Banfield Pet Hospital

Reviews 8

SH

Sherrie Pilkington

The Greenbelt Banfield is easily the worst vet clinic I have ever experienced. For nearly 3 years I took my diabetic cat there and received adequate medical care. I had to do a lot of research on my own and had to be very vocal when the advice they gave me didn’t jive with what they had said previously (for example, large changes in insulin dose because they forgot to update his file). The administration side was always abysmally slow. None of that would be enough for me to write a review to post online, though. I am writing because recently I took my cat in and he was diagnosed with bronchitis. The doctor prescribed a steroid and sent us on our way. About 4 days into giving my cat this medicine, he suddenly took a turn for the worst (zero appetite in food which has never ever happened before). I called the Greenbelt Banfield and the receptionist said she could leave a note for the doctor to call me tomorrow if there’s time. We ended up taking the cat to an emergency clinic instead where we were told he was in ketosis. Ketosis is a known complication that can happen when cats, particularly diabetics, take steroids. It can be fatal if left untreated and the treatments are thousands of dollars and a stay in the ICU. I was never told any of this by the people at Greenbelt Banfield. After talking to multiple veterinarians that I know personally, all of them were surprised at the dosage the doctor had prescribed for my cat. It was about double the amount recommended. They provided multiple textbooks and consultation guides for me. I contacted Banfield to discuss this and that’s where our problems REALLY started. The manager of the Greenbelt Banfield was very difficult to speak to. She wouldn’t return my calls. On two occasions I got the impression from the receptionist that she was right there but refusing my calls. I asked, repeatedly, for a face to face meeting with the doctor and was refused. I found out later that she had told the doctor that I didn’t want to speak to her and that started a lot of middle school level drama for no reason. I eventually insisted on having a meeting with the medical director. The times kept getting changed last minute and vague voicemails left so that I never knew what the plan was or what was going on. I eventually spoke to the medical director, Miss Gay Smith, on the phone. She claimed, repeatedly, that specialists she had spoken to all agree with the course of treatment but she was unable to provide any contact information for those specialists or peer reviewed literature that contradicted the published doses in 4 commonly used veterinary texts. I asked repeatedly and was refused (actually, she would agree and then simply not do it). This entire process left me feeling victimized. Not only was my cat ill, but I was being treated like I was stupid and major hoops were being made for me to jump through just to talk to someone about it. I felt, and continue to feel, that my pet’s care was not a priority (for example, after over a month of phone conversations about this, Miss Smith had to ask me whether we were discussing a dog or a cat. Really?) Most of these issues could have been resolved if they had only treated me like a human being with feelings and intelligence, and not a problem to be brushed aside. I will never go to the Greenbelt Banfield again

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JA

Jay Lee

The staff here are incompetent with pets. I dont know if they are just wrapped behind corporate policy, or if they just dont train their staff to work with animals. No other vet weve used has had a problem giving our cat a checkup, but this Banfield refused to treat him without sedation (a $60 extra charge and a process they even admitted was too dangerous for our other senior cat!) just because he was growling in his crate. We tried to explain that he was just scared, but they would not do anything unless they drugged him up. When we declined the sedation, they wanted to charge us for the visit although they refused to do any work and we already had to pay for our other cats visit already. This is just a sham clinic pretending to offer animal care. We will be finding a place that has experience of dealing with pets instead of just knocking out all the pets that they dont know how to deal with.

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JO

John Barnhardt

This was the worst doctor / experience Ive ever had with my pet. First, they tried to charge $595 for an annual check up. Then, while waiting for the doctor to come in, I could hear him yelling and screaming with staff behind the door cursing and being completely unprofessional- for nearly 20 minutes. When the doctor did come in, he said that in order to treat my pet, they had to wear a muzzle. I kindly declined the service and said that I did not want to be seen by the doctor and that we would try a difference clinic and they still charged us $55 - even though my pet was not examined at all. Ive moved around a bit and had a number of veterinarians in the past and this was by far the worst. Save your money and your pets trust - go to another clinic.

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A

A Private User

My vet, and apparently most vets are not open on Sundays. I had never thought to take my kitty to a vet at the store I shop at most! Thank God I found Banfield when I was trying to find someone open on Sundays in the area. I would have had to pay 3X as much if I went to an emergency pet hospital, which was the suggestion on my regular vets website for times they are closed. They were able to take me right away and the staff was so friendly. The nurse, vet, and receptionist really listened and took notes of the symptoms I was describing. They were very helpful when it came to making decisions that could have cost me hundreds of dollars. I am seriously considering getting a wellness plan, and switching over for good.

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A

A Private User

The Veterinarians and staff at this location are difficult to work with and disorganized. The vet that treated our cats seemed like he had never handled a cat before and was visibly angry that some of the cats hair had gotten on the vet. The staff called us and mailed us with regard to scheduled treatments, but after taking the pets in they told us that the treatments werent necessary. The prices are ridiculous and avoid their plans at all cost. Seek out a local vet that will actually have some clue about how to handle animals.

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GW

Gwendolyn Lincoln

Thank you Agnes (Veterinarian Assistant @ the Banfield Pet Hospital in Greenbelt) for putting me at ease yesterday! Agnes and the entire staff were friendly, courteous and welcoming. I recently relocated to MD and this was my first visit to this location. I am very pleased to know that if anything arises with my Bailey (Beagle/Australian Cattle dog mix) that I can bring her there and she will be be treated like family. You guys rock!

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A

A Private User

Enjoyed the staff and the care they provided to my new puppy. Treatments were as promised. The puppy likes the doctors and the treats they give her after her checkups. Convenient and reasonably priced health coverage. We have easily got a ROI already from this with shots, office visits, and other "drop-ins-for-advice" visits. Thanks Banfield!

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JO

John Law Sr.

This is an excellent animal clinic. I recently took my two pitbulls for urgent care and the experience was great. The staff was very friendly. Not only did they take care of my dogs needs, but they were very accommodating to my financial situation. Do your pets a favor and let Banfield keep them healthy.

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