Furious with Banfield Animal Hospital!! - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

vainchick5 · 05-31-2005, 09:18 AM

I was so disgusted with the service there. I went to the one in Concord, CA on Willow Pass road. I had just had my Coco for a couple of days. I took her in just for a check up. They took forever to get me in there and when I did the Vet was a complete moron. I had written down a ton of questions because I am a new furbaby mommy. I started asking some of the questions, even though he DIDN'T even bother to say, "Do you have any questions for me". His response made me so angry. He said, "You can ask the nurse all of these questions, it's her job, that's why she's here." My response to that was, aren't you the vet? Shouldn't you be answering all my questions since I'm a new client here? He didn't even know what to say and he just left. I got my money back for that visit, and went to another vet. DON'T GO TO BANFIELD. Sorry for the rant but I've never had such a sour experience and such as uncarring vet.

mojo · 05-31-2005, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vainchick5

I was so disgusted with the service there. I went to the one in Concord, CA on Willow Pass road. I had just had my Coco for a couple of days. I took her in just for a check up. They took forever to get me in there and when I did the Vet was a complete moron. I had written down a ton of questions because I am a new furbaby mommy. I started asking some of the questions, even though he DIDN'T even bother to say, "Do you have any questions for me". His response made me so angry. He said, "You can ask the nurse all of these questions, it's her job, that's why she's here." My response to that was, aren't you the vet? Shouldn't you be answering all my questions since I'm a new client here? He didn't even know what to say and he just left. I got my money back for that visit, and went to another vet. DON'T GO TO BANFIELD. Sorry for the rant but I've never had such a sour experience and such as uncarring vet.

Bet he's a real treat to work with too!!!!!!!!

That is one of the worst things I have heard, I wouldn't tolerate it from a doctor, I wouldn't tolerate it from a vet. Imagine how helpful he would be in an emergency???!!!
I went to a new vet recently b/c regular vet was out of town. He could not answer all of my questions, but, you know what, he left the room, looked it up and came back with an answer!

Marie · 05-31-2005, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojo

Bet he's a real treat to work with too!!!!!!!!

That is one of the worst things I have heard, I wouldn't tolerate it from a doctor, I wouldn't tolerate it from a vet. Imagine how helpful he would be in an emergency???!!!
I went to a new vet recently b/c regular vet was out of town. He could not answer all of my questions, but, you know what, he left the room, looked it up and came back with an answer!

At least he looked up for the answer. At least he show interest in your pup and you. I hate it when docs or vets just look and dismissed you without even making sure we understand or answer questions.

NGC · 05-31-2005, 08:53 PM

WOW - I'm glad I read this thread. I almost switched CoCo and Nemo to Banfield b/c I got upset with my vet (actually the grooming services there). I' glad I stayed with my vet.

Sorry to hear about the ringworm. I'm glad to see the recovery went well.

azkaty · 05-31-2005, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlie bear

I, personally, have had very good experiences with Banfield so far. It's kind of like going to a medical office place, like Kaiser. They are just a bunch of certified people working for the company. Can you ask to just see the "competant" doctor? Did you contact Banfield's home office to let them know about this specific vet?

Sorry you're going through this.

I agree about Banfield-- each is individually owned and operated. Ours in Mesa has staff that are like family-in fact one of the gals came by my house tonite to show me how to train our little guy and even clipped our two dogs nails.. no charge!

mojo · 05-31-2005, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marie

At least he looked up for the answer. At least he show interest in your pup and you. I hate it when docs or vets just look and dismissed you without even making sure we understand or answer questions.

Yes, sorry if there was a misunderstanding. That was my point. He didn't know, but he found out. He was very nice, I left happy

dsf3 · 06-02-2005, 08:50 AM

I also had a bad experience with Banfield. I found a vet in private practice and he is great. Those Banfield places are like going to a walk-in clinic and really good vets don't work in those places. My puppy had scabies (skin mites) and Banfield didn't even check for them. I had to go to another vet after the problem got so bad that he pulled out most of the hair on his hind quarters. I'm still waiting for it to grow back.

romeos mommy · 04-29-2006, 08:42 PM

i feel duped by the banfield wellness plan scam. i feel i was mistreated @ banfield too. i am a first time furbaby mommy and didn't know any better. when my plan runs out i'm going to a vet in private practice. i feel my banfield vet makes me wait unreasonably long then rushes me out. i feel pressured to pay high prices for products and meds i don't need. the staff is always new and not knowledgeable. my baby went in to have some teeth extractions and a cleaning. i was promised if i was the first to arrive he would be out in no time. we arrived @ 830 am the first b4 they opened and my baby sat drugged up in a crate all day. they didn't do his procedure until late in the afternoon. when i called to check on him they acted annoyed. when i picked him up he was totally over drugged. i wooried he was going to die. i sat with him all nite worried sick. * we had another problem with his rabies shot. it gave him a bald spot and they said it was an infection or ringworm. they made me get all kinds of tests and meds he didn't need. when i went for a second opinion they said it was common for terriers to get a bald spot from rabies shots and the other vet should have known better. now, that i saw the post from the ex-banfield employee i understand.

SnowWa · 04-29-2006, 09:15 PM

Here's some information...

Many owners are aghast that they can catch anything from their beloved pets. But ringworm is something they can catch.

What is ring worm anyway?

Ring worm is the common name used for a type of fungal infection. The most common ring worm found on dogs and cats can be spread to humans and other animals.

Ring worm generally runs its own course in a matter of 6-8 weeks and the symptoms resolve on its own with or without treatment. Having said this, most vets still opt to treat ring worm in the animals so that it won't spread to other animals or people.

What are the symptoms?

Patches of hair loss which look like circular scaly areas with raised edges. In most cases, ring worm is not itchy. The ring worm actually works its way outwards from the initial point of contact hence the circular zone looks to be expanding (the innermost area of the lesion is the area already healing and the outermost raised area is the area where the ring worm is the most active). Ring worm generally appears as spots around the head, ears, tail and feet of animals. The symptoms an animal shows can be very variable. Some animals show little or no hair loss at all and seem relatively unperturbed while others have marked hair loss with pronounced scaly lesions which can extend to the whole body.

How does your vet diagnose ring worm?

Ringworm shows up with a yellow-green fluorescence when you shine a UV lamp on it. Vets call this the Wood’s lamp and the lesions infected with this particular type of ring worm will ‘glow’.

To rule out ring worm more definitively (to be most certain), a ‘toothbrush’ test is conducted where the hairs around the area are given a good brushing over and the bristles of the brush sent away for fungal culture.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

***** I would think that if ringworm runs its course (without treatment in 6 to 8 weeks) - it should certainly be cured sooner than that with treatment.

I'm sure several people here have had this problem and can tell you how long it takes to be completely rid of this condition - with treatment.

Carol Jean

Jaspermom · 04-30-2006, 04:04 AM

People, why would you EVER take your pet to Banfield?? The only reason I could possible understand is it is the ONLY vet in a 50 mile radius of your home!!

Anyone with yorkies should be very concerned about finding only a vet that is familiar with yorkies and the specific medical problems they can routinely present. You need to SHOP for a doctor like you shop for anything else that is important to you.

Don't bring your pets to Banfield.

Patti · 04-30-2006, 08:46 AM

I had a white long haired guinea pig that had ring worm when I got him for my dtr. It had eye problems too. I took it to the pet stores vet for treatment. At first the pet store said they would take the animal back and I said no my dtr was attached to him, anyway I had to take him into the vet every week for a sulphur (sp) bath and give him oral medicine. After 4 weeks he was fine. But every time he had a bath he came back yellow! The pet store paid for all treatments. So it did take 4 weeks to clear it up and I caught it to and had to go to the dermatologist. Mine cleared up pretty quickly.

Kenzies Grandma · 04-30-2006, 05:09 PM

Ringworm is a nasty little fungus to deal with alright but it can be cleared up quite easily. And don't panic if you get it from your pet. When my niece (2 yrs. old at the time) got it more than 20 yrs. ago the first Dr. told us we had to shave her hair and gave her several prescriptions. None of them worked. Finally took her to another Dr. who told us shaving was unnecessary ( too late! ) and that any fungicide that would cure athlete's foot would cure ringworm. We used absorbine junior and it worked very quickly. I've used it numerous times on children and pets over the last almost 30 yrs. always with good success.

yorkieK9trainer · 04-30-2006, 05:27 PM

I was working for Bridgeport Nature Center (greatcatsoftheworld.com) and while swimming and simply caring for two litters we ALL (myself, all the workers that handled the kitties) came down w/ at least one ringworm out break. Well, we wound up bathing them w/ Betadine? or Iodine, don't remember which and a medicated shampoo for the itching and we also had an oitment to put on all the ringworm patches we could find on the babies.
I DID use LAMISIL or the equivelent. The reason being is that the main active ingredient IS EXACTLY what you should be using. I also got an ointment from my doctor to help w/ the itching. I continued to work-my doctor says it was okay, that I just needed to wear an oversized bandaid and to not play w/ it at all-despite how badly it itched.
I would say that it took a solid MONTH to two months for it to go away, but still to this day I have a faint mark on my forearm where it was and it's about the size of a quarter (almost exactly!). One girl did come down w/ ringworm on her forearm from me (most likely-it was a girl at work), but that was it.
It's terribly contagious, but IMO no need to really freak out.
Be sure to wash your hands w/ an appropriate medical soap after you handle your boy and remember that you can have an outbreak ANYWHERE on your body (scalp, armpit &c.) where you may have touched after not washing your hands after dealing w/ your furbaby or getting any of the flaky skin on you from him. I think it'd be wise for only one person to really handle him until the sore begins to fade and he shouldn't be allowed to walk around the house freely-you'll need to confine him.
Good luck!

Lacy's Mom · 04-30-2006, 07:23 PM

Here's a good link on ringworm from my favorite site.

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/ringworm.htm

Lacy's Mom · 04-30-2006, 07:28 PM

How about a natural remedy for ring worm?
Tea tree oil is very effective against all forms of fungus. Apply a few drops to the whole ring area and cover with a gauze pad and tape. Do this twice a day. For even better impact, consider covering the outside of the gauze with a plastic wrap (i.e., 'Saran'), or use one of the "occlusive" pads, like Tegaderm®. The plastic covering keeps air away and seems to help increase the effectiveness of the tea tree oil. This should clear up the problem in a week or so. Continue applying the tea tree oil for a few days after the ring disappears.

Another approach is nail polish. Yes, this may seem unusual, but it fits with the idea of using a plastic occlusive dressing (see the tea tree oil remedy above). Apply a coat of nail polish over the infected area; make the covered area larger than the ring. Allow it to dry. The polish will crack and flake off. Remove the remainder with polish remover (be gentle) and apply the polish again. You can repeat this for a week. The infection should clear.

Any of the above should take care of the problem. However, you should contact your doctor if the symptoms are different or the rash continues to spread, or it it isn't affected by treatment.

05-31-2005, 09:18 AM	#16
vainchick5 YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: CA Posts: 6,588	Banfield sucks I was so disgusted with the service there. I went to the one in Concord, CA on Willow Pass road. I had just had my Coco for a couple of days. I took her in just for a check up. They took forever to get me in there and when I did the Vet was a complete moron. I had written down a ton of questions because I am a new furbaby mommy. I started asking some of the questions, even though he DIDN'T even bother to say, "Do you have any questions for me". His response made me so angry. He said, "You can ask the nurse all of these questions, it's her job, that's why she's here." My response to that was, aren't you the vet? Shouldn't you be answering all my questions since I'm a new client here? He didn't even know what to say and he just left. I got my money back for that visit, and went to another vet. DON'T GO TO BANFIELD. Sorry for the rant but I've never had such a sour experience and such as uncarring vet.

05-31-2005, 08:53 PM	#19
NGC Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 16	WOW - I'm glad I read this thread. I almost switched CoCo and Nemo to Banfield b/c I got upset with my vet (actually the grooming services there). I' glad I stayed with my vet. Sorry to hear about the ringworm. I'm glad to see the recovery went well. __________________ CoCo's Place Nemo's Place Lucy's Place

06-02-2005, 08:50 AM	#22
dsf3 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Orlando, Fl. Posts: 37	Bad experience also I also had a bad experience with Banfield. I found a vet in private practice and he is great. Those Banfield places are like going to a walk-in clinic and really good vets don't work in those places. My puppy had scabies (skin mites) and Banfield didn't even check for them. I had to go to another vet after the problem got so bad that he pulled out most of the hair on his hind quarters. I'm still waiting for it to grow back.

04-29-2006, 09:15 PM	#24
SnowWa YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,992	Here's some information... Many owners are aghast that they can catch anything from their beloved pets. But ringworm is something they can catch. What is ring worm anyway? Ring worm is the common name used for a type of fungal infection. The most common ring worm found on dogs and cats can be spread to humans and other animals. Ring worm generally runs its own course in a matter of 6-8 weeks and the symptoms resolve on its own with or without treatment. Having said this, most vets still opt to treat ring worm in the animals so that it won't spread to other animals or people. What are the symptoms? Patches of hair loss which look like circular scaly areas with raised edges. In most cases, ring worm is not itchy. The ring worm actually works its way outwards from the initial point of contact hence the circular zone looks to be expanding (the innermost area of the lesion is the area already healing and the outermost raised area is the area where the ring worm is the most active). Ring worm generally appears as spots around the head, ears, tail and feet of animals. The symptoms an animal shows can be very variable. Some animals show little or no hair loss at all and seem relatively unperturbed while others have marked hair loss with pronounced scaly lesions which can extend to the whole body. How does your vet diagnose ring worm? Ringworm shows up with a yellow-green fluorescence when you shine a UV lamp on it. Vets call this the Wood’s lamp and the lesions infected with this particular type of ring worm will ‘glow’. To rule out ring worm more definitively (to be most certain), a ‘toothbrush’ test is conducted where the hairs around the area are given a good brushing over and the bristles of the brush sent away for fungal culture. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***** I would think that if ringworm runs its course (without treatment in 6 to 8 weeks) - it should certainly be cured sooner than that with treatment. I'm sure several people here have had this problem and can tell you how long it takes to be completely rid of this condition - with treatment. Carol Jean __________________ http://tinypic.com/ipxhmb.jpg A Yorkie is worth a thousand words.

04-30-2006, 04:04 AM	#25
Jaspermom Yorkies Rock My World! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,721	Banfield="Fast Food Vets" People, why would you EVER take your pet to Banfield?? The only reason I could possible understand is it is the ONLY vet in a 50 mile radius of your home!! Anyone with yorkies should be very concerned about finding only a vet that is familiar with yorkies and the specific medical problems they can routinely present. You need to SHOP for a doctor like you shop for anything else that is important to you. Don't bring your pets to Banfield. __________________ Glad Mom to Jasper, Wosie & Dreama, RIP sweet babies.

04-29-2006, 08:42 PM	#23
romeos mommy YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Pennsauken , NJ Posts: 4,068	i feel duped by the banfield wellness plan scam. i feel i was mistreated @ banfield too. i am a first time furbaby mommy and didn't know any better. when my plan runs out i'm going to a vet in private practice. i feel my banfield vet makes me wait unreasonably long then rushes me out. i feel pressured to pay high prices for products and meds i don't need. the staff is always new and not knowledgeable. my baby went in to have some teeth extractions and a cleaning. i was promised if i was the first to arrive he would be out in no time. we arrived @ 830 am the first b4 they opened and my baby sat drugged up in a crate all day. they didn't do his procedure until late in the afternoon. when i called to check on him they acted annoyed. when i picked him up he was totally over drugged. i wooried he was going to die. i sat with him all nite worried sick. * we had another problem with his rabies shot. it gave him a bald spot and they said it was an infection or ringworm. they made me get all kinds of tests and meds he didn't need. when i went for a second opinion they said it was common for terriers to get a bald spot from rabies shots and the other vet should have known better. now, that i saw the post from the ex-banfield employee i understand.

04-30-2006, 08:46 AM	#26
Patti Donating YT 30K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 35,509 Blog Entries: 6	I had a white long haired guinea pig that had ring worm when I got him for my dtr. It had eye problems too. I took it to the pet stores vet for treatment. At first the pet store said they would take the animal back and I said no my dtr was attached to him, anyway I had to take him into the vet every week for a sulphur (sp) bath and give him oral medicine. After 4 weeks he was fine. But every time he had a bath he came back yellow! The pet store paid for all treatments. So it did take 4 weeks to clear it up and I caught it to and had to go to the dermatologist. Mine cleared up pretty quickly. __________________ Cali Pixie Roxie : RIP Nikki; RIP Maya;RIP my sweet Dixie girl 1/17/08 http://callipuppyscastle.bravehost.com/index.html

04-30-2006, 05:09 PM	#27
Kenzies Grandma YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: AB, Canada Posts: 387	Ringworm is a nasty little fungus to deal with alright but it can be cleared up quite easily. And don't panic if you get it from your pet. When my niece (2 yrs. old at the time) got it more than 20 yrs. ago the first Dr. told us we had to shave her hair and gave her several prescriptions. None of them worked. Finally took her to another Dr. who told us shaving was unnecessary ( too late! ) and that any fungicide that would cure athlete's foot would cure ringworm. We used absorbine junior and it worked very quickly. I've used it numerous times on children and pets over the last almost 30 yrs. always with good success. __________________ Kathy - Mama to Tango & Gypsy - Grandma to Kenzie & Taylor

04-30-2006, 05:27 PM	#28
yorkieK9trainer YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North eastern Illinois Suburbs Posts: 1,669	I got Ringworm from some Tigers and... I was working for Bridgeport Nature Center (greatcatsoftheworld.com) and while swimming and simply caring for two litters we ALL (myself, all the workers that handled the kitties) came down w/ at least one ringworm out break. Well, we wound up bathing them w/ Betadine? or Iodine, don't remember which and a medicated shampoo for the itching and we also had an oitment to put on all the ringworm patches we could find on the babies. I DID use LAMISIL or the equivelent. The reason being is that the main active ingredient IS EXACTLY what you should be using. I also got an ointment from my doctor to help w/ the itching. I continued to work-my doctor says it was okay, that I just needed to wear an oversized bandaid and to not play w/ it at all-despite how badly it itched. I would say that it took a solid MONTH to two months for it to go away, but still to this day I have a faint mark on my forearm where it was and it's about the size of a quarter (almost exactly!). One girl did come down w/ ringworm on her forearm from me (most likely-it was a girl at work), but that was it. It's terribly contagious, but IMO no need to really freak out. Be sure to wash your hands w/ an appropriate medical soap after you handle your boy and remember that you can have an outbreak ANYWHERE on your body (scalp, armpit &c.) where you may have touched after not washing your hands after dealing w/ your furbaby or getting any of the flaky skin on you from him. I think it'd be wise for only one person to really handle him until the sore begins to fade and he shouldn't be allowed to walk around the house freely-you'll need to confine him. Good luck! __________________ "Big things come in small packages" http://www.myspace.com/yorkiek9trainer

04-30-2006, 07:23 PM	#29
Lacy's Mom YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 3,065	Here's a good link on ringworm from my favorite site. http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/ringworm.htm

04-30-2006, 07:28 PM	#30
Lacy's Mom YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 3,065	How about a natural remedy for ring worm? Tea tree oil is very effective against all forms of fungus. Apply a few drops to the whole ring area and cover with a gauze pad and tape. Do this twice a day. For even better impact, consider covering the outside of the gauze with a plastic wrap (i.e., 'Saran'), or use one of the "occlusive" pads, like Tegaderm®. The plastic covering keeps air away and seems to help increase the effectiveness of the tea tree oil. This should clear up the problem in a week or so. Continue applying the tea tree oil for a few days after the ring disappears. Another approach is nail polish. Yes, this may seem unusual, but it fits with the idea of using a plastic occlusive dressing (see the tea tree oil remedy above). Apply a coat of nail polish over the infected area; make the covered area larger than the ring. Allow it to dry. The polish will crack and flake off. Remove the remainder with polish remover (be gentle) and apply the polish again. You can repeat this for a week. The infection should clear. Any of the above should take care of the problem. However, you should contact your doctor if the symptoms are different or the rash continues to spread, or it it isn't affected by treatment.