Furious with Banfield Animal Hospital!!

[I_Heart_Tito]

I am SICK right now!

We took him in approx. 2 weeks ago because we noticed a little red bald spot on his side. The idiot vet took a culture and told us to call back in 2 weeks for the results...I call on Wednesday and they said "no worries, it came out negative."

That's it! "No worries, it's not ringworm...bye!"

Uh...ok, so what IS it then?

Well it turns out that they were wrong. I took him back yesterday and a different vet tells me that I was given the wrong test results...that they did in fact come back positive and that they could do a simple test with a black light to confirm it.

WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THIS THE FIRST TIME WE WERE THERE!?!?!? 2 weeks have already gone by and this entire time we could have been treating it (not to mention safeguarding ourselves against it).

And how could you be so irresponsible as to give us the INCORRECT test results!!? I know ringworm isn't life threatening but what if it had been a more serious condition???

I'm sorry to post such a negative thread but I am completely frustrated right now. Between the 2 visits I dropped about $400...is it too much to ask that these people give my pet the proper care that I am PAYING for!?!??

So my little one has ringworm They gave him a special shampoo and some oral medication...we also got him some Lamasil which I hear helps a lot.

For those of you with ringworm experience....how long does it usually take to clear up? And how long will he be contagious to us?

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Yorkie_GirL]

a vet i went to did the same thing to me.. but made me wait 2 months before leaving a message and telling me at first it was ringworm but didn't tell me what to do.. and then a week later called back and said it wasn't ringworm so i was confused and when i called back they didn't know who in the world i was or was talking about..

so i personally don't know how to get rid of ringworm.. but best wishes! and sorry you had to go through that with banfield.

[schatzie]

I_Heart_Tito, What a shame to hear how this vet handled the entire situation of your little one. Maybe it's time to search for a new vet that can give a bit more attention to the needs of you and your Tito.

Id be furious also and completely understand your frustration.


I apologize as I don't have any info regarding ringworm etc....

I do hope your Tito feels better soon.


Yorkie_Girl, I am sorry you had to go through this too. How unfortunate that Yorkie's suffer due to mistakes by some vets along with possible other pets too.

[feminvstr]

I had an out break from my persian cat he got outside and brought back a nice present to a litter. I placed my cat in a good home immediately first of all (my brother took him, i didnt want to jeapodize the litter)...

then comes the hard part...it can take up to 2 months for you to get it under control.

you must bleach everything in sight including your floors on a regular basis and yes it is contagious to you and your family. BTW lamisil doesnt work get conifite or micazole lotion from your vet and put it on each area that is infested on your pup bathe your pup every three days with the medicated shampoo for at least the next 2-3 weeks as well use the lotion mentioned above every day that you are not bathing your pup on the infected areas.

Bleach every bit of his/her bedding and fabric toys...throw out toys that can not be bleached that she/he has come in contact with. If she sleeps with you change your sheets often and washing them in HOT water.

If you have throw rugs mix 1/3 cup bleach in a spay bottle and fill the rest with water spray the rugs daily (they will not turn color on you I used it on very expensive rugs in my living and dining area because I have hardwood floors).

Vaccum everything possible complete and throw the bag away and do this at least twice a week. If you heating system has filters change the filter too...

This little bugger ringworm altho it is just a fungus not a worm it's one of the worse to get out of your house you have to be persistant or it will return if you lapse a day or two.

I even took down my drapery and threw them in the dryer on high heat...

the spores are airborn so thay can get everywhere and any contact a child has with the pup while infected, children are the most prone to catch it.. Wash your hands and anyone else handling the pup on a regular basis so as not to spread the spores.

BTW when you bathe the pup use an old towel you can bleach afterward and always spray the bleach combi i mentioned above on his brush too.

I hope this helps

[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.

[Olivier]

Sometimes vets are really out of their tracks .

[ashley]

I highly advise not to go to banfield, i worked there, and needless to say i quit after i found out all the horrible things there. The vets are on a commission, and the pet nurses and staff, most of them never went to school for it, they are just trained by another person who was trained by another person, and therefore they have no degrees, or certificates in what they do. The are more worried about the retail aspect of the business (ie wellness plans) they push these things on EVERY customer and thats how they make most of thier money. People think that because they are located inside a petsmart, it has to be reputable, but in reality, its just people out to make money. I was offered the pet nurse job, and i asked well dont i have to go to school for that, they told me no, they train me to do it, which is all fine and well, but the person that trains you doesn't even have a degree in what they do. As the front desk receptionist i was paid the same thing the pet nurse was, i answered phones, she drew blood, shots, dips, bloodwork. And they just openly told everyone in front of everyone else what they would be making (i was opening up a new store) The stress the only reason why the vet is there is to TREAT AND DIAGNOSE, they arent there to do much else other than that. They make their money based on how many animals they see, and promote the vet inside of petsmart to people shopping there. I take my baby to a REAL vet, not someone with who knows where they went to school, and what sort of experience they have.

[txshopper73]

Originally Posted by schatzie

I_Heart_Tito, What a shame to hear how this vet handled the entire situation of your little one. Maybe it's time to search for a new vet that can give a bit more attention to the needs of you and your Tito.

I completely agree with Schatzie on this one. They might be convenient, but after this episode, I would search to find another vet.

[Marie]

I_Heart_Tito,
The same thing happened to Gucci. Actually that is the reason I found YT when I was looking info about ringworm. I took Gucci to the vet the first week I got Gucci. I have noticed a small bald spot on her back and the vet did the "blue" light but she wasnt sure, so she did a culture test. She told me to call back for the results. I did and I was told it was negative. Nobody contacted me to tell me that a couple of days after I had called the test turned out to be positive. I was so angry at this vet that I took Gucci to a new vet. The new vet is inside the ASPCA in NYC, I love it there. The new vet told me to get the records from the previous vet, and that is how we found out that the test was indeed positive, which we have already figured out it was cause Gucci had lost more hair.
The vet prescribed an antibiotic shampoo, a sulfur pet dip and Itraconazole. I also had to shave her so it wouldnt spread anymore.
Gucci was on treatment for almost 5 months.
Good luck with your baby. It takes time but it can get under control. And yes you need to bleach everything, cloths, floor, blankets, walls, etc.

Here is some info I found on ringworm on dogs

Home remedy for Ringworm

Attached you can see how much hair she lost and how she looks now.

[Bodhi'sMom]

Just a thought ...

I stumbled across Complaints.com yesterday.

Denise, you might want to add your experience to their Banfield list.

Hubby's family recommended Banfield to us. We got the plan for shots and neuter.

Didn't take me long to realize that I should be looking for a real vet for everything else. Every answer to my questions sounded like it was read of a cue card.

I'm not thrilled about this ongoing vet search. It seems that many seriously lack people skills and shrug off our concerns. I know there are some wonderful ones out there and that I'll find one for Bodhi.

Either way, it's up to us dog owners to stay educated and networked when it comes to the health of our darling Yorkies.

I so appreciate the knowledge shared on this forum. You all are wonderful people!

[brosie1823]

My sister had a huge problem with Banfield too. She had the wellness plan and got her puppy shots there and went in to get her maltese spayed. When she took her in for the surgery, they pulled up her shot records, they found out that she had gotten the wrong shots for both her second and third sets! She only got a rabies shot her second set (which I though was supposed to be last), and her last set she got another rabies shot, and only half of the second set of shots! Now she has to get two more shots before anything can be done. And she's only a 5 lb dog! Anyway, enough of my rant. I hope everything with Tito gets well soon...ringworm is not very fun.

[mojo]

You should contact them and complain. You should not be charged for their error running the wrong test and then a 2nd visit.
I work in medical billing, things like this happen occassionally with patients and we would credit the tests back.
Doesn't hurt to at least call and complain.

[I_Heart_Tito]

Thank you all so much for your feedback and words of encouragement!

I did end up going up there and putting in a complaint. There wasn't anything they could do about giving us a credit because they gave us the right test...just the wrong results. I will DEFINATELY not be taking him up there ever again.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a vet in the Chicagoland area?

P.S. I do want to add though that I've been on this board for just 2 weeks and already some of the information that I've found here has been invaluable! I'm thankful a place like this exists.

[suzysmitt]

Yes, I would be really mad, and ask for a refund from the first vet there that gave you the wrong results. I've raised all kinds of dogs, and was a breeder for a while. If I ran into something like this, I'd tell them I want my money back, so I could go to a more competent Vets Office.


Smitty

[red98vett]

I'm sorry this happened - this was very interesting to hear - I don't know anyone who's actually WORKED in an Animal Hospital but what I just read didn't surprise me at all....pretty sad about commissions and all - but if I were in your position - I would fight to have ONLY the original fee's coming out of your pocket - the mistake and other visits they should reimburse you for - I'd be highly upset if they didn't cut you back a check - not to mention the aggreavation of not getting treatment -

Healthcare for us and for our Pets is SUCH a business now - what happened to CARING for patients and offering the BEST medical help to them when we go to a doctor and trust them with ourselves... and also our pets ? You have every right to be upset - I would be too !