Banfield Insurance
 

Does anyone use the Banfield Early Care Plus Plan (Puppy Plan)?

It includes comprehensive physical exam, free vacinations, free diagnostic testing including heartworm, lyme, ehrlichia and ear swab, 3 free fecal exams, 4 free dewormings, free office calls/exams, and it also includes free neutering including pre-anesthetic blood testing, blood pressure check, internal organ streens, and electrolytes. You also get 10% off most other services.
It's 31.95 a month.

If you do use it do you like what it covers, any additional comments?

I don't personally have it, but my good friend does. She says it's good for routine things but does not cover illness,accident ts or emergencies.. You might want to check into that.

i have been looking into using Banfield also. When i met with them at my local petsmart they emphasize that it is NOT health insurance. it is great for routine things as you mentioned. however, they are a full vet office. but for some reason if my girl came down with something more serious i do not see myself bringing her there for any major surgery.
My breeder told me that the total cost covers TWO TEETH CLEANINGS A YEAR! which is awesome. although when i went in to get info i did not think to ask if there were any catches to that, did you find out that information? i can vaguely remember seeing that included on the website, but not sure if it was in the puppy plan or an adult plan.
The spay/nuder allotment will cover one pre-op blood work, so say if your pup does not pass it the first time, from what i understood you would be responsible for paying for the second, but the surgery would still be covered. if that makes sense?
also- did you find out that every single vaccination is covered, until the puppy plan runs out? that is how i took that information.

if you found anything else out i would love to hear too!!

I have two dogs and I have one at a regular vet and one at Banfield. I wanted to see which I liked best. I haven't had to use Banfield for anything more than routine so I don't know about costs of that. But I don't imagine it would be more than my other vet. I will say that their meds are cheaper at Banfield than they are at the vets. I like all the vets I have seen and I feel that they take good care with Riley. I do like the idea that they are open 7 days a week.
I also like the idea that if I travel he is covered at any Banfield. Maybe you should try it for a year and see what you think after that. I think it is cheaper after the first year because the spay/neuter is no longer an issue.

I wouldn't let a Banfield vet touch my dog under any circumstances.

nancy, it is good to hear that the costs are the same in your situation.
i agree that is must be convenient that you can use any location.
autumn_girl if you are not dead set on having your pup spayed/neutered at Banfield, i found that the SPCA charges $55 for females and i think $45 for males which includes pre-op blood work, which saves you about $40-50 and you can then move down to the most basic plan at Banfield which is exactly the same besides the spay/neuter.
also, if you have considered microchipping them, it is $40 plus tax at Banfield, and $20 flat at the SPCA.

Agreed.

any reasons why tem_sat and armaniman?

I prefer to personally interview the vets with whom I wish to entrust the health of my pet. I want an ongoing professional relationship with that vet and I want to be confident that his or her reputation and experience will allow me to feel that I am giving my pet the best care possible. I want my vet to be extremely knowledgeable about my dog's breed and the common illnesses found within that breed. For Yorkies this is crucial.

I would not be a potential client for Banfield as it is way too corporate for me. I will also make an assumption (correct me if I am wrong) that most highly successful and experienced vets would not be associated with a corporate structure such as Banfield. If I were you, I would do my research and make sure that the "deal" you are getting with the puppy plan is indeed in your pet's best interest. If me, I would be on the phone with vets in my area checking to see who is the most experienced and familiar with Yorkies and their needs. Ask questions, get their opinions.

Lastly, I would also research consumer complaints concerning Banfield. A quick Google search showed this link: Consumer complaints about Banfield Pet Hospital

I have no idea regarding the credibility of that site, however, it is at least worth reviewing.

I hope that helps you.

I have heard only bad things about Banfield and I would never trust them with Callie.

I agree,I have had a great relationship with my vet and his staff for 10+ years. I an emergency I can call,tell them that I will be walking through the door in 5min and what the emergency is. The last time this happened, one of the techs was standing in the waiting room with her arms out when I walked through the door.
I can discuss articles that I have found interesting as well as new medications,my vet either can add to my knowledge or he will go looking to add to both of our educations.

I agree with most of the above. Banfield isn't the place for my pups. I do think some great vets work for them and I don't think the business itself makes it so no great vets work there. IMO though, people like the looks of the plan and purchase it instead of looking for a vet that is a good fit for their pups and that's concerning. Even if we're just talking about the first year of life, there will still be surgery going on (what's their surgery protocol - at least one location was still using euthasol as of a few years ago, they may be unwilling to do any dentistry while spaying/neuter - their anesthesiology book says it's not a good idea, etc.). I would not like the idea of being able to jump locations. When I'm out of town, I choose a vet based on reviews online and hopefully their website (which is still a bad way of doing it, but the best I have at the time). I would not choose one just because my plan covered it. And if your pup has any issues beyond routine ones, I've heard they can be relaly expensive.


We don't do spay/neuter clinics either. I've volunteered at a like this (and will continue to do so) and have realized this isn't the kind of place I want my pups having surgery.Shelter medicine style facilities have their place, but for my pups their vet does their surgeries.It's all in developing a patient/client/vet relationship and knowing you can trust them. My vet manages 100% of all of my dogs' care unless she refers out because IMO it is best for the dogs.

It is a decision you will have to weigh. I am sure some Banfields have good vets and some do not.
Private practice does not mean good vets. It just means they had money to set up practice.
If your puppy is for the most part healthy there would be nothing wrong with trying Banfield for the first year to see how you felt about it.
If god forbid your puppy were ever really sick you would probably be at a specialist.
There is nothing wrong with watching your pennies. I for one watch mine but would certainly spare no expense if needed.
No one should put their nose up at anybody.
Some people go to vets for shots, some go to mobile units, some go to shelters.
The important thing is that you get the shots.
Another thing with Banfield is that there are different vets there. That could be good and it could be bad. Bad thing is that there is not personal knowledge of the dogs and they look at the records. On a good note it is not a bad thing to have a fresh set of eyes on your puppy.
I have not decided what I will do when my contract expires but go to local Banfield and talk to the people in the waiting room. Current patients will give you all the information you need.
Good luck with whatever you decide. You can also look into private insurance that could help cover other issues. I currently have PetPlan which I have fortunately not had to use.

My nail tech goes to Banfield and she highly reccomemded them. As for right now Cricket gets all her shots from her "Mom" (her breeder) and I can get all of her shots from her except of course her Rabies.
We have a membership with PlannedPethood, who has $40 spaying for females, and you can go to any vet that recognizes them. As for the insurance, my mom thinks it's a good idea as he Chihuahua, Whiskey, has a congenital problem with his kidneys, and had to spend a significant amount at two vets because the one had no idea what was wrong with him, and the other is significantly over priced.
Anywho, I have been looking into another per insurance that was named on here, although I don't remember which one it was, and I think that would be a good match even though it doesn't have all the perks of Banfield.
When I went for information about Banfield, my mom and I talked to the vet, not a vet tech, and he was very personable, and even asked to see some pictures of Cricket. He talked to us about what the plans included, what they didn't, asked how much heartworm pills for Whiskey is, then said that it was about $10 more from them, and that we should continue getting the pills from where ever we already get them.
As for the other two vets that I've been to (not including the one that neutered Whiskey) they were a "get it in and out" type, and I don't plan on them touching my dog.

I have found it to be better putting $50 away a month than buy insurance.