Banfield Pet Hospitals In Petsmart

[Andromeda]

I recently accompanied a friend of mine who brought her rabbit in for a tumor removal to the local Banfield pet hospital in Petmart and really liked what I saw. I really liked the verterinarian. She definitely seemed greyhound savy and answered all my questions right. After further research and adding up how much I have spent in a year alone on just vaccines and dentals it seems like a really good cost effective value especially since both my children are due for dentals in the next month or so.

Another appealing benefit is that if you happen to be traveling with your pet and need an office visit you are able to go to any Banfield in the area. It's definitely less than pet insurance and there are no deductibles.

 

They don't have after hours emergency service but neither does my current vet so I would still have to go to the local emergency clinic if needed. Anyway I'm just wondering if anyone uses their local Banfield pet Veterinary Hospital or heard any good or horror stories?

[Guest nerak254]

I've only been there once and I wouldn't choose it. I thought that Aruba had an impacted anal gland abd it turned out to be something else. She was diagnosed correctly and they caught something else that I wasn't aware of. That being said, it felt chaotic and impersonal. I know lots of people like it though.

[kickchick2000]

I use the Bandfield vets for both my greyhound and english bulldog. Overall I'd say I'm pleased with their service. We have both our kids on the memebership plan where we pay a certian amount each month and that covers a certian amount of things for the year.

 

Dh and I actually use two differnt Petsmart locations,one closer to my work for Milky Way and one closer to his work for Sweet Pea so I feel we have a pretty decent gauge on their service here.

 

Here are the pros:

-Pay for service in small amounts throught the year

-NO OFFICE VISIT FEE - this has been the absolute best thing for us

-Open on the weekends (at least here they are)

-decent prices- not really differnt than anyone else around here

 

Cons:

-I've noticed several of their techs are not all that bright, the vets I've not had a problem with though.

- When checking in you have to stand in the store not in a private lobby.

- Visits can take a while and you will have to wait as they have a lot of clients

 

[Hubcitypam]

My boss said that their prepaid plans encourage overvaccination. She said something about lepto and another one year shot (not bordatella) twice a year. I've been meaning to ask on this board about that.

Kickchick, could you share the vaccine protocol?

[Guest LynnM]

Every one is going to be a bit different. If you feel comfortable with this clinic, then by all means, go! Banfield is the biggest, but most large cities have one or several multi-clinic veterinary practices. It's not that unusual, except that it's owned by the parent corporation of PetsMart, rather than by a group of partners. Either way, the vets at the individual clinics still have some degree of autonomy and if you like that vet, then use him or her.

 

Lynn

[zimsmom]

I used Banfield in Mass in August for my greys check up. I went to the walk in clinic where you have no appointment but can still get a full check up. I was thoroughly pleased. My bill was $89.00, they called me within an hour to let me know the heart guard testing was negative and did not push for a billion tests. They actually told me I did not need the heartguard testing but I did it anyway. If I went to my local vet the bill easily would have been $300.00. Also I got some shopping done while waiting

[Guest Ola]

I suspect that the PetSmart vet clinics are much like PetSmart trainers - some are excellent, and some suck. The low price is not the key thing to be concerned about, but rather their skills and service. That said, if you've found a good one, why not?

[Guest alannamac]

According to my new vet here in Va (just joined on in practice with my old vet).....who was a little aghast when I asked her if she was familiar with greyhound meds, stats etc. ......Most vets these days are greyhound savvy..... it is rare to run into one who is not unless you're in the boonies dealing with someone who went to vet school quite a while ago......that said, I've heard several people say very positive things about Banfield, but also mention the "factory like" atmosphere. So really it's up to what you and your pup feel comfortable with, as is any vet's office. I personally have never tried as it's simply to far from my house, and Bandit pees on everything in sight when we get in Petsmart! (whose idea was it to hang gift bags on "dog pee" level anyway?....I'm sure in our store they regret it! )

[feemandvm]

I have a LOT of issues with Banfield practices. I should probably bite my tongue but I'll share them at least once. I interviewed at a Banfield out of school and after one interview I knew immediately that I would rather work at Papa John's pizza then become employed at a Banfield. Everything at banfield is generated toward making money. The reason that they offer the pet packages is because they have determined over the years that the company makes more money doing this then by simply selling services individually. Here are my primary issues:

 

1. OVER VACCINATION. This is huge at Banfields. They recommend vaccinating indoor only cats for Giardia annually. Banfield also has nationwide standards... so their recommendations are hte same if you live in Alaska or Florida regarding everything from fleas to vaccines.

 

2. The reason that they don't charge examination fees on pets on their health care plans is because they found that owners are more likely to come in with their pets and then they can do diagnostics and prescribe medications so by writing off the $X examination they are actually generating more revenue. Seriously, if you call corporate they could tell you that animals not on their plan generate $X in diagnostics and animals on thier plans generate $X + Y. Make no mistake, every thing they do is well researched and if htey found a drop in revenue they would immediately ammend that part of the health plan.

 

3. I heard that Banfield was trying to come up with their own heartworm prevention products. Why? Not because they are superior to what is on the market but because then they will only use those products and won't have to worry about matching PetMedExpress b/c they won't sell it to them.

 

4. Banfield steals the vet's ability to practice their style of medicine. If I worked at a Banfield I would have to look an owner in the face and tell them that their indoor only cat honestly needed a Giardia vaccine every year even though I would never vaccinate my own cat the way that Banfield recommends. I would be curious to see how many of the vets that work at Banfields vaccinate their animals the "Banfield way". They also offer a "vaccine warranty" on animals on their pet care plans. Most of the major vaccine companies offer this guarantee w/o a wellness plan. Schering-Plough, Ft Dodge and Pfizer all do I believe. So are they simply using the vaccine company's warranty and passing it onto only those owners on their health care plans???? Also... if I have developed a specific treatment that I like that is not routinely offered/carried by Banfield, I have to petition the company to allow me to use it.

 

I seriously could go on and on... this might be one of my biggest soap box issues. One of the best vets that I know works at a Banfield but I could never recommend to a friend that they see her because she may not be able to give her own honest recommendations ot the client.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[greyhndz]

Scary, Bill. What type of vets does Banfield attract? New grads looking to get experience and get their names out there? Or vets who have done the associate or partnership deal for years, and wants to eliminate the administrative headaches in favor of a salaried position? I assume there's a base salary plus incentives based upon income brought in by the particular vet?

 

I don't think, ethically, I could practice medicine that way. But the sad statement is that we in human medicine are already forced to, by some extent, due to the micromanaging of the insurance companies.

 

But the one service Banfield provides, which is very attractive to the public, is that they cater to people who don't want to make and wait for appointments - they want to see a vet HERE AND NOW, and not wait. Lots of impulsive people out there who treat medical/veterinary care as if it were a happy meal. For humans, now that they can buy $4 prescriptions at Walmart and Target, those stores (and many chain pharmacies) plan to feature store-employed nurse practitioners who will see and treat minor illnesses right in the store, and of course, write a prescription which he patient can now take over to the store's pharmacy to be filled. Quick in & out, lots of money generated by the impulsive crowd who don't want to wait a few hours to see their own provider, a flagrant conflict of interest on the part of the nurse practitioner, and complete disruption of continuity of care.

 

Doc-in-the-Box morphs into Vet-in-the-Box. How are private practices supposed to compete?

 

Jordan

[feemandvm]

The pay scale at a banfield practice is similar to those of other practices... associates may be compensated with salary, or as a percentage of what they generate financially. They will often try to set up their health care plans as drop offs so they can put the dogs in a cage, work on other cases and just get to the health care vaccinations when there is time between other things. Of course the health care pups generate minimal income to that vet at that time so if there are 2 vets working who are financially motivated, they will try to see the sick animals and try to avoid the health care pups (I know of vets that have worked in a Banfield where this would happen).

 

As for waht kind of vets would Banfield attract? Well... in some cases very good ones. One of the best vets I know works at a Banfield. For all of my issues that I raise with the company... they spend a LOT of money training their owners and associates how to answer them teh "PC" way. When you discuss vaccines they have a set speech about "prevenitive medicine" and their approach to it. When you broach the health care plans and their reason for offering them is b/c they have found they make more money with them on each client they will simply say "it is better medicine". While it is good medicine, they reason behind it is financially motivated.

 

One last thing... I believe if you buy a health care plan on Jan. 1 and your pup dies Jan. 2... if I'm not mistaken I believe that you are still responsible for paying the rest of the year. Nice way for the company to remind you of your pup's passing.

 

 

 

[Hubcitypam]

Doc-in-the-Box morphs into Vet-in-the-Box. How are private practices supposed to compete?

My boss recently went to a big expo in Las Vegas and is very interested in a company called "Vet Stop". They are Vet-in-a-box. The docs rotate in and are paid hourly. They provide shots, HW testing and care for minor illness and injuries on a first come first served basis.

[beledi]

My boss said that their prepaid plans encourage overvaccination. She said something about lepto and another one year shot (not bordatella) twice a year. I've been meaning to ask on this board about that.

Kickchick, could you share the vaccine protocol?

I work for Banfield. We only started giving the lepto vaccination this year as lepto is now in our area. I agree that the plans can include overvaccination, but you have the final say. Tell them if you do not want a vaccination for your pet. It is your right, but you need to stay infomred and be an advocate for your pets as well as yourself when you go for anything medical.

[beledi]

I suspect that the PetSmart vet clinics are much like PetSmart trainers - some are excellent, and some suck. The low price is not the key thing to be concerned about, but rather their skills and service. That said, if you've found a good one, why not?

I am a PetSmart trainer and worked part-time for Banfield until I got on full time as a trainer. Thank you for talking about good and bad skills anywhere. I really do a lot of extra studying about training and fell I am quite qualified to do what I do. We do not do heavy obedience, just basic skills to get you and your pet communicating properly and each happy in your home. If you want your dog on on your couch, I do not say no. It depends on what you want. Out of four dogs, only two of mine have couch and bed privileges. If either of the two allowed would growl, snap, or not get off if directed, they will loose that privilege......Of course, Samlur, my grey, has this privilege. Although we have a discussion about him taking his half out of the middle of the bed once in awhile, but my husband and I have those issues once in awhile too lol.

 

[ZoomDoggy]

I don't go to Banfield for the same reason I won't go to a VCA vet. Revolving-door vets who are overworked, used up and replaced so often you'd rarely see the same vet twice in a year. That's what I've witnessed.

[Guest fountainpengwen]

I have a LOT of issues with Banfield practices. I should probably bite my tongue but I'll share them at least once. I interviewed at a Banfield out of school and after one interview I knew immediately that I would rather work at Papa John's pizza then become employed at a Banfield. Everything at banfield is generated toward making money. The reason that they offer the pet packages is because they have determined over the years that the company makes more money doing this then by simply selling services individually. Here are my primary issues:

 

1. OVER VACCINATION. This is huge at Banfields. They recommend vaccinating indoor only cats for Giardia annually. Banfield also has nationwide standards... so their recommendations are hte same if you live in Alaska or Florida regarding everything from fleas to vaccines.

 

2. The reason that they don't charge examination fees on pets on their health care plans is because they found that owners are more likely to come in with their pets and then they can do diagnostics and prescribe medications so by writing off the $X examination they are actually generating more revenue. Seriously, if you call corporate they could tell you that animals not on their plan generate $X in diagnostics and animals on thier plans generate $X + Y. Make no mistake, every thing they do is well researched and if htey found a drop in revenue they would immediately ammend that part of the health plan.

 

3. I heard that Banfield was trying to come up with their own heartworm prevention products. Why? Not because they are superior to what is on the market but because then they will only use those products and won't have to worry about matching PetMedExpress b/c they won't sell it to them.

 

4. Banfield steals the vet's ability to practice their style of medicine. If I worked at a Banfield I would have to look an owner in the face and tell them that their indoor only cat honestly needed a Giardia vaccine every year even though I would never vaccinate my own cat the way that Banfield recommends. I would be curious to see how many of the vets that work at Banfields vaccinate their animals the "Banfield way". They also offer a "vaccine warranty" on animals on their pet care plans. Most of the major vaccine companies offer this guarantee w/o a wellness plan. Schering-Plough, Ft Dodge and Pfizer all do I believe. So are they simply using the vaccine company's warranty and passing it onto only those owners on their health care plans???? Also... if I have developed a specific treatment that I like that is not routinely offered/carried by Banfield, I have to petition the company to allow me to use it.

 

I seriously could go on and on... this might be one of my biggest soap box issues. One of the best vets that I know works at a Banfield but I could never recommend to a friend that they see her because she may not be able to give her own honest recommendations ot the client.

 

Just popping in to add a big WORD to what Dr. Feeman said. I may be a new grad, but I'm still skeeved out by the majority of the Banfield policies. I also know many excellent Banfield vets, but the company on the whole weirds me out.

 

 

[Batmom]

But the one service Banfield provides, which is very attractive to the public, is that they cater to people who don't want to make and wait for appointments - they want to see a vet HERE AND NOW, and not wait. ..... Quick in & out, lots of money generated by the impulsive crowd who don't want to wait a few hours to see their own provider, a flagrant conflict of interest on the part of the nurse practitioner, and complete disruption of continuity of care.

 

Doc-in-the-Box morphs into Vet-in-the-Box. How are private practices supposed to compete?

 

Jordan

 

Ah, there's no law that says private practice vets can work only by appointment. We use a private multi-vet practice; believe there are 6 vets on staff, usually 3-4 seeing patients on weekdays, 2-3 on Saturday. There are no appointments. First come, first served except for emergencies and some types of surgery. You can ask to see a specific vet; on a really busy day you might wait a bit longer to do that but usually not. For ongoing things, two vets will generally work together and keep each other informed so that if you need to go in when one vet is off, the other can take care of you without having to learn the whole case from word one.

 

Once or twice I've had to wait an hour to see the vet. Do I like that? No. But I can't tell you the number of times something has come up fast -- a UTI, a nasty sheath infection, an injury -- and I would not have wanted to wait several days or even to the next day for an appointment. I value the ability to be seen promptly far beyond the annoyance of the occasional longer wait.

[Sighthounds4me]

My boss said that their prepaid plans encourage overvaccination. She said something about lepto and another one year shot (not bordatella) twice a year. I've been meaning to ask on this board about that.

Kickchick, could you share the vaccine protocol?

I work for Banfield. We only started giving the lepto vaccination this year as lepto is now in our area. I agree that the plans can include overvaccination, but you have the final say. Tell them if you do not want a vaccination for your pet. It is your right, but you need to stay infomred and be an advocate for your pets as well as yourself when you go for anything medical.

 

Ah, but this is the kicker! Most people do not educate themselves any better about their pets' health than they do about their own. They rely on their doctors/vets to tell them what they need, and unfortunately, there are those (in human medicine as well as veterinary) who will always take advantage of that.

 

I do educate myself, and ally myself with eeducated friends. I I do my own vaccinations (except rabies, as required by law), and if something pops up in one of my pets, I research it, so I can make educated decisions, with the help of my vet.

 

But the one service Banfield provides, which is very attractive to the public, is that they cater to people who don't want to make and wait for appointments - they want to see a vet HERE AND NOW, and not wait. ..... Quick in & out, lots of money generated by the impulsive crowd who don't want to wait a few hours to see their own provider, a flagrant conflict of interest on the part of the nurse practitioner, and complete disruption of continuity of care.

 

Doc-in-the-Box morphs into Vet-in-the-Box. How are private practices supposed to compete?

 

Jordan

 

Ah, there's no law that says private practice vets can work only by appointment. We use a private multi-vet practice; believe there are 6 vets on staff, usually 3-4 seeing patients on weekdays, 2-3 on Saturday. There are no appointments. First come, first served except for emergencies and some types of surgery. You can ask to see a specific vet; on a really busy day you might wait a bit longer to do that but usually not. For ongoing things, two vets will generally work together and keep each other informed so that if you need to go in when one vet is off, the other can take care of you without having to learn the whole case from word one.

 

Once or twice I've had to wait an hour to see the vet. Do I like that? No. But I can't tell you the number of times something has come up fast -- a UTI, a nasty sheath infection, an injury -- and I would not have wanted to wait several days or even to the next day for an appointment. I value the ability to be seen promptly far beyond the annoyance of the occasional longer wait.

 

And, many vets keep an appointment or two open on any given day, to see urgent, non-emergent cases. Granted, those fill fast, but often, if it's something important, most vets will tell you to come on over, and work you in. I know my vet does that, though, thankfully, I've only rarely needed it!

[Hubcitypam]

I work for Banfield. We only started giving the lepto vaccination this year as lepto is now in our area. I agree that the plans can include overvaccination, but you have the final say. Tell them if you do not want a vaccination for your pet. It is your right, but you need to stay infomred and be an advocate for your pets as well as yourself when you go for anything medical.

 

Ah, but this is the kicker! Most people do not educate themselves any better about their pets' health than they do about their own. They rely on their doctors/vets to tell them what they need, and unfortunately, there are those (in human medicine as well as veterinary) who will always take advantage of that.

Exactly. John Q public just hands over his dog and says "give it the shots it needs". Hence the owners coming in with giradia vaccs at $43 every 6 months. Today a guy brought his dog in for boarding. We had told him that he needed an internasal bordatella booster and we could do it. He said he'd have the vet do it. He brought in the paperwork and the vet that had given the 3 year rabies and 3 year DHLPP last year had given both again.

 

I

 

 

 

[Guest twilliams]

Are these clinics fully equiped to do x-rays, bloodwork, diagnostic work, etc. or are they for routine matters?

[feemandvm]

Are these clinics fully equiped to do x-rays, bloodwork, diagnostic work, etc. or are they for routine matters?

Most are "fully equipped".

 

 

[Guest jsullysix]

been a banfield customer for almost 5 years now, and maybe i am one of the lucky ones. good call on the over-vaccinations, but i've always been able to say no, and they've been just fine. considering what you get as part of the maintenance program (comprehensive exams/bloodwork, etc, and dentals), it's helped me out a lot.

 

that said, i can totally understand the reluctance to go to one.

 

sully

[feemandvm]

been a banfield customer for almost 5 years now, and maybe i am one of the lucky ones. good call on the over-vaccinations, but i've always been able to say no, and they've been just fine. considering what you get as part of the maintenance program (comprehensive exams/bloodwork, etc, and dentals), it's helped me out a lot.

 

that said, i can totally understand the reluctance to go to one.

 

sully

If you have a good vet... then obviously I am not in anyway implying that you should change... but keep this in mind. There is a lot of information about vaccinations on-line and you can research it and then go with a plan b/c you know that the vet at Banfield is going to recommend over vaccination (harder to sell the health care plans as a "bargain" when you decline $100 worth of vaccines). However, knowing that banfield over-vaccinates and that their entire structure is made through corporate and is designed to generate revenue first... how will you know when other recommendations will be over-the-top, unnecessary or even potentially harmful? You have time to research vaccines and you already know what you want. What will happen when your dog is sick? If they recommend radiographs, bloodwork, urinalysis, etc. will you question whether that is really necessary or if they are simply trying to generate revenue? Remember, the entire reason they created the health care plans is not to try to save money for owners, it is because their research found that owners on the plan will spend more than owners that have to pay for a physical examination b/c once they get you in the door they can do a lot of testing and then prescribe medications. So... when a dog is sick and they recommend testing... are they doing it b/c the dog really needs it or b/c that is the Banfield way?

 

Again... I am not trying to talk you personally out of going to your current vet. If you are happy there... by all means stay. I just put this scenario out there to owners b/c if they will try to get you on one thing like vaccines... what are the odds that it is the only thing that they are "over doing"?

 

Can Banfield practices save you money? Possibly. However, when you delete out the unnecessary vaccines the health care packages are not such a great deal. If you know which diagnostics you "really need" and which you don't and which medications you "really need" and which you don't then you probably can save a good amount of money. However, most owners in most cases are not able to determine which things are really needed and which are not so in the end Banfield wins out 9/10. One last example (can you tell that corporate veterinary medicine is a pet peeve of mine?)

 

I have a friend from college that has a little dog that has allergies. He ignored my recommendation and went to a Banfield b/c he thought there health care plan was a deal. So... his dog is scratching and has a mild skin infection so since his exam is "free" he goes into the vet. Vet recommendations were as follows at Banfield:

 

1. Skin scraping: $35

2. Injectable anti-histamine: $30

3. Injectable antibioitic: $30

4. Benadryl prescription filled at Banfield: $20

5. Antibiotic prescription filled at Banfield: $40

6. Medicated bath given at Banfield: $40

7. Medicated shampoo to go home with dog: $25

8. Fungal Culture: $40

9. Examination: $0

 

So for what he deemed a minor issue walking away out $260 seemed steep so he went for a second opinion. Saw another vet who looked at the dog and with the history given realized it was a mild skin infection secondary to allergies.

 

1. Examination: $30

2. Oral antibiotic: $40

3. Medicated shampoo: 25

 

The owner already had oral antihistamines at home so the vet gave him a dose of Benadryl to give (the Banfield vet just wanted to fill the Rx and didn't ask). The owner also had no problem bathing the dog but again the Banfield vet didn't ask, just recommended a bath at Banfield.

 

Banfield vet with "free exam": $260. Regular vet w/o free exam: $95. This is a real case that happened. The antibiotic and anti-histamine injections are completely unnecessary IMHO as the owner could start oral and an injection isn't going to "jump start things". Those are simply things to pad an invoice. Banfield highly encourages vets to go on "production pay" so they will generally earn about 18-25% of what they "generate". So in case #1 was the vet recommending all of those things because he felt the dog really needed them or because of financial motivations? Banfield will argue that all of the tests and treatments are reasonable and necessary... but IMHO it they really aren't. It would be like if you had a headache and went to the doctor. One possible cause for your headache could be a brain tumor so the doctor recommends comprehensive bloodwork, x-rays and an MRI. Are those tests wrong? No... it could be a brain tumor but could you imagine teh cost to our healthcare system if everytime someone had a headache this was actually done?

 

OK... coming off of my soapbox. : )

 

 

[Hubcitypam]

Is Banfield a part of Petsmart or are they a separate company that has an agreement with them?

[feemandvm]

Is Banfield a part of Petsmart or are they a separate company that has an agreement with them?

They are separate companies.