Banfield Pet Hospital

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

I am new to the Murfreesboro area and was unsure of a vet but had done business with PetSmart for 15 years in Dallas, TX & Memphis,TN and seeing Banfield Vet clinic in PetSmart I felt I could rely on the quality of service. I was wrong. We have (4) min pins and a rotweiller and (2) of the min pins were coming due for their annual vaccinations on 3/1/2009 and while I had them in PetSmart for a bath and nail trim I decided to have Banfield give them their annuals. After being directed to a room to wait to be seen I was addressed by nurse Daniel (I had never had a nurse in all of the 25 years of taking my dogs & cats to a vet) I had technicians but niot a nurse. So one would assume this person was more knowledgeable. He was unclear as to what I was there for when I said their annual vaccinations and test. I had to break it down for him as to rabies shot, heartworm test Bordetella etc. After he gave me the cost for both dogs I was floored at the $300+ cost. They didnt offer vaccine packages as most vets they push for you to take their pet wellness insurance at an approximate cost of $700 for my 2 min pins which would cover most of this visit, this was another issue in itself but his suggestion to lower the cost was to eliminate some of my dogs test or vaccines. I had to explain to him regardless of the price my dogs have to have all of their shots and test. In the 25 years of taking my pets to the vet I have never had any vet or vet technician ask if I wanted my dogs to have a Benadryl shot before getting their shots, but he did. He explained my dogs could have an allergic reaction to the vaccines. I explained to Nurse Daniel that my dogs have never had an allergic reaction to their shots and as long as they were administering the same vaccines as all of my other vets used I did not feel the need for the additional $12 per dog charge for Benadryl. What he failed to do was to inform me that they used nasalgel vaccine for the Bordetella instead of the regular injection. Taking the time to inform a client that something may be different in treatment explaining the total side effects and giving them the option to accept the treatment, give them another option possibly the injection that one knows to have been safe in the past or allowing them to opt out and seek the vaccination from another vet that does the injection. But no they Banfield and or their representatives did not. After arriving home with my 3 year old min pin at 7:00pm I happened to notice her head looked like a Chinese Shar Pei. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut and her head was 2-3 times its normal size. My roommate thought she had been stung by a bee or something but then I remembered they used the nasalgel on her which I wasnt thinking about at the time I saw them give it to her. Luckily I was able to rush down the street and get some Benadryl and after 3 doses her head was almost back to normal. When Banfield called the following day to check on my dogs I expressed my concerns and how disappointed I was in the service or lack their of and felt they should have been more informative but they young lady I was speaking to accepted no accountability and stated she would note my file. Trust me it will be a note they never have to look at again because I will not be back. My vet in Memphis for the same vaccinations and test was $274 and that price included 1 year of Heartgard Plus and 2 baths. Although, it felt like I had been raped when I left there I did agree to allow them to provide the services but it was none the less painful. And on my receipt it stated I would have saved $300 if I had been on their wellness program (pet insurance) this statement in itself is misleading because until I would have re-cooped my initial $700 investment for the wellness program there is no savings I would have still been $400 in the hole.

LI

Lisa Averill

I was actually very unhappy with the visit. I had been told by the receptionist that I could redeem the free pet exam visit for my dog because my visit with my birds did not count against the "free exam" since birds are not included in the free exam coupon -- one can only guess why THAT is. Anyway, I was given back the coupon and told to use it towards my dogs exam that is required as a separate unit from the actual dental cleaning which was the primary reason for going. When I got there, at first they said I couldnt use the coupon because Id already visited with the birds. But they decided to do so. In the exam, the veterinarian failed to check my dogs eyes, ears, or extremities (muscle tone, etc) which is what normally occurs. He did check the heart and claimed there was no heart murmur, when I have been told several times by other vets that Angel DOES have a very, very slight one. But this guy couldnt find it. They "accepted" the coupon but then said Id be paying and ADDITIONAL office visit fee on top of the dental cleaning although the time Id brought him in --the pre-op visit - with the coupon -- was supposed to be the office visit. In other words, I would have to pay (had I not had the coupon counted) $39.95 for the "pre-op" and then an additional $39.95 on top of the actual procedure two days later. I asked him carefully about this, and he was definitive that an additional $39.95 would be added to the actual dental cleaning visit. My take on it was this: The whole thrust of the business appeared to make sure they have revenue over the care of my dog. He was very focused on relaying the fees but not performing a proper, complete exam for the free coupon visit -- one which one receptionist gave the coupon back to me because it did not apply to the birds visit, and then the Murfreesboro office tried to insist on denying. But for a veterinarian business to be more focused on revenue than the proper analysis of the pet is inappropriate. Banfield is to be providing AFFORDABLE pet care...yet they discriminate against birds as "pets" even though the exam is less intensive and less time; and then double charge for office visits necessary by their policy apparently, to have an annual already pricey procedure heightened. I could even possibly forgive that save for the fact he never did a complete, thorough, thoughtful examination. I will also note that the medical assistant seemed to never stop talking even during the heart exam -- which is perhaps why the murmur could not be heard.

I

I Tobiah

I am the first and primary care giver to my companions. If the Vet miss diagnoses the injury, somewhere I should have been more observant. The Vet depends on my observation too. I have large breed Mastiffs, and when a lump shows up many "pet" owners would ignore this simple issue. I see a possible cancer issue!. We went yesterday (Saturday) although they where booked up, they examined him and took a sample, even tested the culture while I waited. The primary diagnoses was an infection, they sent me to my pharmacy with a script for an antibiotic. The next day the lump began to shrink, to my relief. My vet bill was $85, they did explain that if a digit in the paw was broken an ex-ray and treatment could cost $350. I couldnt be happier!!