Banfield Pet Hospital

Well on Sunday 8/29 we took Kaiha in to the same Banfield for a standard tooth cleaning and extraction since she had cracked a molar chewing down on metal on her collar. Keep in mind Banfield is not allowing in person visits still so we are unable to follow her in and confirm any x-rays or testing is actually conducted. The doctor said since the pulp was showing and bleeding internally they must extract the tooth and we agreed to do so. They called us after and said they barely had to do anything and it practically fell out. Aftercare instructions were pretty simple, pain meds (Rimadyl) & antibiotics (Clindamycin) twice a day with food and they noted she would be able to eat soft food within 48 hours. During that time, I tried to entice her to sniff and lick up puree'd dog food, but she had no interest.

After we fell outside the 48 hour window, she was still refusing to eat and completely uninterested. We tried giving her baby food, wet dog food, chicken, ground beef, rice, cheese, dog treats, cottage cheese, chicken stock with puree'd dog food, warmed up the food, scrambled eggs... you name it. Once she wasn't interested in any, we called Banfield and explained what was going on and how we were worried she still would not eat. They asked us to bring her up there to check her out & upon appointment they claimed "Nothing is wrong. Keep waiting it out". Then also prescribed us more pills (Entyce - hunger stimulator & Gabapentin - to stop her tremors) that she is unwilling to swallow, so we demanded to have liquid form. They also suggested to stop giving her the pain and antibiotic since maybe it was upsetting her stomach. At this point, I already knew she needed food so we were liquifying her food and force syringe feeding her to ensure she had some nutrient to last.

Another 48 hours go by and we still don't see any improvement & she is completely lethargic to the point you have to pick her up and force her to go outside to potty. We called Banfield once again explaining what was happening & we were advised to keep syringe feeding her and wait it out. Each time they called they did not seem to understand the severity of the situation about our dog not eating food for days. We knew they were no longer interested in helping and immediately decided to take her to the ER to get more answers. The VEG ER was extremely kind and much more helpful than Banfield ever tried to be. They also allowed us to stay with her the whole time and WATCH them conduct the x-rays (through a window) & testing. Unfortunately, after 6 hours there and running all the tests they could all her results came back normal. They gave her a free saline drip, free nutrient rich wet food, & prescribed her other medication thinking maybe she had an upset stomach and ulcers from the previous meds.
We follow their instructions & continue the syringe feeding while also trying to tempt her with all the previous other foods. This gets us to 1 week (9/5) post tooth extraction with still no hope in sight. Her tremors were getting worse & we were emotionally drained and at a loss on what to do. We had 2 calls with the VEG ER to go over her lack of progress and what they'd suggest which was to cut the dosage in half on the meds that had lethargic side effects.

Finally on morning of 9/7, we knew she needed to be admitted again for more testing. The ER said to come in that evening for an ultrasound and additional x-rays to check other possibilities. We spent 5 hours that night testing, waiting for results, and talking to ALL the doctors seeking suggestions. They were all very apologetic and pushed us to pursue legal action against Banfield for both instances (her eyes from over a year ago). Their final suggestion was to urgently get her booked for a dental specialist to get dental x-rays and see if something happened during the tooth extraction.

It is 9/8 now & the soonest someone could get us in is tomorrow 9/9 AM. Still no answers, still shaking, still lethargic, still not eating. We are at a loss, confused, and heart broken about our baby girl. All because of a tooth extraction... As of today, we are at $3K in bills + whatever tomorrow brings, but willing to pay whatever we need in order to help her heal.

Dog became sick while boarded at petsmart. Dog was sent to pet hospital since was in store (Banfield Pet Hospital). After one week went to pick up my dog and was told it had to get some medications due to being sick. I asked how much do I owe and was told x amount for everything. I paid and went home on the 4th. My mother asked a few days later (emergency number for pets) if dog was okay becuase she was sick. I told here everything was fine. My mother told me that they had to charge me more cause the dog was sick, they called her to get okay. When I checked out they told me at the petsmart nothing about bill at Banfield Pet Hospital. Now on the 13th Saturday message was on recorder from Banfield Pet Hospital... need not respond due to I worked late and store was closed when I got home. Monday am the 15 answered phone from rude person from Banfield Pet Hospital. I was told if I did not pay immediately would turn my account into debt collectors. I told them if problem with bill why did they wait 9-10 days before contacting me? They had my phone number and new when I checked out. I paid the bill a few days later. I will not go there ever again... Front desk or the person on phone should seek employment elsewhere not a people person... not sure a pet person too? This place should look into billing policy. How do they expect people to pay when they do not know? Several people at the desk when I paid seemed to think it was all my fault. HEY IF YOU WAIT 9 DAYS TO NOTIFY ME AND GET MAD BECAUSE I HAVE NOT PAID YOU IN 9 DAYS... WHOSE FAULT IS THAT! I see from web search on complaints about Banfield Pet Hospital... I am just one of the many.