Banfield Pet Hospital

Reviews 3

GA

Gabrielle Murphy

On Friday, May 15th at around 7:30am I tried calling the Banfield in Bluffton because our dog, Winnie, was suddenly deathly ill. Banfield was where my mom usually took the dogs so I figured I should try to take her there. Nobody answered and I got the after hours recording that stated they opened at 7am and to call the emergency clinic if there was an emergency. Even though it was already after 7, I called the number provided for the emergency clinic. They told me they were about to close and to keep trying Banfield in Bluffton. I called again after 8 in case the hours changed to opening at 8 instead of 7. Still no answer, so I wrapped Winnie in a towel and put her in my car and drove to Banfield. Since PetSmart was closed, I had to press the buzzer in order to be let in for Banfield. While I was standing there, I saw the girl at the desk at Banfield see me standing there with Winnie in my arms and then walk to the back. When I was finally let in by a PetSmart employee I had to stand at the desk for a few minutes holding Winnie until she came back out. She was very nice and polite, but extremely unhelpful. She asked how she could help me and I explained to her that Winnie was 13 years old, deathly ill and had thrown up all over the house, was breathing heavily, and was just clearly sick and in pain. I mentioned that she was fine before she went to bed the night before. You could see just by looking at her in my arms that she was dying. I know the girl at the desk could see how sick she was since its her job. She went to the back to let whoever was back there know what was going on. She came back out and told me that they wanted me to leave Winnie there. I asked if it was because they didnt have time to get to her right away and she said "We dont have any appointment openings", despite the placard on the wall that says "We take sick and injured animals first for their safety". I figured visibly dying animals fell into that category, but I was wrong. I politely told her "I would rather stay here with her while I wait for them to be ready to see her because I would hate for her to die without me there". She then said "Ok..." and gave me a strange look. Then she returned to the back. I sat down on the bench and struggled to get my phone out of my purse since I was still holding Winnie in my arms. I was able to Google other animal hospitals in the area and the first one, which had almost a 5 star rating, Bluffton Veterinary Hospital, came up. I called them and explained that Winnie was deathly ill and they told me to take her over right away. I ran out with Winnie in my arms while the original girl (who had brown hair), and another girl with blonde hair stared at me. I said as I was running "Im taking her somewhere else". When I got to Bluffton Veterinary Hospital, they were clearly concerned, as they should have been, unlike the staff at Banfield. They immediately brought me to a room. The tech came in, and then shortly after, the doctor came in. He said her heart was beating very irregularly. They did an EKG which confirmed her heart was not functioning properly. By 10am she was sadly euthanized because of her horrible, worsening condition. The contrast between Banfield and Bluffton Veterinary Hospital was night and day. I am appaled by the way Banfield handled the situation, however, I am extremely grateful for Bluffton Animal Hospitals empathy, professionalism, and grace. I am sending a copy of this review to one of the managers at Banfield in Bluffton. She already told my mom that this isnt how they normally operate, but based on the other reviews, I would NOT recommend ever taking an animal here.

KR

Kris Kronlein

Do yourself and your pet a favor, and stay away from Banfield Pet Hospital Bluffton/Hilton Head!!! Though one of the vets, Dr. Michele Trammell is excellent, the other vets are so so, and the staff is the worst! Banfield tries to sell you on buying an annual Wellness Plan for your vet, which in all fairness is not a bad price if you plan on taking your pet to the vet every three months for routine office visits. The plans do not cover anything outside of normal routine examinations and vaccines. If you have to purchase any additional prescriptions for your pet or heartworm pills, they cost extra, and in many cases those prescriptions cost more than what other veterinarian offices charge. My latest incident sealed it for never going back to Banfield Pet Hospital or PetSmart for that matter - yes, PetSmart will lose my business also, especially since Petco is down the street. When I first brought my new puppy to Banfield earlier this year, my puppy was given all vaccines and examinations that were suggested by Banfield. After my puppys first visit, they started him on heartworm - Trifexis. They charged me $23.70 for one pill of Trifexis 5-10lbs. I had purchased heartworm before through 1800PetMeds, so when I found out that I could get my dogs Trifexis through 1800PetMeds for roughly $18.00 a pill, I decided to order a 6-pack of Trifexis through them. Well, when 1800PetMeds called to get verification from Banfield, the staff and vets were not very cooperative. After 2-3 weeks of going back and forth with Banfield to give 1800PetMeds the okay, I was finally able to get the 6-pack prescription. But by this time, my puppy had almost missed a month of not having a heartworm pill. Banfield NEVER tried to match 1800PetMeds price, even when I asked about it - why would any place in the business of selling plans, not want to keep their heartworm pill business also?! Anyway, once I got the pills, I gave one pill a month for the next 6 months to my puppy with no issues or side effects. After I dispensed the last pill, I went to order more through 1800PetMeds, but needed to order the Trifexis for a heavier dog, since my puppy has grown. I took him to Banfield where he was weighed and it was entered into his records. Soon after that, I received a message from 1800PetMeds that Banfield would not okay my dog’s heartworm pill prescription, because they wanted to do a heartworm test. This is not my first dog, so I know that if a dog has not missed taking any heartworm pills, the dog only needs to get a heartworm test done annually at the time of their annual booster/rabies shots and check-up, but Banfield was adamant about me bringing in my pet. Again, I ask WHY???!!! He has been on heartworm for the last 6 months straight, and hes due for his annual in 3 months, why do I have to make a separate appointment for a heartworm test? Of course I went around and around with them for two weeks, and I finally said I was done. Cancelled the Wellness Plan and will never take my current dog or any future animals their again. All they want is your money, they DO NOT care about your animals. They are not open and honest with you, they talk with you as if they are trying to hide something from you. Please do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY from BANFIELD PET HOSPITAL!

AD

AdvantageServicesOfTheLowcountry AndLongTermRentals

In July, my sweet cat Hermie passed away unexpectedly. He received his “medical care” at Banfield in Bluffton, SC. The subpar medical care is a story for another post. My parents and I brought him to this location to discuss what to do with his remains. The staff was absolutely clueless. They explained what they thought “might be the options” with us (they weren’t sure what to do). I chose the option to have a private cremation with Hermie’s paw print and a lock of his fur. Since the staff was not the least bit educated on this process, my mom called twice the following week to confirm the package that we paid for included his paw print. A week or so later, my sweet boy’s ashes came back without his paw print. I was absolutely heartbroken. I called Banfield several times to speak to a manager and a week went by without a returned call. I stopped by the location and was told that the manager was not in. A dozen calls later, the manager finally called back. The response I received was unacceptable. I was told that “they were sorry, but the staff was unsure of the process and that there was nothing they can do”. I called the crematory directly. The crematory was more helpful. The bottom line is that I was promised something that I can now never receive. Banfield refunded $40. $40 can make up for the void I have since my cat is deceased. Banfield’s incompetence took something from me that I can never get back. They cannot make this up to me. I highly urge everyone to find a reputable veterinarian to take your pets to. Banfield should be reported to the BBB and any veterinary agencies for malpractice.