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Anyone Use Petsmart/Banfield?

3K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  CoriMalte 
#1 ·
Their prices are so much lower than private vets in this area, I just moved here one year ago so don't have a real loyalty to a vet yet. Anyway, Quincy needs his twice yearly dental cleaning, along with Jonas and Lily's annual cleaning, private vet estimate for all three was almost 1300.00, including IV, monitoring, and pre-anesthesia bloodwork, (all of which is extra from the procedure). Banfield gave me an estimate of 550.00 and they routinely put in an IV, use a monitor, and do routine bloodwork. Now I am not cheap when it comes to my animals, but that is a huge difference! So huge in fact, that I am hesitating--is this place any good? Anyone have any experience using their doctors? By the way, routine monitoring at both private vet and Banfield is just pulse oximetry, not ECG, and both places use the same anesthesia.
 
#2 ·
I use them. For puppies they have a plan that costs $99.00 to enroll, then $234 for the first year that includes all shots, blood work, fecal exams, spay/neuter... and all office visits. It is great peace of mind if you suspect your dog might be sick to take it in.

Lucky got neutered two weeks ago and the next day he was acting like he did not have anything done at all. I had to keep him in his crate from time to time to prevent him from hurting himself from all the activity.

Also, they will match the price of medication if you bring internet ad... I brought the Iverhart Plus (hearworm medication) ad from www.valleypet.com 6 ct. for 8.95 and they matched it, inspite of their price being $27.95

It includes all visits and some discount on medication. So far I have been very pleased with the service.

It is possible they may differ from place to place but you could ask some of their customers, just ask them as they come out of the clinic and into the shopping area of Petsmart

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
I'm not overly impressed with Banfield. The ones in my area are like an HMO for pets. My son is unhappy with the care they have given his Jack Russel, as well.

I'm sure there are some with very good Doctors. You may want to interview and ask the Doc several questions. He may be one of the good ones.
 
#5 ·
I don't know myself, but my sister uses them. She is on a yearly plan of some kind where she pays a fee and supposedly gets cheaper services. Using this service, she took her Basset Hound in for a nail clipping; IT COST $18.00! My vet AND the Petsmart groomers only charge $6-8! What a rip off! They charged her $10.00 to muzzle him.
 
#7 ·
About a year ago when I was looking for a new vet, we thought about going to Banfield. I got some brochures and did a little pricing and figured that I would be spending something like $400 a year per dog. I did a quick tally and realized that if I only bring the dogs in yearly for their check ups, I was only paying $200. I guess I look at it like they must be making money off of the way they do their service, so it can't really benefit me. Plus I didn't like the "vibe" I got from them. I wonder if that is more of a "cookie cutter" type facility and there is little doctor/patient relationship. In the end, I found another vet who I really like and even if I spend more money there, to me it is well worth it.
 
#9 ·
We use them and are happy with them. There are 3 vets at our Petsmart and I request one particular doc that Rex and I seem to click with best. We have the wellness plan and have never had to pay them, not even for nail trimmings, only for prescriptions. Our vet goes far beyond the call of duty and is very informative. I think it depends on the particular vets practices at the clinics. After all a person can go to a doc in the box and have a great experience and then next time see a different doc at the same practice and have a horrible experience. I am happy where we are at and plan to continue using Banfield clinic.
 
#10 ·
The few people I know who tried Banfield with a new puppy quickly realized what the others have said, that they can end up being much more expensive. I do think they were happy with the basic care they received.

I personally wouldn't take a Maltese to them. Why they may be great for larger mixed breed dogs, Maltese need vets who know about toy dogs, i.e. sensitivity to anesthesia, lepto vaccines, etc.

I like to have a vet who can care for the basics - vaccines, etc, but can also handle emergencies and more complicated medical needs.

Here are some other complaints:

http://consumeraffairs.com/pets/banfield.html

http://www.mysticelegance.com/Pugs/pugvet.html

http://badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff150725.htm

http://www.complaints.com/november2002/com...ovember9.23.htm
 
#11 ·
Originally posted by mpd@Oct 3 2005, 01:58 PM
Also,  they will match the price of medication if you bring internet ad...  I brought the Iverhart Plus (hearworm medication) ad from www.valleypet.com  6 ct. for 8.95 and they matched it, inspite of their price being $27.95

Good luck!
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Wow - I wish I had known that when I purchased some of Molly's meds.

Anyhoo, I use Banfield and was very pleased with the vet and staff. All Molly's shots and her spay went well. Also, I can visit the doctor as often as I want without incurring an office charge.
 
#12 ·
What I have is insurance on Bella with Pet Care. They will cover any illness or accident up to $3000. It's peace of mind knowing that if something happens to her, I can get her the proper care. I did a lot of research on insurances and this one was the best fit for me...and I can take her to any vet I want or emergency room.
 
#13 ·
Originally posted by mylittlebella@Oct 4 2005, 09:23 AM
What I have is insurance on Bella with Pet Care.  They will cover any illness or accident up to $3000.  It's peace of mind knowing that if something happens to her, I can get her the proper care.  I did a lot of research on insurances and this one was  the best fit for me...and I can take her to any vet I want or emergency room.
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We also have insurance with PetCare and it covers illnesses (UTI, ear infections, skin infections, etc) and accidents (bee bites, toe nails getting torn off, etc) for $30 per month (which is way less than any vet visit has cost us ever). We can go to any vet and get reimbursed later. We love it!!!!
 
#14 ·
Originally posted by LadysMom@Oct 4 2005, 10:57 AM
The few people I know who tried Banfield with a new puppy quickly realized what the others have said, that they can end up being much more expensive. I do think they were happy with the basic care they received.

I personally wouldn't take a Maltese to them. Why they may be great for larger mixed breed dogs, Maltese need vets who know about toy dogs, i.e. sensitivity to anesthesia, lepto vaccines, etc.

I like to have a vet who can care for the basics - vaccines, etc, but can also handle emergencies and more complicated medical needs.

Here are some other complaints:

http://consumeraffairs.com/pets/banfield.html

http://www.mysticelegance.com/Pugs/pugvet.html

http://badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff150725.htm

http://www.complaints.com/november2002/com...ovember9.23.htm
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[/QUOTE]


I am sure people have had bad experiences, but saying that Banfield clinics are generally bad is very one sided and straight out prejudiced. Also saying that they would be better with just large breed pets is also biased. I would like to hope that our vet knows a lot about Maltese being that she owns one. Another example...take pharmacies, that is like saying all chain store Walgreens are bad and just go to a non chain type pharmacy, because since I had a bad experience with a Walgreens pharmacist, pharmacists at all Walgreen's must be bad. Sorry for the venting...
It is also important to remember that about 8 of 10 people with a bad experience will tell someone about yet, yet only 1 in 10 with a good experience is likely to tell about it!
 
#15 ·
You have grossly misquoted me. Read my post carefully and you will see that no where did I say "Banfield clinics are generally bad". I said a few friends tried them and were not happy, then expressed my personal opinion about taking a Maltese there.

I have heard too many stories about anesthesia problems, lepto vaccines given to Maltese by mistake, etc. by vets (not just Banfield).

I want a vet who knows that vaccines should be staggered in our more sensitive dogs, one who is aware that Maltese often retain baby teeth so that a second anesthesia is not necessary, etc.

I think finding a vet for a Maltese is more complicated than finding one for a nice mixed breed dog. I've had both and Maltese are much more complicated health-wise.

I went through 5 vets before finding my current vets.

Again, just my opinion, but that is exactly what the poster asked for.
 
#16 ·
I went for an interview at Banfield and..I dont know if this really makes a difference to anyone and I'm not trying to take sides...but their "vet techs" arent really vet techs, they dont have to have any schooling whatsoever. They are trained on the premises. In my opinion, they also are very corporate minded. They said part of my responsibility of working there would be to go out into Petsmart and recruit people. She talked a lot about their sales and their estimated sales..that they should be making 30% of Petsmarts profits. I didnt really feel comfortable having to recuit people. I personally think that good vets are found through word of mouth by happy customers. That is ow we've found all of our good pets. When I went in for the interview they evn gave me a wellness plan booklet to take home for Kylee. I was looking at the prices and I would never enroll in that..I mean, my vet will only charge me like 25.00 to take Kylee in for just a check up if I think something is wrong, and I dont really see a problem with that fee. Also while I was there, there was only one dog in the back in an isolation pen, a little yellow lab, and he was laying in a lot of vomit. When the woman showedhim to me, she alerted someone that there was vomit back there, but the other people in the office werent doing anything at the time so im not sure why they hadnt checked on him to see that he vomited..or heard it...since his pen was about 6 feet away from where they were standing. Again, this is my opnion at the Banfield I visited. Im sure there are really good ones out there..but I wouldnt take Kylee to the one that I visited.
 
#17 ·
I would stop by their clinic and ask if you can get to meet the vets.

I know that when I took my first maltese to a highly recommended clinic they did not think his ears needed attention. Ha! two days later he had ear infection and they were so busy they could not book me for another week. That is how I accidently went into Banfield. I got same day appointment. The vet who saw us asked if she could show Lucky to the other vets, all three vets were excited over my puppy. One of them owns chihuahuas, another is more into horses and the other into large dogs, but they seemed to know what they were doing and so far getting appointments or even walk-ins have been alright. All we need now is Mia's spay surgery and we should be all set until next year. I think they are an excellent value during the first year with the Wellness Plans, which is the time when one finds out if they get a puppy who is a lemon (sickly or accident prone) I was extremely apprehensive when Lucky was going to be neutered but the way he responded when I picked him up and the day after really put my mind at ease.

Good luck to you. I hope the Banfield in your area has good vets and professional staff.
 
#18 ·
I use Banfield and have saved so much already! I have the puppy wellness plan and although I have only paid $140 so far, I have saved nearly $375.

I really like some of the vets at my clinic. One inparticular gives it to me straight about Banfield- never pushes any of their corporate reccomended products or Petsmart supplies.

I asked him about my furbaby eating her own feces and he actually said, "Petsmart sells products you can give her that 'supposidly' work, but you are just as good off with a home remedy or waiting until she out grows it". He even asked me if I wanted all the vaccines, telling me that lyme wasn't neccessary in our state, especially if she wouldn't be spending much time outside.

I have had to wait a few times for appointments (about 10 or 15 in the waiting room) and each time I was reimbursed with a $15 coupon to use on their services.

I think they are very fair, but I really and truly depends on the vets at your location.

I would highly recommend visiting them and talking to one of their vets. See if you like their answers, and if you get an overall sense that it is a safe place to take your precious furbaby.

Good luck!
 
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