Banfield question

[ASweetHeart]

Has anyone ever taken their pet to one? My kitty needs to be seen asap, I haven't found a good local vet, and was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the quality of this vet.

How are the prices?

Is the place realitivly clean at your location?

How would you rate the vet? If there was something wrong with your pet, were they able to diagnose quickly and correctly?

How long did it take to get an appointment?

Did they try and push services/products on you that you felt were unnessecary?

Was your pet operated on, and if so how did that go?

Pros and cons?

[pwetypweas]

I used to have mine on their program, the vets were nice but a little pricey....



Is the place realitivly clean at your location? yes very

How would you rate the vet? If there was something wrong with your pet, were they able to diagnose quickly and correctly? Pretty good - they took good care of my Cleo when she got ANemia

How long did it take to get an appointment? Fast - like next day

Did they try and push services/products on you that you felt were unnessecary? They like to push their plan but not so much services

Was your pet operated on, and if so how did that go? Yes - had both of them neutered there - they missed one of my male's testicles and charged me extra when they had to do a "testicle retrieval surgery" they still didn't find it and he had to be re-spayed later

Pros and cons? expensive but quality for the most part

[SyLph211]

Has anyone ever taken their pet to one? My kitty needs to be seen asap, I haven't found a good local vet, and was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the quality of this vet.

How are the prices? GOOD

Is the place realitivly clean at your location? Yes very much so.

How would you rate the vet? If there was something wrong with your pet, were they able to diagnose quickly and correctly? My vet(s) are awesome and I love them very much

How long did it take to get an appointment? A few days, standard time for any vet basically

Did they try and push services/products on you that you felt were unnessecary? Nope, but I do have pet insurance so I don't pay for much of anything.

Was your pet operated on, and if so how did that go? Yes both my chi's were and one had parvo and they saved his life. I certainly love them and thier staff is awesome.

Pros and cons? Cons -Check in/out Desk near the checkout lanes for petsmart and they have small rooms. Pros - I have alot of anmials and they have been great with all of them. Large dogs, small dogs and cats and never a problem. They offer a pet insurance that you pay monthly and it overs everything under the sun. I havent paid for vet type care in a long time. They are super nice, making appointments are extremely easy and they call you to remind you of appointments etc.

[hotcouponmama]

We have the petsmart (now banfield) pet insurance for the dog. Has saved us a bundle. And whenever I go to the local vet, I am always shocked at the price difference.

For like $15 a month, it covers office visits, discounts the meds, etc. You might think it's wasteful for a pet that may or may not need to be seen in the year until your damn dog has a bump on his tail that may or may not be cancer, then he has surgery to remove part of the tail, then he can't freakin' stay still long enough to let the damn thing heal, then he needs another damn surgery.....you get the point!

So, we have had our dogs covered for the last 10 years on the pet insurance. Well worth the money.

[skyesmom]

I love the Banfield pet insurance - mine has definitely paid for itself with some of my animals. I had one pup that was in the vet's office every week for something for 6 months and I never had to pay for anything other than discounted meds.

The only bad thing about Banfield is that most are individually franchised locations so you occassionally find a vet you don't like. I had one I hated but changed locations and found another vet I just love. The vet I didn't like was pushy about cats and heartworm meds and didn't like large dogs - especially pit bulls. She was only a little better with my shepherd and doberman so I had to move. The final straw was when I waited for 45 minutes for my appointment and she decided she was done for the day and left - knowing I was sitting in the waiting area. Went to the other Banfield near me and even though it was almost closing time, the vet stayed and took care of my kitty - he needed stitches!

So - go meet the vet and the office staff (bad staff can ruin a vet visit) and then make your decision.

[britt5379]

I had Banfield pet insurance when my cat was a kitten. I rescued her on a Sunday and it was one of the only vets open at the time who allowed walk ins. (She had a respiratory infection and I wanted to get her in right away). It saved me a lot of $$ in the beginning (shots, spayed, prescription meds, etc). It was a very clean facility and I was treated okay, but not great. I let her insurance lapse the next year because she was very healthy and the insurance cost more than her yearly visit & shots. There was a newly hired vet who was NOT very nice and kept telling me I was a horrible mother to my cat because I didn't brush her teeth several times a week. She also tried to push prescription teeth cleaner, food, etc. on me constantly. Without insurance, the regular exam and her yearly shots were like $75. I didn't like the new vet, and one of my friends recommended a local vet's office. I went there and LOVED it. Her exam, regular shots and rabies shots were only $35 and they are SO sweet. They NEVER make me feel guilty about anything and treat my cat like a princess. They are very down to earth people, while the people at Banfield were a little on the snobby side.

In conclusion, if the vets near you are good and you are planning on buying the insurance, it's not a bad deal. I'd say check it out and then make the decision. But you also may fall in love with a vet only to have them leave since it's a franchise!

[Lmnde]

I personally would prefer to use a "private" vet - I have not used Banfield myself - but several of our buyers of our babies have - and in my opinion they are overpriced [probably subject to where you are located], not devoted [lots of turnover and no personal name/pet recognition], and the vets are usually employees and not owners. They have no motivation to please you, as employees there is nothing at stake for them. I have also found some of the vets to be new out of school w/out much of experience to fall back on - lots of misdiagnosing, overdosing and pushing extra unneeded stuff and meds on the owner.

I've referred several of our local buyers to my own vet after they had an unhappy or unsatisfactory experience at the local Savannah GA Banfield/Petsmart - and they are much more happy there and I know that if they need help for whatever reason - regular maintenance or accidental injuries etc, for the pups they bought from us - they get better individual care they need at our [and most other private] vets. Banfield also does not offer emergency after-hour care and if you need to use an emergency clinic - you are talking big bucks! Most/many vets are available on call after hours and on weekends/holidays.

Try finding a vet that has a longterm practise, ask friends who they use and are happy with - and shop price!

[mks18412]

I have used Banfield since day one with my Lenny. They are a little on the

pricey side, but Wednesday between 2 & 4 there is no office visit fee. So you

save the $35 office visit fee.

(Call your local Banfields) I have asked if Petsmart owns and operates the

Banfields clinic and they DO NOT it is indepentently owned and operated.

Usually the head vet is the owner. I have had only good experiences with this vet. When my me and my child took our Lenny to get his puppy shots they would take Lenny out of the room and give him his shots elsewhere so my child would not have to watch. They would give Lenny treats. They also had a great bed side manner. Letting my child hear Lenny's heart beat and happily answering all kinds of questions a four year old likes to ask.

[Tootsies_Mom]

Hello,
I have a tiny toy poodle that I got for Christmas last year. We took her to Banfield for a check up becasue she was not eating and had blood in her stools. I was amazed at the service and respect we got. They were very caring and professional and they saved my little baby. I would never go anywhere else. I cannot imagine life without my pooch and thanks to Banfield we will have many years together. I got the Banfield plan and have saved upwards of $2,000.00 in just one year.

Best wishes to you and your pet! :)

[Mommie22boys]

OK as a former employee of PS, and customer of Banfield, it all comes down to the individual location. Some are wonderful and some are awful, just as with any other vet, do some research, and ask questions over the phone (call in the middle of the day, in the middle of hte week) and if they are helpful and willing to answer any questions they should be great treating your babies. As for the insurance, as said above, it depends on how much you are going to take them to the vet, one of my dogs was there ALL the time, so it was totally worth it, the other only needed the yearly visit, so itwas a waste for her. And it was cheaper to do the check up & shots only with a local vet. And keep in mind that if some thing big does come up you can get the insurance at any time, even if the dog allready needs treatment.

[andy & me]

Very Clean in FL & VA, prices are pretty much the same as the other vets, they do have walk in on certain days, I think it is Tuesday afternoons? However you never see the same vet and the last time I took my cat there the vet was sooooo wrong that if I had listen to him my cat would be dead by now. I think that they are all about money and the pets come second. So if it is an emergency go there but otherwise I would recommend establishing a relation with a good vet in your town.

[#1RobThomasfan]

well if you decide on them then check the Petsmart grooming salon, I picked up my dog from the groomers portion yesterday and they 15.00 coupon off your first Banfield visit.

[livingalmostlarge]

Has anyone ever taken their pet to one? My kitty needs to be seen asap, I haven't found a good local vet, and was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the quality of this vet.

How are the prices?

Is the place realitivly clean at your location?

How would you rate the vet? If there was something wrong with your pet, were they able to diagnose quickly and correctly?

How long did it take to get an appointment?

Did they try and push services/products on you that you felt were unnessecary?

Was your pet operated on, and if so how did that go?

Pros and cons?

I have used Banfield since 2002, when we rescued our first Bichon Frise. He had been going to Banfield his whole life so we got all his paperwork from his old vet. Awesome, can I tell you who else would fax over a dogs entire medical history?

Everytime I call them they are soo helpful. Yes the prices are expensive. And yes I think it costs more than a regular vet. However, they are exceptionally clean and I've been to MULTIPLE banfields.


Let me say this, when we were camping in Sequoia National Park our Bichon got a tick in his ear. We raced to an open Banfield and was seen immediately on a Saturday afternoon. We did not have our paperwork, but they say us FREE of charge. We got some medicine and went home. We lived in SD and the vet was 6+ hours from our normal vet.


Second time we went camping he hurt his foot, and we went to a vet in Arizona while living in CA. Again we did not pay for the vet office visit which was running $50/pop. Yes we need to stop camping.

Third, when we need medical forms for travelling, it is all FREE. Normally it is $50 office visit and $50 form. Also since we send them to boarding or daycare, we just make an appointment and get a bordatella shot (up the nose) for $20 if it's been less than 6 months because they get it 2x/year under the plan. However, some daycares require every 3 months. Regular vet? $50 office visit and $50/dog.


Fourth we pay $70/month for 2 dog plans because we get their teeth cleaned every year. Yes it's not necessary, but our older dog has bad breath no matter how much we brush. For some reason he's had 1 teeth pulled. Since we've had this done at 4 different vets, we've now settled again into a routine with our current vet.

We LOVE her. She is worth every overpriced penny. Our newer Bichon bites when he is pulled out of a crate. Because of this, MANY vets don't want to see him. But this vet has no fear! She roped him and got him out. Also instead they follow our directions and put our two bichons in a room together. And he walks out when he's comfortable.

So yes we pay a premium, but I can go in ANYTIME when they are sick. I trust them and know they understand the problems with our rescue dogs. And yes it is a slightly longer drive, but our vet is fantastic.

And our older dog has had eye surgery, but it was referred out to a dog opthamologist. And our vet was excellent in referring and reccomending.

We could go once a year to a vet, but honestly with our boys and the problems we've encountered travelling, etc, we prefer the stability of knowing whereever we go, we can go to a banfield free. We have a very clean vet. We know that the people there have always been helpful, they usually are open on Saturdays, unlike many vets.

[wannabefree]

I hadn't heard of it and I thought you were asking about Ashley Banfield from TruTV!!!:hysterical:

[tiffanyhector]

Yes I agree with some of the other comments...they are a little more on some services, but I love the fact that there is no office visit whenever my dogs need to go. They are always clean and courteous. I have the wellness plan, and what I will pay for the entire year, most vets wanted for one visit to do annual shots. I really enjoy them, so if you are interested I would try them out....there is a coupon on Petsmart's website right now for a free visit and $25 off the plan if you sign up so I would check it out!

[extremesoccermom]

I have used them twice. Once years ago I noticed that my black lab had what appeared to be worms in her stool. Even though we use heartworm and flea prevention she some how contracted round worms. Of course it was around 6pm or later and our vet was gone for the day I called them and they took her right away.

This past month I brought my mixed mutt in for a second opinion for an eye problem. Although they were unable to make a dx and were not able to offer me any more information that my regular vet had already told me. They were very nice and made me feel good that I was taking very good care of my dog but she is now completely blind and we had to get blood test which they had quoted me a price of 240 and my vet was able to do it for 135.
I will use them again in an emergency and I have been considering the wellness program for the new 10 week old puppy

[sdimon]

I love Banfield and my vet there is a wonderful man who is so dedicated to pets . Whenever I take my pets in there they love on them just like they get at home. I have all my pets on plans and spend very little oop for visits.

[chevy_chick95]

Blah.. the closest one to me is like 8 hours away!..:shrug7:

[Chayeisarah]

There is one thing I learned about in my research regarding the Banfield health "insurance". If you lose your animal anytime before the contract year is up and you have used more benifits then you have paid in premiums than you will continue to have to pay for the contract year.

So if you get a dog from a neighbor, get the insurance at $21 a month take it in for its shots and a check up, and worm medicine costing $100, then 2 months later it gets hit by a car and dies you will have to continue paying for the "insurance" for 9 more months, because you used more benifits on that first visit then you paid in the 3 months your pooch was alive. So now you will have no pooch and $189 of "insurance" premuims to pay still.


I don't know about you but that to me just adds salt to an already open wound.

[jacee]

The Banfield I have used has a certain time on Tu/Thur that you do not have to pay the office fee, you just pay for the tests, meds, etc.

[txmomof2boys]

Has anyone ever taken their pet to one? My kitty needs to be seen asap, I haven't found a good local vet, and was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the quality of this vet.

How are the prices?

Is the place realitivly clean at your location?

How would you rate the vet? If there was something wrong with your pet, were they able to diagnose quickly and correctly?

How long did it take to get an appointment?

Did they try and push services/products on you that you felt were unnessecary?

Was your pet operated on, and if so how did that go?

Pros and cons?

Prices: they were higher than the private vet we now go to. Even on the special days where they don't charge for the office visit. The prices of their vaccines was was a bit more.

Cleanliness: It was ok, I mean the exam table was metal and looked clean. There was some little piles of hair in the corners of the exam room when we went last.

The Vet: Ok. saw him for maybe 5 minutes during any 1 visit. We spent more time with the techs. The Vet seemed rushed and wasn't super interested in answering questions. Which I couldn't fault him really for. I mean there was probably 7 other people in the waiting area.

Appointment: We were not allowed to make an appt. because we went on the day that they did no office visit fee. Those days/times were first come/first served.

Suggestive/up-selling: OH YEAH. They REALLY pushed the insurance on me then made me feel like a horrible pet owner for not taking it. Now I took the paperwork home and we researched it. It just did not make sense for our situation at the time. (We had only our cat who at the time of his last visit there was 13 years old)

Operations: N/A but IMHO I don't think I would trust these people to operate on my animals.

Pros: The vet techs at the one we have gone to anyway were very nice.

Cons: much more expensive than a private vet. (in my area anyway). Long waits. I didn't feel that personal service like I get with our private vet.

We rescued a 6 year old Great Dane this year, and we were reffered to a great vet by our neighbors. She also is involved in dog rescue orgs. most recently the greyhound rescue after they closed the tracks in corpus cristi texas. but she has been wonderful for us. our girl came filled with intestinal worms, heart worm, a big growth on her eye and was about 30 lbs. under weight. our private vet has been great about working with us on getting her better, and working with us on the price of everything. She never tries to "up-sell". I feel like she is looking out for our girl's best interest. Our Dane recently finished her last round of heartworm treatment, and has been having a really hard time with it. Our vet gave us her home & cell # to call her if anything happened after office hours. She even called to check up on her. We really appreciate the personal attention & it's nice that we don't have to pay extra for it.

Personally, I would reccomend finding a private vet rather than going to banfield. It just felt like a big sales pitch to me whenever we went.

[lovedx2]

I used them when I used to live in the Hampton Roads area of VA. They were priced about the same as private vets, but I still got the pet insurance while I was there. It saved me a bundle - I think about 5,000 the entire time I had it. The vets were extremely nice and never experienced a turnover.