Banfield Pet Hospital Reviews 

long review!!! I recently had a bad experience here with my fur baby, which is unfortunate because I have been going to Banfield for awhile for her routine check ups.

I took her in last month (January 9, 2024) for her comprehensive exam and expressed a certain concern for her leg as she was having trouble going up the stairs. This lasted maybe a week at the end of December. I brought her in and she was NOT limping or having any issues going up the stairs. The vet suggested X-rays and we agreed to it. X-rays came back fine other than having. little bit of arthritis in her back right leg. I took her in on Jan 9th, completely fine and no issues walking whatsoever, but ever since then, after picking her up from Banfield, she has had issues walking on her back right leg and has been limping EVER SINCE! I believe they did something to her after the x-ray was performed.

I noticed after I picked her up and we started to walk out of the store that she was not walking correctly on her back right leg and wouldn't even put it down. She was walking on only three legs then and is still to this day doing so (Feb 9, 2024). I immediately turned around and asked one fo the front desk ladies (who was rude and always looks so mad. this was not someone I talk to usually), she went back and asked and said that my dog was limping like this since before the X-ray and when they took her out of the cage. Which I doubt because if something was majorly wrong, it would've showed up on the xray. It is even stated on her patient notes from when I first brought her in to drop her off that day that "Patient is currently NOT LIMPING". So another red flag.

When I came and picked up her up, the vet didn't even come out and talk to me. The assistant did. I called to speak to the vet again once I picked up my dog to explain the notes on the X-ray to both my husband and I so we could understand better and she seemed annoyed that I called to ask and said " I thought we had an understanding of this earlier". I even asked about her limping and even stated on the phone that my dog was not limping prior to coming into her office today, and it is even stated on the patient notes and she said its probably from grading her? Or something and stretching her out (a different answer from what the front desk receptionist had).

I called the vet wanting to bring her in again because 4 days had gone by and it was still not better, then decided that maybe we will give it a week to see if she gets better. A week has gone by and STILL HAS NOT gotten better AND this has hindered her from her daily activities like jumping on the couch, walking up the stairs, jumping on the bed, walking, running, etc. I called again to bring her in and check and I didn't even talk to the vet, I talked to the receptionist and she said the vet said to refer her to an orthopedic surgeon.

I am very disappointed! Its like they didn't even care to look at her again considering this injury happened UNDER THEIR CARE. I would not recommend Banfield to anyone. Because not only did I have this bad experience, but I hate that they only offer drop off appointments having to leave my dog in a cage FOR HOURS! The Banfield I went to used to let me be in the room during comprehensive exams and I didn't have to drop off my dog. I also caught the vet saying one time that she "didn't have to muzzle my dog" during her exam. Which I'm not okay with. My dog is the sweetest and for them to have to muzzle her, they must have had to do something to her. Not only that, but BOTH of my dogs get the worst anxiety going there and ABSOLUTELY hate it. I took my fur baby to an emergency vet and she was comfortable with them.

Save yourself the time and find a different vet!!! WE WILL NOT BE GOING BACK.

Banfield worked well for us until my dog passed away. Then, I realized their complete lack of empathy when it comes to their policies. Even though MY DOG IS DEAD, we have to finish out the wellness plan contract. I think if proof is provided, any plan should be immediately cancelled. Luckily, it was set to renew in only 2 months, but we're still paying two months for a dog that no longer exists. Imagine other people who may have just renewed? They have to pay a whole year? That's awful. Do better, Banfield.

The local veterinarians and assistants were always fantastic, this is purely a review of Banfield corporate.

They killed my dog to make money! They said she need to clean her teeth. Instead she passed when they did not examine her prior. DONT TAKE ANY English bulldogs there!

This type of vet care THRIVES on accepting as many customers without a limit. This is because they make their money from "wellness plans". Your pet can ONLY ever be seen for 1.) Annual wellness check (where they list everythign they did. Test them Ask the for the printed results of the fecal exam and they'll be like. oh uh...yeah we weren't able to get one um...but we have to list everything in the annual exam anyway." So they don't actually hold up their end of the deal. 2.) Teeth cleaning.

Other than shots and teeth cleaning you are SOL. Oh wait you MIGHT...MIGHT get to do a spay or neuter in 4 months. Because they overbook, never STOP taking more clients despite not being available for their current clients and if your dog or cat or whatever has a problem but it's not an ER emergency but should still be seen...be ready to go to the ER because if your pet is throwing up, has an ear infection, or has diarhea for 3 days maybe you wouldn't want ot pay $200 for an office exam at the ER if its something small...but banfield will tell yo uthey can see you next month. It's complete BULL and garbage.

I said something is wrong with my dogs ear, might be a middle ear infection. She's thrown up three days in a row, I call again at 9 days in a row, ask and ask to be added to cancellation list. They call "Can you bring her in a half hour" while I'm at work =-=; Then I take her to ER. ER wants to do bloodwork for $400 on top of the 200 office fee. I pay. They find something, redo bloodwork, find nothing and call it good. Annoying...day 13 still throwing up. by day 17 Banfield sees her "Can yu check her ear?" WE want ot have you pay for an xray.
No check her ear....
They FINALLY clean out her ear (I've cleaned it everyday but couldn't get deep without tools)
They insist she should be checked for obstruction (my dog doesn't eat "things")

After a thorough ear cleaning she stops throwing up. I am tired of vets NOT LISTENING.

If there was less than a star I would have picked that one. I was unfortunate to have my senior dog pass while I was moving to our new house. In stead of keeping my Banfield account they cancel the account for my service dog. While my dog who passed away almost a year ago, I still get to pay his Banfield wellness plan. But my service dog who is alive can’t be seen 🤦🏽‍♂️

If I could give zero stars, I would. I took my new puppy to them for a checkup. First red flag to me was that they do not let pet parents into the exam room. They took him back to examine him without me present. They were back there for 2 minutes max. When they brought my dog back to me, he was still wearing a harness, collar, leash and sweater. There is no possible way they were able to take all that off to examine him properly and then get it all back on him in two minutes. So NOTHING was done. The vet asked if I had any questions for him. I asked what I should do about the scab on his ear(prior to me getting the puppy, he was treated for mange so I wanted to make sure the scab wasn’t mange related). The vet looked at me like I had 10 heads and said “why does he have a scab on his ear? Where?” If they did a full exam, it would have been seen and felt. So many other things went wrong at our visit but it’s too much to type out. They were HORRIBLE. I told them I wanted to human grade food so I can give him the best quality food there is. They told me human grade food is just a “trend” and recommended a really crappy food brand to me. They also told me giving him puppy vitamins is “a waste of time and money”. I will NEVER go back.

BEWARE of signing up for Banfield wellness plans! They do not tell you your plan will auto renew. They do not reach out the month prior reminding you of your plans upcoming renewal. Once the plan renews, they will NOT refund you, and they will try and strong arm you into paying +$600 to cancel without also giving you the services you would have paid for to cancel. Banfield is a total SCAM. I am in the middle of battling them with charge backs. They will not get a dime from me, nor will I ever do business with them again. They will only let you cancel via phone call, which = 45+ minute waits, rude agents who will either not budge and/or hang up on you. I caught their first renewal charge of $47.95 the day off, and they STILL would not refund my money or cancel my subscription!

Banfield pet insurance (Optimum Wellness Plan) has had my patronage for years. Bubba passed on Nov 1, 2023 and when I made the arrangements for the in-home euthanasia, the company I used mentioned pet insurance might cover some - I knew they wouldn't, but it made me realize that I needed to cancel, so I called as I was still crying. I was treated with utter disregard and told that "customers who want to cancel before the 12 months, must continue paying for the year...blah, blah, blah."
I was in shock! Want? Want???? Did I WANT to lose my family member??? I wasn't changing plans. I was losing my Bubba. Zero kindness, zero empathy. I refused to spend more time on the phone with them.
Guess who has continued charging me?!
In contrast, Chewy not only cancelled all of my order when I called them a week later, but they refunded my last month's order and told me to donate the items to a shelter. They sent me flowers and a lovely card. That is a company that deserves to work with pet parents.
I had the distinct displeasure of calling Banfield again today upon noticing the additional charges, and guess what? They have no regard, no kindness, no decency whatsoever! After a very painful call and much back and forth, they finally gave just an inch by not charging me for an ADDITIONAL 2 months, but will not refund the last two months and put me through a hellish call just for that. HOW DARE THEY?!
The money in question is less than what Chewy OFFERED to refund when I was simply stopping my monthly orders. It's not even about the money. It is the principle of the matter and they clearly have none!
I WILL NEVER, EVER CONSIDER THEIR INSURANCE EVER AGAIN!

My dog of 16 years had to be euthanized on Dec 22nd. Despite the circumstances, Banfield charged me the monthly Wellness Plan fee on Dec 26th, insisting I owed it for the entire year ($65.94), totaling $629.48. For everyone’s background, I didn't authorize any auto-renewal for the Wellness Plan and despite 16 years of loyalty, my attempts to seek empathy or clarification went unanswered during a lengthy phone wait and web chat. As a first responder and nearly 16-year loyal Banfield member, it's disheartening that Banfield prioritizes profit over doing the right thing, especially after the loss of my pet just before Christmas. This treatment raises concerns about how other customers and the public perceive their practices. How can you charge a customer for a plan when they don’t have a pet anymore?

BEWARE OF BANFIELD PET HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE IN THE USA!!! TRULY A NIGHTMARE EXPERIENCE!

I feel compelled to share my harrowing experience with Banfield Pet Hospital int eh hopes of preventing other pet owners from going through the same TRAUMATIC ordeal.

My beloved super healthy 4 year old dog suffered immensely due to their negligence and protocols or should i say lack of, including lack of proper care.

My nightmare began when i took my pet to Banfield for a routine dental cleaning, his first one and most likely last one. No dental issues, just a routine cleaning. Little did i know that this seemingly simple procedure would turn into a life threatening situation. My dog was overdosed, with excessive anesthesia as "prescribed by their protocols" which lead to complications after and a prolonged recovery process of 3 + days.

He almost didn't make it. What shocked me even more was the hospital and corporate blatant disregard for my pet's well being. It became so evident that their protocols were driven by FINANCIAL GAIN rather than the health and safety of the animals in their care. It is DISHEARTENING to witness a facility like this prioritize PROFIT over the LIVES OF INNOCENT PETS.

Despite my attempts to seek resolution and accountability from Banfield CORPORATE team and office, i have been met with silence and indifference for days.

The lack of communication and empathy from their end only ads insult to injury and it is clear that they DO NOT VALUE THEIR CUSTOMERS or the WELL BEING of THE ANIMALS entrusted to their care.

Yesterday i finally got a call from chief vet for Banfield stating "they have made a mistake and are aware of bad reputation , bad reviews, issues with customer service and are working on it and will try to resolve this situation".

Furthermore, my experience is not an isolated incident. COUNTLESS NEGATIVE reviews form MANY other pet owners echo my sentiments, highlighting a pattern of subpar practices and service that are questionable at Banfield NATIONWIDE. IT IS ALARMING TO SEE SO MANY PET OWNERS SHARE SIMILAR STORIES OF MISTREATMENT, NEGLIGENCE AND UNETHICAL AND UNPROFESSIONAL SERVICE ONLY CONCERNED FOR THEIR OWN PROFITS AND MORE $$$$$!

I implore ALL PET OWNERS to THINK TWICE before entrusting their furry companions to ANY BANFIELD PET HOSPITAL. The risks and potential hard OUTWEIGH ANY CONVENIENCE or COST SAVINGS they may offer with their insurance plans.

OUR PET'S SAFETY AND WELL BEING SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE TOP PRIORITY AND IT IS CRUCIAL TO CHOOSE A FACILITY THAT UPHOLDS THOSE VALUES WHICH BANFIELD PET HOSPITALS DO NOT.

In conclusion, my experience has been nothing short of a NIGHTMARE.

I urge you to consider alternative options and do your research on any of their facilities before making a decision. Your pet's health and happiness are to precious to be compromised by a HOSPITAL THAT PRIORITIZES PROFIT OVER THE PET'S WELL BEING.

By far the worst experience. One expects a decent bedside manner from medical providers be it for humans or animals and Banfield was a horrid disappointment! The vet tech had the audacity to accuse me, the paying client, of laughing at her when discussing my dog’s cancer. Because cancer is so hilarious? Never in my life have I been so disgusted by a clinic and insulted and I assured her I was doing no such thing nor would I EVER laugh about cancer as I do not find anything funny about it. She then proceeded to threaten me and stated she would send me to collections. Well- we were still in the middle of the appointment so in no way was I delinquent. It was an absurd, baseless statement made to a never delinquent client as I’ve always paid every vet bill for every pet, ever. Then the vet was unable to tell me what the x-rays showed so we waited for nothing only to be further insulted by the office manager for not seeing a cancer specialist. We were in the appointment still waiting on the prognosis and to possibly be referred to a dog oncologist! This insult came after the veterinarian herself told us to come back (this was one week after our first appt) to do x-rays and blood work to get answers about surgery options. I was simply following the vet’s instructions! So given that I am paying on this date and paid in full the week prior there was NO basis for threats or insults. I would not laugh at anyone having cancer, certainly not my beloved dog. These people are vile. I chose them originally because they have Saturday hours and only after this horrible experience do I now see other terrible reviews from patients and former staff. Please STAY AWAY from Banfield unless you wish to pay to be insulted.

This is a review after several years of terrible service at Banfield. From 2009-2023. You might wonder why we stayed with Banfield if we've had such bad experiences, but due to traveling and not having any other options with another chain, we stayed with Banfield. They have always been about business and very salesy rather than actually caring about the animals. I feel like it’s important to note that I’m generally an agreeable person and I’ve never written a bad review before.

My dog, Roo, recently passed away. We spent 8k, on top of the monthly payments, to try to get him the help he needed. We've given them $10k for ‘pet insurance’ throughout the years. I've had experiences where they did blood testing and told me his liver enzyme counts were too high and pushing medicine on us. Then finding out 2 weeks later that they compared his enzyme count to a puppy rather than an adult dog and he shouldn't have been taking the medicine to begin with. They pushed the Pro-Heart 6 heart worm vaccine without looking at his history which lead to a life threatening reaction. They tried to tell me it wasn't due to the vaccine so they charged me $1,000's to take a skin biopsy resulting in no answers and Roo having to heal from the stitching. Generally, when we went for a check-up, services not covered in our plan were constantly pushed on me and if I turned down services, it was met with pretty unpleasant responses. I never knew when Roo truly needed something which is the last thing a vet should make an owner feel. We’ve taken Roo to several Banfields across the state of Ohio and PA and the experiences were about the same in terms of a very salesy mentality. I’ve agreed to procedures and medicines that I’m not even certain he needed.

Fast forward to today, I tried to cancel his plan after 14 years. I spoke to about 8 different people from the call center. No one really caring that my pet passed away, just concerned about me paying insurance through April of 2024, even though Roo passed in November 2023. Each person became aggressive and wouldn't back down to me continuing to pay them. I've never dealt with such a heartless and money hungry company.

I will never take another pet to a Banfield and I will forever recommend to everyone I know to never send their animals there.

I have no idea where to begin with this nightmare other than to say RUN DON'T WALK away from Banfield if you love your pet. Your pet will get zero medical attention but yet you will wait 90 minutes and never lay eyes on a veterinarian and that's only one example of the nightmare. If you even try to contact or write an email no one will ever get back to you

Our horrible Banfield experience started at the downtown San Diego Banfield office. We brought up a concerning bump on her ear every couple of weeks for months, and our vet assured us every time that it was nothing. Even after testing it and telling us that it was nothing, we begged for further tests. It was not until 5 months later at Houston Banfield, that we found out it was cancerous.



When we signed up our three animals for the Banfield in spring, we were told multiple times that our monthly payments were only $70 by the brown-haired assistant with the brown beard. I checked this every time we went in. And somehow still managed to pay them $6,000 over the course of 4 months. Every time they told us that we “needed” a treatment is the only time we would get treatment. Then a few weeks ago we were told that our account is deficient, and our monthly payment was actually $280 a month. Which is a price we would have never agreed to pay. Not only were we lied to for months, only to be a victim of fraudulent activity and a scam by Banfield, but when I brought it up at the front desk, they were very angry with me for not knowing and I was scolded by the older lady that works the desk. Even though they were the ones who were lying to us about the price for months. We have records reaching out to corporate Benifield where they verified that our monthly's were only supposed to be $98 a month. This whole process has been Banfield threatening us and holding us hostage even though we have another pet insurance company now. I am a US Veteran who is dying of a head injury/ brain infections, I am already drowning in medical bill debt and I will not be paying Banfield $2,000. The only thing I am willing to pay for is the $300 for our dog’s neutering and that is it. . Regardless, we will never use nor recommend Banfield to anyone ever again.

Every single time I call to make an appointment, nobody ever answers the phone. I've transferred my other dog to a different practice for this reason. I'm about ready to transfer my other dog out too. They need more competent CSR help.

Please trust the negative reviews you read about Banfield. They are a dangerous company, and I honestly don't know if it's due to incompetence, laziness, or just simply not caring, but they consistently misdiagnose or don't even look into your pets symptoms deeply enough to actually even try to diagnose. Post surgery with Banfield is horrifying- they will tell you over and over how your pet is fine, right up until your pet is either dying or dead. This is sadly par for the course for Banfield. Also their wellness plan contract is a borderline scam that you will have to just about sell your soul to get out of. I had considered getting lawyers involved, but they are owned by MARS, and have a legal team that is basically unstoppable. So since there's no punishing them or making them stop being awful, I feel like it's important simply for the safety of pets to make sure pet parents understand that this company is dangerous. I have put "no specific location" due to the fact that I've had experiences with 3 different locations over the last decade- one is responsible for the death of a family pet, another is responsible for almost killing my dog post-surgery, and a third ignored a condition in my current dog that I brought her in for several times over a two year span that has turned into a serious situation that now requires surgery. I gave them too many chances, because I was stuck paying for their plan that they kept auto-renewing without asking (you have to stay on them to cancel it because they will ignore you and continue to renew). I will never go back to another Banfield and jeopardize my pets' health and safety. I don't trust them, and I reccomend that you don't either.

Difficult to contact by telephone. Goes to voice mail. Appointments not readily available. Sloppy record keeping. Currently no permanent vet. Rotating vets coming and going. Nice staff, but would prefer consistency with vet.

Hands down worst experience ever. The pet plan is an absolute scam. Please trust the negative reviews and go with the much more family friendly vets. Worth the extra money. Trust me!

Banfield misdiagnosed my dog, telling me she needed knee surgery to the cost of over $6000. They also said she had severe arthritis and spinal damage . My dog was 2 years old. I took her back to the original vet - drive from Florida back to Georgia and was told she was misdiagnosed. I even thought and spoke to Banfield about putting her to sleep. I had signed up for their optimum wellness care and still was charged Emergency visit rates and higher than normal rates. I’ve asked to be let out if the contract- spoken with the store, the vet, billing and written to corporate. Even though I’ve already paid a lot, they won’t release me from my contract. now they are threatening collections. Don’t take your pet to Banfield!

10.11 UPDATE: A week later and I still do not have my dog's health certificate from the USDA. Yesterday, I returned the USDA's phone call, and they told me that what Banfield mailed was missing the payment, rabies information, and date of travel. I let the Banfield Cares team know, and Dr. Betts got back to me to tell me that the USDA kicked back the electronic upload. But all should be ok. I called today to follow-up with the USDA and guess what, it was STILL kicked back waiting on the Vet's response and need it by 3 pm today! And Warren, from the USDA told me that the paper form they sent, was null and void, even though I sent him the rabies certificate and gave payment over the phone because they also submitted it electronically. THE VET DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. Just delaying the process even more. Mind you, it was 1:10 pm when I called the USDA (because I too have to work my own job in addition to these people's job). I get a text back from Dr. Betts saying that Dr. Marshall is on it. I literally tell her the level of dumb is wild! She wants us to be respectful on text...um lady you're not being respectful of my time, work, or mental sanity! They're doing this on purpose at this point, because no one can be this dumb/bad at their job. While one the phone with Banfield Cares, it looks like they finally sent the paperwork to the USDA. Literally at 2:23 pm. I little over 30 minutes before the deadline. These people are so inept, someone needs to get fired! I leave at 6 am on Saturday morning and they can't do ANYTHING right! I email and then call Banfield Cares. The only ones who have been on it are Genie and the other sweet lady on the Banfield Cares hotline. Everyone else is trash at this Midtown Los Angeles location. The USDA told me that the vet would need to call first thing in the morning, but we all know they don't know their left from their right. They also said that if the overnight they sent isn't really overnight, I'd have to pay over the phone at that junction. These people are by far the worst. Do not patronize them at all.

I've been trying for weeks to get a response from these people on how much it would cost for a USDA Health Certificate. It took me emailing Banfield Cares to get a response only days before. Additionally, when my dog had his exam, they didn't upload the request through the site. When I spoke to the USDA they said the fastest way is to upload in the system. They decided they would send via FEDEX further delaying the send! Mind you his appointment was on 10/4. They decided to send it to NY. We are in Los Angeles, and why they didn't send to Sacramento...Because we have our locations send them to NY. Well on 10/5 I go to check FedEx to see if it's been picked up. NOPE. why? because they decided to change it to Sacramento! I found out by calling the hospital that they said that FedEx hadn't come, and they decided that they would send it over to the Sacramento office before discussing it with me. Not to mention, they have it for pickup on Friday! Monday is a holiday. they won't get this until Tuesday. There is literally no way that I will receive this back on time before I leave to move out of the country indefinitely, and sadly will more than likely have to leave my dog at a pound because I have no one to leave him with AND I have to do visa items to tend to the week after next in another country. This is unreal the level of incompetence and thought process!