Banfield Pet Hospital

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

I went there to have my 12 year old cat put down. Shes been sick for a month, shes a diabetic and pretty much had been living within 20 feet of her litter box that entire time. Shes overweight and recently unable to properly clean herself. As a result she is a walking litter box from a smell and sanitary perspective. I have tried bathing her to try to keep her clean but within the last week shes now not able to detect or doesnt have the energy to get to her box when its time so everythings getting peed on. As a result at 6:30PM on a Saturday night I made one of the toughest decisions Id made in a decade and called this place to schedule an appointment to have her humanely put down. After a fairly pleasant and informative discussion with whomever it was that took my call I made the appointment for the following morning, promptly at 9:00AM. ................................................................................................................................................................................. When I arrived I waited far longer than I would have liked, and considering the circumstances it might as well have been three days because thats how long it felt as I tried to keep an animal that had been lovingly part of my family since she was a kitten calm. Eventually a nurse entered and asked the very questions I had given the evening prior over the phone. She left; more waiting. Finally the doctor entered. A young woman fairly attractive (until she spoke). She advised me that she would not be able to do the procedure as we didnt know exactly what was wrong. Blood work and other minimally to outright invasive tests would need to be performed prior. I explained that those were not realistic options and I would not be willing to pay for these services only to find out that weekly injections of insulin, a strict diet and regular future exams were in her future. ................................................................................................................................................................................ It wasnt so much that this woman was reluctant to put down a sick cat it was that she spent the entire time justifying her choice as though she expected me to shed a tear of pride in honor of her lofty principals. She used terms like "convenience killing", "I have to sleep at night too", "I have no doubt other vets would do this", "take her to the humane society". I have not ever, in my life been so angry. I mean this cat has had a blessed life since she was a kitten. I rescued her from a shelter along with her brother (whos healthy as a horse by the way) and been just south of a crazy cat guy in my affection for her. ................................................................................................................................................................................ My point is, this decision was agony to reach. Having to play with her all Saturday night knowing that I was going to be waking up early on Sunday to put her down then the drive itself, then the waiting upon arrival, then the third degree from this psuedo, misguided, idealistic sham of a doctor was simply cruelty. I ended up cutting her off mid-speech and walking out and my wife made an appointment at the Golden Valley Humane Society today at 1:30PM. After speaking with them they allow you to wait while the procedure is performed so you dont simply have to drop them off and they sit in a cage for 24 hours plus while they wait for death. Long story short, this place was horrendous. Avoid like the plague

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HA

Hali Schatz

PLEASE NEVER TAKE YOUR ANIMAL HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I could give this negative stars I absolutely would. Worst experience ever! The vet we saw Dr. Lindquist was hands down the most unprofessional veterinarian either myself or my boyfriend (who grew up on a farm and said that even after one of their steers kicked the vet in the leg he was more professional than this woman) has ever worked with. She was less than interested in participating in a dialog to help us come to a diagnosis for our cat she only seemed interested in running seemingly useless tests and selling us on a wellness plan meanwhile deflecting our questions. When she sensed what we were unhappy with how the interaction was going she asked us about it. When we tried to express the issues that had lead to our dissatisfaction she cut me off and replied wow and tried to pass us off onto another vet. The vet tech who was with us in the room at the time of her outburst was horrified by her behavior and did her best to help us and to answer our questions. She was the picture of professionalism and seemed like a kind, competent, and intelligent individual and I only hope that one day she leaves Banfield to work for a place thats values are more commiserate with her own. This was our first visit and it will be our last. They could charge half the cost of going someplace else and I wouldnt take my cat back here. I left feeling sick to my stomach. I couldnt pay them the $300 for a blood test and exam fast enough before running out of their with my very stressed out cat! My advice? Get your animals medical records and run! Run as fast as you can!

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RO

Roanne Richardson

We always end up with 3 dogs and most have had the wellness plan. One of my closest friends had to have help passing after 17 years, and lots of loving care here and Dr. Lehtinen and the staff were kind, gentle and sympathetic. You knew they would miss him, too. Our Izzy was hunched over and walked backwards, etc. She found problems with her spine and neck. We took her to Blue Pearl where they were awful. The staff wouldnt hold her while I got my wallet out of the car, another patients mom did it. They wanted to do a $5000 surgery. Dr. Lehtinen helped us with a plan that had her back to herself in a couple of months without surgery. She is 16 now and plays like a puppy. She called me personally to check on her progress. You should see if the age and situation of your pet warrants a wellness plan. For us it has been beneficial with many of our dogs. Izzy has skin allergies and we spend a ton finding out what was wrong. She has to go in more often then a lot of dogs, so the office visits are great. The cost for a year balances with the teeth cleaning which is hundreds of dollars on its own. We took our newest rescue in and Dr. Jordan, a new vet at the clinic helped us. She and the helper were great, too. So very caring and thoughtful in their recommendations. When I read the other reviews, it is like another clinic. I can recommend Dr. Lehtinen 100%. Smart, caring and wants to find the best ways to care for our pets. If things go wrong with a vet, tell a manager at the facility and see if you can change things so other animals do not receive poor treatment. Please save a rescue dog!

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SH

Shannon Gross

When I first started taking my dogs here I thought it was great! The people at the desk were so friendly and they had very convenient drop-off and pick-up times. But apparently they dont understand the value of their customers hard-earned money. I bought into their Wellness plan which included a dental cleaning and 2 comprehensive exams. I understood the comprehensive exams included a full blood test including major organ function testing. It turns out they use your free blood work testing once for the comprehensive exam and again for the dental cleaning so when your second comprehensive exam rolls around they dont run any blood work. Most places would want to schedule your pet to get the comprehensive exam with the dental cleaning so they only get their blood drawn once every 6 months... but not these guys. My dog got sick 8 months after her first comprehensive exam and the vet suggested I get a full blood test done. I thought she had just had one 2 months prior when she had her second comprehensive exam... but she didnt because this Banfield used both of my free blood tests within an 8-day period. Each blood test is $113 plus a $53 equipment charge if you have to pay for it yourself. I thought the Wellness Plan was a good deal but I will have spent over $1,000 on just one dog between the wellness plan fee, tooth extraction that is not included in the dental plan, and extremely poor vet services at the Richfield Banfield location. My suggestion is to save your money and go to a real vet.

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