Complaint Review: Banfield - Jacksonville North Carolina

ok , before anyone crucifies me... not all banfields are the same. there are many "franchises" and the like (we call them partner hospitals and charter hospitals) so just as if you go to the jack in the box down the street and get bad service, or worse, food poisoning, and you call corporate, you may not always get satisfaction as the location may only "hold" the name. not that it is fair, but sometimes that is the way it is. Also, i realize a fast food place does not have the health and welfare of your pet in its hands, i just needed an example. as i stated before, they are not all the same, before i became a CSC at my location, i googled them and found all manner of complaints... and i found it odd that i never saw one praise. i decided to give it a shot anyway because i love animals and helping. When i started my first day i found numerous cards, gifts and flowers thanking the staff for the care they gave the pets. no one ever posts that. most people will do everything in their power to tell as many people as they can about something bad that has happened, and only mention it to a few if it is good. that is the way of the world. i am genuinely sorry for the trouble you had at that location. and if it means anything i would like to sincerely apologize for that location and the lack of concern you received. In our hospital we try to do everything in our power to diagnose a health problem in our pets, however our hands are tied if the pet parent declines services. for example, sadly we had a pet pass away last night. the parents brought the pet in, wanted an exam and declined all diagnostics even though the pet was vomiting blood. we cannot force any client to agree to services. as for the wellness plan... BEFORE the client signs up on the plan we explain to them that it is a one year contract, if the pet passes away in that year, they are still responsible for the remainder of the contract. if the client gives the pet away they are still responsible for the remainder of the contract. this is told to them BEFORE they sign anything in our hospital. unfortunately, this part falls on deaf ears. the client gets their own copy to take home and read. most do not do this. (i have 3 dogs on the plan and i have not even read it completely so i know it happens) they are then free to call back and ask any more questions. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING... ASK QUESTIONS!!! most people fear they will appear stupid if they ask questions, i ask my clients if they have any questions 2 and 3 times to make sure they are given every chance to be and informed pet parent. we are all human and we make mistakes... i get cursed out at least twice a week by client who was in a hurry and refused to listen to me explain their treatment plan or did not read what they are signing, then refused to pay for the services their pet received. if i make a mistake, i own up to it, take my lumps, apologize to the proper people and eat my humble pie. i am in no way defending the actions of the other hospital, but i think these posts in general are very one-sided as we do not have all sides of the story. i am very happy your baby is on the mend. i wish you many more healthy years with your companion. and even if you don't believe it, we really do treat our pets like family. i make it a point to learn the names and faces of all my parents and pets. i am genuinely happy to see them in any circumstance, and cry when they pass away. we send out sympathy cards to the families as well. we consider it a loss of a dear friend. you may believe me or not... but it is true... at least at my banfield.

They have the worst reputation for vet care of animal vet hopstial known to man and they ARE hugely expenesive and the turn over rate is just as high. So be pleased that you have gotten away from them! I am glad your pet is doing well now ! Cat

When you say "TELLING US THEY WOULD NO LONGER TREAT HER WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO MY DOG", you could not be more correct. Banfield hospitals across the country have very bad reputations. The fact that they paid off your wellness plan is a small miracle in itself. There are plenty of internet postings from people who have unsuccessfully tried to cancel those plans. I saw a posting from someone who couldn't cancel the plan even though the dog was DEAD.

correction is that the dog was diagnosed with Demodectic Mange

Let me start off by saying this first, In my first report I was pretty frustrated when writing it so if it was misleading I am sorry, however the reason I waited 3 weeks to call about the pain meds was that my dog wasn't in pain until then, that I could tell and I beleive that I would know better than the VET! Now onto bigger and better things. The new vet that we have (thank GOD for a Vet that has actually taken the time to care), just called and my dog doesn't have allergies, she has dermodectic mange caused by mites these are usually transferred to the puppy as they are nursing and they get them from their mother's. Most dog's immune systems are able to keep them under control. Well now that my dog had been given steroids for so long, (remember steroids break down the immune system) she kept getting worse because her immune system was unable to fight them off. Now HAD THE SO CALLED VETS THAT WERE TREATING HER FROM BANFIELD TAKEN THE TIME TO ACTUALLY RESEARCH AND TEST FOR OTHER THINGS MAYBE THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND THAT ALMOST A YEAR AGO. They only chaulked this up to oh it's allergies all we can do is give her steroids to keep her comfortable. TELLING US THEY WOULD NO LONGER TREAT HER WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO MY DOG. Now when people ask about a vet I can tell them exactly where NOT TO GO! Trust me I have spent well over 4 thousand dollars on trying to get help for this dog. So if you want to think I am such a poor animal owner and not doing the right thing for my dog then that is your opinion, however get the full picture before you make that judgement. Treatment for what she has is a dip that she will have to do every 2 weeks for approximately 6 to 10 treatments. Imagine how much easier it would have been to do your job correctly the first time instead of guessing?? Or what if it were your own child instead of an animal would that make it any different for some of you? Treating your child with medicine that would only make the situation worse and in the long run damage the child's liver??? HMMMMMM Does that make you think differently, MRS I AM SORRY?

I'm sorry, to be honest, I cannot even follow what your story is trying to say. You pet has severe swelling (inflammation, remember this word it's important!) of paws and ears (did that just happen overnight?) Sounds like a severe allergy. Prednisone...an anti-INFLAMMATORY (hmmm) is prescribed. The other possible rule out is an immune mediated disease. Prednisone...a drug that affects the immune system...is prescribed. Seems to me that the correct medication was used for the symptoms presented. I don't even like Prednisone except when it is appropriate. I will point out to you like I did someone else...that huge printout you receive with your receipt...in case somehow you are not informed or not listening during the exam....contains a physical exam printout and list possible diagnoses, lists all medications prescribed and side effects! You say they called you and said you could give an OTC medication to help with pain, but you waited 3 weeks to call them back and ask them what that specific medication was.....am I understanding you right? If so...why did you wait that long to find out what you could use to give your pet some pain relief? And if you did wait that long...why are you surprised then that your pet isn't feeling any better? Many pets are vaccinating and on Prednisone. In fact prednisone and other corticosteroids are the first step in the relief of a vaccine reaction.... Your story sounds very suspicious with the time delay on your part, and the misinformation you have tried to present. Plus they must not want YOUR money that bad if they terminated their relationship with you and actually paid off your wellness plan.....