Banfield Pet Hospital
Reviews and Complaints

Brought my dog in for an ear infection and complaints of weight loss. Dog was eating, walking etc but did not seem to be gaining weight. Immediately after a vet whom I had never seen before at this location suggested firmly that he needed a dental with many extractions. The estimated bill was $1600. When I asked about the ear issue they offered to clean them while he was under. The dog had eaten that morning so I thought it was odd that they wanted him to have surgery within a few hours of this.
I was pressured by the vet tech to open a credit line to pay for all these expenses. I refused. But unfortunately I let them do the surgery. When I picked him up that night he did not look right. He was not really moving. Things went downhill from there. I brought him in the next day because he wouldn't eat, drink, pee etc. The vet did not seem concerned but I was. She pressured me into buying food that was 'appetizing' to dogs as well as all new drugs in a liquid form instead of pill. I took him home. The next day I brought him back in and was desperate for help. This vet printed up an estimate of things she wanted to do and when the dog started losing control of body functions before her eyes she said it was time for him to go. So basically this dog suffered needlessly for 3 days for a procedure he did not need. My dog was a walking dollar sign to them. He could not recover from surgery. If they had said he was ill or old and in failing health to begin with, I could accept that. But to put him, myself and my wallet through hell for days on end with no help. I feel someone needs to be held accountable.
This was not the first time I had been pressured into buying services and products for my dogs. Each time I went I felt as if I was with a used car salesman instead of a doctor. They upsold me every single time I ever came in. Even if it was for a simple vaccination. I was tied into their contract so I couldn't really afford starting over with a new vet. And I wish to god that I did, and got another opinion.
My dog died on Monday after 3 agonizing days that were completely UNNECESSARY.
I can be contacted at [protected]@aol.com.

We brought our purebred Alaskan Malamute puppy in for her spay. The doctor performing the spay inadvertenly removed some tissue that she did not identify before removing. The parts were thought to be connected to her bladder and their removal would be certain death for our puppy. When asked about the removal of the tissue before identifcation, the vet responded with "It was too late by then." My puppy has a 8" incision on her abdomen for a simple procedure. We do not know what the vet removed from our dog or the function of that tissue, vital or not. I will be filing a complaint with the board.

I had been with Banfield for many years and although I find their vets comparable and in some cases better than others it is a large corporate business and the staff is pretty well hamstrung by company policies. Be careful and know what their wellness pplans cover and ignore the savings they claim which are in my opinion inflated. They offer an examination covered by the plan and show up to a $120 saving for a physical, neurological etc evaluation. A normal vet charges 40-50 for office visit/exam and is at least as thorough as Banfields. So that is a pretty false saving.

Their premium plans offer Xray but then add in costs for a vet assistant to stabilize the pet if needed. Well of course it is needed so add a bill for 30 on check out. Teeth cleaning - covered BUT you'll have the vet insist on antibiotics before and after (not covered) plus they will prescribe additional monitoring etc during surgery - again at increased cost. Thus you are faced with a few hundred dollars in addition to the cleaning or you forgo the "covered cleaning". Their price schedule is pretty high unless you belong to the plan and once in the plan there are ways to make sure you in effect save nothing except being locked into them for the duration of the plan.

Just beware of the hidden costs. As an example of their non savings the discounts they give do not apply to flea and heart meds which are available from mailorder but beware Banfield will either refuse to verify a mailorder pharmacy or charge $14 for a prescription. In Medical and Optometry this type of practice (requiring prescriptions to be purchased from prescriber) is outlawed by some states - not so for vets.

Again some very good vets some not so good - just like everywhere else but beware of the "hidden costs" from the corporate monolith that sets the policies individual offices must follow. Shop local buy local and for most of us Banfield is a local office of an out of state company. Support your local vet.

I took my schnauzer to get his rabies shot.When we arrive home my dogs started acting funny. I examined him and he was red full of bumps, swollen and had welts all over his body. He started scratching and just seemed very agitated. I rushed him immediately back and they said he had an allergic reaction. I questioned why would he have an allergic reaction when he has taken this shot for 4 years without any problems. They charged me an additional fee for some diphenhydramine to conteract the shot. Banfield always changes veternarians everything is about money and they need to be exposed for the fraud they are. As soon as they look at him they quoted me a price which I objected to because they were the one's who had give him a bad dosage of the vacination in the first place. I would advise everyone not to take their pet there if you truly love your animal.

I paid for the puppy wellness plan back in July 09 for our new addition to the family. The plan was well over $400 and I paid in full at the time of serivce. I was told I was no able to go to ANY Banfield location free of charge. In Nov 09 I bought a house further away from our previous home and located the closest Banfield to us. I contact my original location and they said they would send over my dog's file and account to the new location no problem.

When I arrived at the new location for a visit ( animal was sick ) I was told that I had to restart my year at the new location and had to pay the remaining balance for the additional 6 month term. ( several hundred dollas more ) I was shocked. This was never disclosed and is the first time I ever heard of suck practice. I contacted my old vet and they AGAIN assured me the "transfer" was free and we can go anywhere NO CHARGE. The old and new offices even spoke on the phone with each other but the issue was never resolved.

I then contacted the customer service department [protected] to try to get to the bottom of the issue so my dog could be treated. They did agree with the new location on the policy that I was going to have to pay the extra 6 months ( they would credit the already used 6 months to the account ) to start the year over at the new location. I WAS LIVID. I dont have nor would I pay anymore money for something I already paid for.

When I tried to ask for a supervisor or someone to make a complaint to I was told that if I was given wrong information in the beginning too bad. I was disgusted at the lack of customer service I was getting. I hung up! I have now sent in complaint letters to any contacts I can find on Banfield and am going through the proper channels to file a complaint with the BBB.

My poor puppy is still needing treatment and we are now forced to take of work and try to get down to the original location three days before Christmas! I will never use Banfield again. Please beware if you are looking for a plan for your animal. Banfield is not a good choice. They are only in it for the money and from my experience will say anything to get it. NO one is willing to work with you nor so they show any signs of compassion or empathy to any issue that might come up.

I am a college student that just started her life and has little money left over so this was a huge investment for me but it was something I felt would protect my animal and be worth every penny I had to come up with. In the end I ended up spending more money I didnt have to make sure my puppy received the proper care from another vet. office. My puppies are a part of my family and there is nothing I wouldnt do for him and her but I truely feel like Banfield exploits that very raw attachment for their own selfish purposes.

My dog has been going to Banfield since 2005 under their plan. they say preventive care, my dog has had the same problem for awhile nobody can tell me anything every time i go i get meds and pay more money. now my dog can't walk and in order to find out why he can't walk they want more money.for what ? in all these years of preventive care they didn't see the problem before he couldn't walk. Yet they will still go to my account to get their money for their plan. I went to my computer in 10min found the problem for free, But i can't afford to go to another vet. Banfield will take your money and and if you aren't careful kill your pet.

We went to Banfield for a canine emergency while on vacation. After waiting forever even though we were there an hour early and dropped out Harley off and came back 5 minutes before they said the doctor would be available.

After waiting forever we were shocked at the initial estimate for a diagnostic xray and some pain management meds.

We called our own vet at home in Las vegas and found that they were horribly exorbitant. For two exrays, xray setup, xray re-positioning and xray interpretation (all one charge at your normal vet) they wanted $500...

We elected to get some anti-inflammatory meds and a sedative and to wait until we got home.

For a $13 20 count 25 mg Rymadyl they charged $45, the injection was over $40 too...

DO NOT GO TO BANFIELD!

On October 19th, my beloved cat passed away. She had been with me for nearly 16 years. My father had gotten her for me as a teen a couple of years before he passed away. I have gone through so much with my cat. She was my companion. I had taken her to Banfield Pet Hospital in my neighborhood when I realized that she wasn't doing well. She passed on upon arrival. The doctor and nurses asked me if I'd like to have her cremated and I agreed. The doctor on shift said that they would contact me in regards to the cremation. Ofcourse they swiped my credit card for the expense! For almost 3 weeks, I had been trying to find out what had happened with my cat's ashes. One of the doctors finally told me that they screwed up the paper work and the ashes were spread at the crematory! I had bought an urn for her! Everything that's happened has truly broken my heart. Please think twice about placing your animal within their "responsible" hands. This is awful and I wouldn't want anyone else to go through this.

We took are 3 year old tabby cat in to Banfield #0246 hospital for testing. Banfield conveyed to us that our cat was diabetic and Banfield missed diagnosis our cat as he did have anemia-extremely low blood platelets. Banfield did not feel that the low blood platelets were an issue or even critical for our cat. We had our normal vet review the testing that Banfield had done and that is where we found out that it was anemia not diabetes that killed our cat less than 12 hours later that very same day we took our cat to Banfield. Our regular vet confirmed that anemia is treatable and that our cat could of recovered. No thanks to Banfield as they obviously overlooked a critical situation and now we have lost our beloved Goddard. Do not under any circumstances take your pet to Banfield. There needs to be justice done.

Vet sold me the Banfield Wellness Plan to defray the costs of a biopsy of a mass on cat's chest so I paid for one year in advance. When cat was taken in for biopsy I was called later in the morning and informed that mass had mysteriously disappeared but they went ahead and put the cat under and cleaned his teeth anyway. I was a little put out about spending the extra money due a misdiagnosis but I accepted it.

I recently took my cat in for a routine exam covered under the Wellness Plan. The receptionist said " it must be cat day as they are all here". She asked if I wanted his nails cut and I said no as I didn't want him to be put under. She took my cat back and returned saying that he was growling and hissing ( never seen him do that before?).

When I returned home I received a call from the receptionist stating that the vet refused to examine him unless he was put under anesthesia. I said no way as this cat has been examined by other vets and this was never required. I have also read the research regarding the detrimental affects of anesthesia on cats.

This situation reeks of bill padding or just reluctance to deal with cats or use the heavy leather bird gloves some vets use. I should have been suspicious when I heard it was "oh no! cat day" at Banfield.

When I picked up my cat I asked to speak with the vet but was told "they were too busy". I then asked for a telephone call back but I never received it. I'm upset as I've paid all this money and can't even get the Wellness Plan exams. I've emailed corporate but doubt I'll hear back.

I have 2 dogs. The first dog is a 7yr old female Rott that has a tumor growing on her abdomen. Our local animal hospital is very expensive so I drove her over an hour to a different animal hospital that I heard had reasonable prices. They gave her a general exam, a biopsy of the tumor, and a stool sample for only $87.00. I was amazed at how reasonable their prices were and how well the vet handled her. On top of that the facility was clean, organized and filled with friendly staffers. We didn't have an appointment and only waited about 15 minutes to be seen. Overall a very satisfying and professional experience.

We had a much different experience at Banfield with our other dog. He is a rescue we adopted recently. He is a 1.5 year old terrier/hound mix. He is still a puppy in behavior since he was at the shelter for a very long time. He likes to hold your arm in his mouth but he does not bite. He is very energetic but has already passed one obedience class. The shelter required us to take him for a wellness exam within 5 days of adoption to ensure we were getting a healthy dog and gave us a coupon for $30 off at Banfield, the exam is only $35 so we thought why not try them. He was also due for his heartworm test. Our bill ended up being $127 before the coupon and there was a $5 medical waste disposal fee that I was not informed about ahead of time. My first complaint we arrived early and still waited until 35 minutes past our appointment time to be taken. The assistants did everything (including trying to sell us their pet insurance) and took the dog back to the vet when it was time for the blood test. The worst part is the vet came out to complain that our dog didn't cooperate with the blood test. He went on and on about how difficult he was and that he was biting. The whole time he was complaining the dog sat dutifully (as trained) by my husband's side.

I am the daughter of a professional dog trainer so I have been around dogs and vets my entire life and I have never met a vet who doesn't come into the room to meet with the clients. I have never seen a vet who didn't have a natural ability with animals. Most vets are capable of calming a dog or as a last resort use a muzzle to handle a difficult dog. I felt that not only did the vet fail in his ability to calmly handle the dog, he was extremely unprofessional projecting his inability to handle an energetic puppy as a slur against the dog. And on top of all that we were overcharged for the priveledge. I will never go to or recommend Banfield to anyone. I will drive over an hour to the other animal clinic because the experience was clearly superior to any treatment I could ever recieve at Banfield. If you love and cherish your pet steer clear of Banfield.

Introduction

Banfield the pet hospital
5956 stetson hills blvd
Colorado springs, co 80923
Fax: [protected]
[protected]
This place, banfield pet hospital, is a con game aimed at taking your money by playing on your love for your pet and your fear of not providing proper care when your pet is ill. The staff and vets seem sympathetic and caring but when it comes down to your making a decision as the animal's owner and responsible party they all work systematically to try to make you feel cruel, vicious, neglectful, and even dangerous to your pet. The truth is that they are dangerous to the truth, your pocketbook, and your pet.

Basically what they do is make up a figure, then charge you a "deposit", then keep you from knowing what is going on, try to scare the hell out of you, and then defy your instructions about the care of your pet to run the fee up to what they "estimated" as the cost.in the end it is all double talk and smoke-and-mirrors. And a huge bill even after you tell them to cease.

And fraud. As is shown later the "estimate" that was compiled was compiled by a vet who did not know anything about ivermectin, ivermectin poisoning, and interventions. I know this because, as shown below, she had to look it up in front of me and read it aloud (She later referred to that as "the research we did earlier" — we? I saw you trying to figure out what the compound was - I already knew).

Keep in mind that this was a poisoning and the staff did not even think to tell me to bring the tube when I left the house with april. Huh? For this I got charged over five hundred dollars?

She had no idea what it was or how much was ingested so rather than call a vet with experience (I. E. An equine vet) she drew a circle on the page and asked "was it about this big around?".

Very scientific there doc.

As for poisoning I have a merck's manual at home. Along with several other publications. What I needed was a diuretic and a check for any other neurological damage and no tests were run for damage and she admitted that she knew nothing about the drug. I had to call the feed store to get details because she would not call a large-animal vet to even ask. I had to write the information on my pet's intake sheet (It is still there) to give to her. Again, I paid for what?

When trickery and fraud do not work then they outright hold your pet hostage until you are forced to sign a false release form stating that your pet is in "critical condition" and that you are running the risk of killing your pet if you remove it from their care. The vet flatly stated that my dog was not in critical care (See below — she is doing great and was at 5 p. M. That day) but that I could not have aril back unless I signed the release. A little later she was brought out, fully sighted, happy, and jumping all over — all in front of the staff — so much for "critical". What liars.

My option was, I suppose, to leave april there when I didn't pay. Or cause a scene and get arrested.

I am happy to fax you a copy of the release form so you can see for yourself.

The sequence

My dalmatian, best friend of ten years, recently ingested some ivermectin which caused her to have neurological problems a few hours later and dilation of her pupils so her visual acuity was greatly reduced. She and I are inseparable so I was in search of a facility that could help her. I called some local veterinarians but they were not available until an hour later (8 a. M.) so I called this place on a referral from a local vet clinic's morning staff. Banfield (Kim speaking) would not give me any idea over the phone what it might cost nor could the technician I spoke with, but I was urged to get there "quickly". They refused to tell me what their standard charges are, or what a visit might cost. I should have been on notice at that point but the "fear game" had begun and they held the cards like pros at vegas.

When I got there the veterinarian ("dr." michelle coeful pronounced "so full" as in "so full" of trickery I think), was not familiar with ivermectin or any poisoning by it and had to look it up while trying to estimate what dose might have been ingested.

I picked up the phone and called the feed store where I bought the ivermectin and bob at the feed store (They are great and I will tell you who they are if you contact me) read the information from the label — they sell it — thank you bob — then the doc tried to do some "math" to see how much had been ingested. That "calculation" was never completed.

Instead they took the dog into the back and then refused to allow me to remain or assist — my dog is deaf and at that point temporarily blind so she was very confused and frightened — and I opened the door and they had her pinned to the floor with two males on top of her. I would like to know which one of the # pulled her ears so hard that she cannot even tolerate being touched on her ears. I will gladly do the same for him or her in return.

I should have called someone i. E. Police or humane society and taken the dog but with a poisoning looming I was passive which I now regret.

About 3/4 hours later the vet appeared with a statement showing $62.00 and she indicated that they were prepared to give my dog diuretics and watch her. I was also given an estimate of $700 to $900 if she remained for one or two days respectively. She also had a printout of lab results which showed that no liver damage had occurred, no blood changes had occurred, no dangerous conditions existed, red blood counts were normal, and the only thing of concern was what she described as "mild dehydration". This was not surprising since the dog had been without water since the night before. At that point the bill was $62.00. Since everything was normal it should have ended at that point and an honest facility would have done that. Note the word "honest".

I was told to check in a few hours later to see how she (The dog not the vet) was doing and I told them then that I planned to take her home that day and as soon as possible. I explained this to the staff member (Kim) and the vet.

My primary concern was her sight since the literature stated that death was not common and there had been only some 660 poisonings in the us that year and that blindness usually occurred in high overdoses which this was not, so I tried to check on her sight and got evasive answers — this was at approximately one in the afternoon. I was told that she "has really improved and is doing nicely" which implied that her sight was improving.in fact, I was told that she was doing "really well" and that they were "really pleased", "surprised" with the change (Really?) so I informed them that I would pick my dog up in an hour. They were told not to continue any more treatment since I would have her at home.

The vet tried to talk me out of it and asked for "three or four more hours" for "observation". I told them that the treatment should stop since she was improving and I was concerned about the length of the stay and continued treatments before I got there. I was not told that they planned to initiate additional treatment without my consent so that they could try to force me to leave the poor dog there for several additional hours or even overnight.

What they were doing is running up the costs to match the deposit I had placed, which they did within $50.00 which they "refunded" to me at 5 p. M.

Three hours later I called them to tell that I was on my way and I was told by "kim" that I could not pick up my own dog until after 8 p. M. At the earliest. I told her that this was not acceptable, that I left instructions for my dog's care, and that I would be there before 5 (In about 30 minutes) to pick her up.

Jumping ahead — when I finally got april released as I will describe following — she was happy, acting normally, and ready to go. No tremors, no eye sensitivity, and was guess what thirsty for water. She drank a quart (Measured) when she got home and immediately peed (Poor thing) so why did she have an iv after iv all day and a catheter? But I digress.

One thing that concerns me is the fact that this dog is active compared to there dogs her age and the idea of her staying still that long without sedation (None show on the bill) is incredible so one concern is that I was charged for iv's which were not proved, especially in light of her drinking a quart or water when we got home (Ten miles away). The whole claim, since she was over the problems and they had to have one to keep my pet hostage, was "dehydration" and the need to use iv's to solve that. Instead I gave her a free drink from the tap in a bowl in the kitchen. Also, why did she have to endure a catheter which did no good as evidenced by the fact that she did not produce any urine from the iv which was supposed to avoid dehydration but peed when she drank a quart of water from a bowl? The answer is that the treatments were unnecessary and a waste of time, money, and simply put the poor dog through unnecessary suffering to pad their pockets.

And she ate a normal meal at home. Soaked in water of course.

April had fecal contamination on her, urine on her fur, and her face and muzzle were black with the charcoal that she was dosed with — so for over five hundred dollars she didn't even get cleaned up or wiped off.

She has been resting comfortably since she got out of there. None of the nonsense that I was threatened with or intimidated with occurred ("seizures, convulsions, and death, oh my!" — apologies to the cowardly lion)

I was not even shown or told what her urinary output was even though I was charged an arm and a leg for the "catheter" even though anatomically she showed no sign of having been catheterized, and I was given no discharge summary for five hundred dollars.

I was given no instructions and was only told "you know she might have seizures after you get her home so you are really taking a big risk by taking her home". It was at that time that I was told to either sign the false release form making me look like a danger to my own pet and a bad person or else she would "not be released". The veterinarian herself told me that, not a minion.

The dog was not in crisis, was not critical, and the whole episode at that point was shameful and should be stopped. I am contacting the state on that issue alone. To force a pet owner to sign a false statement in which the pet owner is made to look like a ghoul or monster is unspeakable and unacceptable. I am taking steps to end that to include requesting that all de-briefings be taped to prevent such business fraud and intimidation from occurring.

Funny thing is she was fully sighted (their confession) by a little after one in the afternoon — a mere hour and a half or so after she was admitted. Instead of telling me that at that time when I asked they lied — yes the "l" word — and kept her improved condition couched in general terms making it appear that more intervention was needed.

Again remember that they had over $570.00 in "deposit" and had to work theatrics to make that sum disappear. They came within $50.00 even though I told them to cease and desist. Pretty vegas act in some ways. David copperfield would be impressed.

Remember that even with debit cards (used here to avoid being thrown out or arrested for challenging the bill) have a challenge procedure and that is being invoked here. I have informed my bank to deny the charge and leave the settlement to me.

Summary

The final message is do not use this facility or that veterinarian. It is a systematic scheme of theft and manipulation based your love for your pet and their preying upon that to pay their mortgages. I am eating raman noodles and dollar burgers while they charge me a week's pay for lying and preying upon my instincts to protect my best friend.

Shame on them and everyone like them and I am not finished yet.

There is more but the point for now is made.

Please contact me. Thank you.