love my the way i was help and they are nice to.

Tonight my dog had an ear infection. I've have 3 golden retrievers and have gone to Sturbridge veterinary hospital for over twenty years. Today when I called around 3, they refused to even take a look and said aspirin was the best I could do. Well, I then called petsmart and they said they would absolutely take a look. I was in and out within half an hour. The receptionists were incredibly friendly and helpful, and the doctor confirmed a yeast infection in my dogs ear immediately. He Brought the needed medication into the room and explained in great detail exactly what to do and why they would work. As of now my dog is resting comfortably and not suffering through the night the way he would have if we hadn't gone here. I will definitely be coming back!

my cat was sick i brought them there and they told me there was nothing they could do that he had to be put down i took him to another vet the next day and they told me that he was just dehydrated. they wanted to kill my cat instead of doing the right work!

I have had nothing but great experiences in my dealings with Banfield Millbury and I have brought 2 cats there for the past year. My first cat was 19 y/o and I did not have her on a banfield plan but was in and out so much that they treated me as if she was. She was finally failing dramatically so I brought her in to be euthanized and was treated respectfully and kindly at this tough time. My second cat is a stray I have taken from my daughter and she is on a plan and I have had no problems with staff or treatment plans. She is an older cat (approx 10) but very lively ... I am not unhappy at all with how she or I are being dealt with at Banfield Millbury. I would think twice before believing everything that is posted especially since these posters really do not make any sense. Sue

This complaint is ridiculous. It doesn't make any sense that a vet would tell a client to shut-up and you would just continue with the visit. A vet can't diagnose what is wrong with your dog by just doing a physical exam. Lots of different things can cause a dog to have blood in their stool. So, when they want to do a test to find out what is going on with your pet, why would you ask them what is wrong when they obviously don't know yet?

By the way...I just checked with the Mass Better Business Bureau and Banfields is not an accredited business in Massachusetts by the BBB. Enough said. Nice is great, but nice shouldn't cost that much with no results.

I agree thatBanfields is a successful business. A qualified, caring pet hospital? Hardly. I suspect the vets such as "doctor Patti", are friendly enough but really not quite sure how to diagnose a problem. There seems to be a standardized routine of expensive lab work w hen clearly at times symptoms suggest something different, like an xray. I say business, because it is impersonal and if you want your animal to get the best care, take it to a vet who w ill manage his/her care..;not treat him/her like part of an hmo.
I took Buddy in to Pet Smart Millbury in November with what I suspected had been an episode from cardiomyopathty. Blood tests done...antibiotic...$300.+.
Now, May, I take him back in for not eating and looking like he's giving up on living. They want to take more blood tests. They are very concerned about telling me how much it will cost; more so than listening to me as to if those tests will tell us anything. I was sent home saying he has "some sort of infection". I was given a script for food "no cat can resist".
Two days later I call to say he's not eating anything. He's failing. I think he needs to be seen and probably euthanized. Very politely I'm told the first available appointment is 6 days from now. I can come in and wait, but be prepared to wait all day.
I called someone else's vet...who is coming in on Sunday morning to see Buddy for me.
I don't want a money-hungry business as a vet. I want a caring, knowledgeable doctor.

I have been taking my dog to Banfield for over 5 years and I have never had a problem. They are always very professional, they remind me of my appointments and call the next day to make sure my baby is doing ok. I love them and can't imagine going anywhere else.

I had brought my Ball Python into the Banfield in Millbury for some burns from an undertank heater due to the inexperience of the person watching her while i was on vacation. I was seen right away by the staff, they showed me how to clean and medicate the wounds, explained the meds to me, and were friendly and informative the whole time I was there. I didn't know what to expect since I had never been there before, and I was more that satisfied. The treatment was great and the cost was more than fair in my opinion. If I ever have and more problems, this is where i will be going from now on.

Saying all Banfield offices are bad is like saying all PetSmart stores are bad. It might be true for a lot, but definitely not all. I work at PetSmart now and have had friends who worked there in the past. This store has even been given awards from local humane societies for helping the local pet charities out, as well as taking such good care of their animals (at least at this store... my manager said that she's seen PetSmart pay $300 for a hamster's vet bill!)The Banfield in the store I work in is new, but seems GREAT. From the little interaction I've had with employees there, they seem polite enough.

Paul Donohue: You're taking advice from someone who can't use the English language properly? The complaint was so ambiguous and badly written it's impossible to discern what really happened.

I work for a Banfield and can tell you we definitely do not take a fast-food approach to pets' healthcare. I've work in other vet offices (privately owned) so am able to compare accurately. Banfield provide the same level of professional service and the vets are "traditional" vets. The difference is Banfield is large enough that the company can do things like the Wellness Plans. A vet owning his own practice is not going to have the time or money to offer those sorts of plans.

I highly doubt that neither the vet or nurse explained why certain tests where necessary. How could you offer the tests without doing so? We've had people come in from traditional vets and seeing that their pet was on the wrong medication or had a shoddy job done on a dental.

I'm not saying all Banfields are perfect. I'm sure there are some poor offices out there, just like I'm sure there are plenty poor "traditional" vets out there.

It's absolutely silly to discount an entire company based on the actions of one.

Some people need to take a look at themselves. I went to school with the woman making this complaint. Banfield and its employee's are not the first to feel her wrath. She has a long history of making unfounded complaints if she doesn't get her way. Keep up the great pet care Banfield. Many people love what you do.

I love Banfield in Oxnard, been going there for years. Have 3 dogs, they love the staff. They have several new vets who seem nice. Our favorite is Doctor Snider she's been there for years she's great. The office staff is always very professional and the techs are very knowledgable. There's been a couple of managers over the years, never had a problem, they always seem to be interacting well with customers and pets. Keep up the great work, don't worry about complaints, some people have nothing else better to do.

I had been to this place many atimes and I is of Hispanic desent. Lady manager always very nice to me and wife and give us good help allthe times. Some never happy becase they really the problems.

A family came and bought 2 pups from me 3 weeks ago...healthy happy pups...I still have 4 litter mates here at home. This week she calls crying that they have mange...and it came from me! NONE of my dogs have mange and it would have showed before 3 weeks! She had taken the pups to Banfield to get the nails clipped...they REVACCINATED the pups which is dangerous and screws their immune system, and then diagnosed MANGE! She spent $700 with them telling her that her pups would die... by the way mange cost 6 bucks to cure! And then blamed me when the pups had been out of my home for 3 weeks! She sent animal control over here to check my other pups...all of them are fine. I researched everything for her and she still believed petsmart over me her breeder!