[skisickie]

Banfield is not like anyother place. HORRIBLE, NO CONSIDERATION FOR THE ANIMAL OR BUDGET, INFERIOR CARE, OVERSELLING, and the list goes on. AVOID any Banfield

[GailMI]

Originally Posted by WestieJeff

Just about very animal hospital in the valley has people who love and hate it. My wife is a vet and has worked at several hospitals in the valley, that's why I rarely recommend any hospitals.

Banfield is a cookie cutter corporate shop that hires a lot of new grads. Many vets look down on Banfield, but really just like any other clinic, it's not so much about the hospital, but the individual vet who is treating your animal. Banfield is heavily commission/production oriented (yes, if you didn't know, most vets are on some type of commission/production pay schedule).

It was smart to get the distended abdomen checked out. That can be GDV, which is an emergency life threatening disease if not treated very quickly. Anything like this, you can expect the vet to order bloodwork and x-rays, they can't diagnose without at least that info.

I can't speak to $950 for getting the distended abdomen checked out, but $650 for a dental is not unheard of. Dental extractions need to be done by a vet and that pricing isn't included in the base price. Unless you're getting your pet's teeth cleaned very regularly (depending on breed, small dogs need it more often) then they will need extractions. Most people get their pet's teeth cleaned like every 5 years and often times they need a lot of extractions unless your pet has great teeth or you're brushing them regularly.

You know, I don't mind spending whatever I need to on the dogs. I just didn't feel for sure like I wasn't getting ripped off. I need to have vets that I at least halfway trust, and perhaps a smaller clinic where I know the vets and don't get a different one every time. I just had a bad feeling. And my dogs are older, and to be honest, I need to find a caring vet because this will probably be the one with whom we deal with "end of life issues." If a vet that I trust says it'll be $950 to check it out, I'm OK (if unhappily broke) with it. But Banfield just gave me a funny feeling...

PS--what's GDV? Whatever she had, it seems to be gone now. She's feeling better anyway and eating and pooping. Which seems to be the most important things in a dog's life.

[GailMI]

Originally Posted by skisickie

Banfield is not like anyother place. HORRIBLE, NO CONSIDERATION FOR THE ANIMAL OR BUDGET, INFERIOR CARE, OVERSELLING, and the list goes on. AVOID any Banfield

Yikes! Nothing like feeding my paranoia! I actually felt that the fact that I was sniveling like a baby over my dog encouraged them to order more tests. Although, the vet herself seemed very nice. I just didn't like the way they did things. You talk to the vet, the vet examines your animal and leaves. Then they send the assistant in with the "estimate". And you have to decide what all of the things are, etc. Just seemed more like an oil change place in some sort of way...

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by skisickie

Banfield is not like any other place. HORRIBLE, NO CONSIDERATION FOR THE ANIMAL OR BUDGET, INFERIOR CARE, OVERSELLING, and the list goes on. AVOID any Banfield

I totally agree. And those "assistants' at Banfield that are supposed to up-sell you on treatments your dog doesn't need are the most ignorant people on the planet.

My dogs have always gotten the best care at small, independent clinics like South Shores, and Pecos and Russell animal hospitals. They love Dr. Suzuki at South Shores, and Dr. Paetz at Pecos and Russell is the most caring vet I've ever known. If the doctors at South Shores weren't so good, I'd make the long drive across town to see Dr. Paetz for sure.

[WestieJeff]

Originally Posted by GailMI

You know, I don't mind spending whatever I need to on the dogs. I just didn't feel for sure like I wasn't getting ripped off. I need to have vets that I at least halfway trust, and perhaps a smaller clinic where I know the vets and don't get a different one every time. I just had a bad feeling. And my dogs are older, and to be honest, I need to find a caring vet because this will probably be the one with whom we deal with "end of life issues." If a vet that I trust says it'll be $950 to check it out, I'm OK (if unhappily broke) with it. But Banfield just gave me a funny feeling...

PS--what's GDV? Whatever she had, it seems to be gone now. She's feeling better anyway and eating and pooping. Which seems to be the most important things in a dog's life.

GDV is basically where the stomach twists similar to tying itself in a knot and blocks anything from leaving the gut, which is why it gets distended. It's not that common, but if it does happen, it needs to be treated immediately or the animal will die.

Glad to hear your doggy is doing better. Sorry it cost you $950 to find that out.

[WestieJeff]

Although I know this won't be well received, I've gotta write it anyways.

The reality is that the type of interaction you're describing is that exact same that you get from a human MD. Things will have to move more and more towards this in order for veterinary medicine to continue to survive.

They are on my wife (and every other doctor at her clinic) every single month about numbers. The standard is that vets are expected to gross 5x their gross salary for the clinic. So if she is earning 50k a year, she needs to gross 250k a year for the clinic. If she isn't earning that then she is expected to work more hours, charge for more things that you might have gotten for free before (like ear cleanings, nail trims, mostly small stuff), or take a pay cut.

My wife is expected to see around 15-20 patients per day. Quick stuff like vaccines are allotted 15 minutes. More complex stuff is given 30 minutes. On top of that she has to return phone calls, interpret labs, and write charts. 55-65 hours a week in the office is not uncommon. All that will earn you a median salary of around 75k a year. That may not sound too bad, but you spent 8 years and at least 125k on just vet school to earn that salary.

The vets want to spend more time with your pets, but they have to put food on the table too. In the equation of [clients seen] x [average charge] you either have to charge more or see more patients. Nobody likes either of those options.

Originally Posted by GailMI

You talk to the vet, the vet examines your animal and leaves. Then they send the assistant in with the "estimate". And you have to decide what all of the things are, etc. Just seemed more like an oil change place in some sort of way...

[judy62849]

I, too, need some very low cost veterinary treatment. My son's cat has been treated for an infected cyst sort of a thing at the vet's in Southern Hills. They want around $800 to remove it and my son does NOT have the money. They had him in tears today telling him to have the surgery done or to have the cat put down. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by WestieJeff

Although I know this won't be well received, I've gotta write it anyways.

The reality is that the type of interaction you're describing is that exact same that you get from a human MD. Things will have to move more and more towards this in order for veterinary medicine to continue to survive.

They are on my wife (and every other doctor at her clinic) every single month about numbers. The standard is that vets are expected to gross 5x their gross salary for the clinic. So if she is earning 50k a year, she needs to gross 250k a year for the clinic. If she isn't earning that then she is expected to work more hours, charge for more things that you might have gotten for free before (like ear cleanings, nail trims, mostly small stuff), or take a pay cut.

My wife is expected to see around 15-20 patients per day. Quick stuff like vaccines are allotted 15 minutes. More complex stuff is given 30 minutes. On top of that she has to return phone calls, interpret labs, and write charts. 55-65 hours a week in the office is not uncommon. All that will earn you a median salary of around 75k a year. That may not sound too bad, but you spent 8 years and at least 125k on just vet school to earn that salary.

The vets want to spend more time with your pets, but they have to put food on the table too. In the equation of [clients seen] x [average charge] you either have to charge more or see more patients. Nobody likes either of those options.

Seriously, I applaud you for telling it the way it is!

It's all about justifying your salary and the veterinary equivalent of 'billable hours'.

Meanwhile, I have heard good things about Ann Road Veterinary Clinic and their costs are pretty reasonable. I would urge you to get this done as soon as possible. I lost a beautiful Great Dane at less than 2 years old due to squamous cell carcinoma that started as a small bleeding growth.

Best of luck to you and your pup!

[airics]

we go to Camino El Norte animal hospital (Dr. Johnston), which is the sister hospital for Ann Road. I only have good things to say (except for the new receptionist who is not very customer orientated)

[SoHoVe]

Originally Posted by judy62849

I, too, need some very low cost veterinary treatment. My son's cat has been treated for an infected cyst sort of a thing at the vet's in Southern Hills. They want around $800 to remove it and my son does NOT have the money. They had him in tears today telling him to have the surgery done or to have the cat put down. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

If you are shopping only by price due to your sons financial situation you might want to call Ark animal hospital out in the NW...I have no personal experience with them other than knowing they were MUCH less expensive than many of the other clinics in the area.

Good Luck!