Banfield Pet Hospital

I have had a great vet at New Hope Animal Hospital in Durham for many years but I moved to N. Raleigh (Leesville area) last year and was looking for a closer vet for routine shots, immunizations, check ups, etc. and found Banfield in Brier Creek to fit the bill easily. more

I would like to say to everyone. Dont go to a banfield clinic. I can best describe it as a McDonalds of pet care. They want you to over pay and you will get horrible results. I have worked in many clinics and currently work for a emergency clinic. If your pet experiences something you think is an emergency dont waste your time going to this clinic. Find a good local vet who you can ask friends or others about who is willing to give your pet the attention he or she deserves. This is a memeber of your family. If you want the best for your furry family member. Skip this place dont ever go there. It's a waste of money and the time money and energy will be well spent somewhere else. On a side note. If you go to a "good" vet. They wouldnt ask you to run test and other things that are not going to be helpful they will only cost you more money at banfield. I hope if you read this you will never even consider going to one. So what they have them in pet smarts. If they had a surgeon in walmart w more

Yes, Banfield is busy and it takes a long time to see a Vet. Yes, the nurses at the front desk can be rude. Yes, they overcharge (even though that "Wellness Plan" sounds amazing at first). Yes, the doctors are often condescending. However, the biggest complaint I have is their lack of care for your pet.\r \r Sure, they sound very concerned when they start diagnosing etc. Yet, very quickly, you?ll realize that all that ?talk? is a way to milk you out of your money. I had several bad experiences at two DIFFERENT Banfield Pet Hospitals. The worst is follows:\r \r We called Banfield on a Friday afternoon when our dog refused to eat, drink, was vomiting, and was having trouble walking. It was 7pm and I asked the front desk (since they closed at 8pm) if we should just take him to the Emergency Vet. I was assured that they could see me immediately and so my husband and I rushed him to Banfield. Upon arrival, we waited 30 minutes before anyone saw our dog. After seeing him, they requested more

It is very sad that only people with a bed experience take the time to write a comment. more

Bring your wallet!! They will do as many extras as possible whether they are needed are not. I was there with my cat for 3 1/2 hrs. She had a UTI , as I suspected and told the vet. I asked that her urine be checked and an antibiotic and fluids given if needed. I kept being pushed to do more expensive lab work. A computer moniter was in each room . The tech kept showing me possible charges and asking if I was willing to pay this much or how about this much? I asked for only the necessary treatment. $ 300.00 plus and 3 1/2 hrs later I was told my cat had a UTI. Then they wanted to keep her for 2 nights in the "hospital". No thanks, I'd have to mortage my house. I took her home and she recovered nicely after the anitibiotic started to kick in the next day. Yikes. Go elswhere. more

After having read Catherine L's comments, I concluded she works for Banfield. I don't want to waste anymore of my time on Banfield, so I won't make a long comment. It's been said before; just read the comments! Plus, they no longer have clinic hours, which were less expensive. You do not get the bang for your buck at Banfield. I won't go there again. more

Unfortunately, my very old and faithful cat is suffering today, and after agonizing about the decision all yesterday and this morning, I finally decided that he needs to be put down. I called Banfield with tears in my eyes, and was informed that they would have to give him a rabies shot before putting him down because he is just overdue and it is "state law." I am absolutely horrified. They have seen him before, and they know he is old, and I honestly can't believe that is what they would say. I don't mind paying for an exam today, but a rabies shot? You've got to be kidding me. He has always been an indoor cat, and state law or not you don't give a vaccination to a dying animal. Horrible, horrible, horrible. Do not go there. more

Review date: 2-28-10\r \r I have been taking my pet to this Banfield in Brier Creek for over two years and I'm shocked at the responses on this website. I have three pets that I take to the hospital, one dog and two cats, and they have ALWAYS received the best care. \r \r Many people have complained about wait times and I find it amazing that other pet owners expect/want a rushed service for their "precious pets." The doctors I have encountered are wonderfully precise in their examinations, especially Dr. Fischlein and Dr. Pitoc, and I could go on and on about how much I like them as veterinarians, as well as people. Pets cannot not tell the doctors themselves why they are not feeling well or why something hurts, so it makes sense that these visits will last a little longer than when humans go to the doctor. Do not mistake Banfield for a fast food version of a vet clinic because they perform the same services at the same rate as privately owned hospitals.\r \r The hospital staff has drastica more

I had brought in my puppy because he was sick and it took HOURS to get into a room to be seen as an emergency. He was throwing up and made this horrible wheezing noise. I was afraid that it may have been something contagious so I asked the nurse before hand if the symptoms I was giving her sounded like something where I should bring him into the back. She said they can't do that and that he should be fine coming in through the front. So I showed up and waited for 2 hours with him throwing up on the floor a few times until we were finally seen. We went into a room and waited forever some more just for the nurse to come in and ask us stupid questions like has he been throwing up or coughing? And I just looked at her like the idiot she is because she was THERE to clean up the mess in the front! Finally the doctor walks in asking what's wrong and says a nurse will be back in for some meds and she just came back with a bottle of Clindamycin and to follow the instructions on use. He DIED th more

My healthy kitten had his first vet visit on a Friday to have basic shots and a checkup. I had a scheduled appointment and still had to wait for 45 minutes by the front desk. After waiting we were sent to exam room 3 and waited again for 20 more minutes. While I was waiting in the exam room there was a dog barking in the backroom. I heard a nurse say "shut up dog" and rattle the cage door so hard their paper walls shook. The nurse came into the room and then the Vet. My kitten was taken to the backroom for a test. The Vet brought my kitten back into the room saying he had hissed at the nurse and she did not know why. I thought to myself, "I know why!"I signed up for the the package deal thinking that I would not have problems due to having a healthy kitten. Later that evening I decided that I was going to cancel my package deal on Monday after what I had heard the nurse say and the cage door rattling. On Saturday I found my kitten laying in diarrhea, shaking, lethargic and very warm. I more

My healthy kitten had his first vet visit on a Friday to have basic shots and a checkup. I had a scheduled appointment and still had to wait for 45 minutes by the front desk. After waiting we were sent to exam room 3 and waited again for 20 more minutes. While I was waiting in the exam room there was a dog barking in the backroom. I heard a nurse say "shut up dog" and rattle the cage door so hard their paper walls shook. The nurse came into the room and then the Vet. My kitten was taken to the backroom for a test. The Vet brought my kitten back into the room saying he had hissed at the nurse and she did not know why. I thought to myself, "I know why!"I signed up for the the package deal thinking that I would not have problems due to having a healthy kitten. Later that evening I decided that I was going to cancel my package deal on Monday after what I had heard the nurse say and the cage door rattling. On Saturday I found my kitten laying in stress, shaking, lethargic and very warm. I immediately called the vet. The nurse said that both vets were on their lunch breaks together and would not be back for around an hour. I called 4 times letting them know what was happening and that I would be arriving there very soon. I rapped up my extremely sick kitten in a towel and went up to Banfield. I waited for over 2 1/2 hours by the front desk for an emergency visit. My kitten started panting while we were waiting. I ran to the nurse in a panic. He had never done this before and it was not hot inside. The nurse said she could take him to the back and get water for him. I was not about to let him go to the back without me after the experience I had the prior day. She brought water from the back to the counter. There was a Vet that came out to the front desk to flirt with a woman for 20 minutes that had a healthy dog pickup. Meanwhile, I was still waiting with the emergency. I was finally escorted to exam room 2 being the last patient seen that day. The nurse came in and was leaning all over the exam table. She only asked questions that were on her computer screen. When it came to the screen page where it gave descriptions for the pet's eyes there was a pause. She said, "dilated eyes are not an option on the screen," so she skipped over it. The Vet finally came into the exam room. He was only in the room for less then 2 minutes and mainly looked at the computer screen. He sent his nurse back in and she started telling me what my kitten needed. She could not pronounce what she was trying to sell me while continuing to lean on the table. My kitten had fluids given and we left.The next day my kitten was having trouble breathing. We rushed him to a different Vet in Raleigh. He died on the way to the Vet. When we went to that Vet, they said that he should have received an allergy shot. This would have saved his life.I feel that on all levels this was the worst vet I have ever been to in Raleigh. They overbook for scheduled appointments, doctors take same time lunch breaks on busy weekend shifts instead of tapering them, they have a nurse who does not treat animals with kindness unless you are around, emergencies are treated as regular walk-ins, employees rely too heavily on computers verses basic knowledge of what they physically see, nurses are sent in to do the vet's dirty job of how much things cost, they have inadequate Vets on busy Saturdays, and they only want to tell you about their package deals and how much money you saved. Do me a favor and save a life not a dollar. It's not worth the risk of taking your pet to Banfield. Don't make the same mistake I did and regret it forever. Stay away from Banfield in Brier Creek. more

I would NOT recommend taking your pet here AT ALL. To start off, I was told that the "wellness" plan would completely cover my female lab to be spayed. They forgot to mention that the $299 pkg also has a $99 membership fee. I went ahead and paid that day and with my male lab I ended up paying over $500. Fine.. but when I brought my femal to get fixed, they waited until she was in their care to print out my total for that day. REALLY!? I understand paying for pain meds for home, but I paid $70!!!!! For things that were already supposed to be included. Then when I picked her up and paid the $70 they printed out a paper that had everything they did on it and the estimate that I would have paid had I not had the "wellness" pkg. It said I would have paid $1264... WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD PAY THAT!!!!!!!! Pros: they are actually very nice to your animals Cons: cost, efficiency, don't look out for YOU, feed you BS more

I've taken my dog to the Brier Creek Banfield location for about 3-4 years, and over the past year, the quality and timeliness has become intolerable. They are understaffed and too rushed to provide quality service to pets. In addition, they are horrible about making people wait just to drop of or pick up their pets - on average, I have waited 20-30 minutes just to drop off my pet, and it takes 45 minutes to about 1.5 hours (the latest time) to pick her up. I just spent over an hour waiting to see the vet for a quick suture check-up that took less than 10 minutes to perform. One might expect this from human doctors, but in my opinion, it's totally unreasonable for veterinary care. I am deeply disappointed in this provider and wold recommend to not use them - they are simply too busy to provide quality healthcare to your pet. more

I've taken my dog to the Brier Creek Banfield location for about 3-4 years, and over the past year, it the quality and timeliness has become intolerable. They are understaffed and too rushed to provide quality service to pets. In addition, they are horrible about making people wait just to drop of or pick up their pets - on average, I have waited 20-30 minutes just to drop off my pet, and it takes 45 minutes to about 1.5 hours (the latest time) to pick her up. I just spent over an hour waiting to see the vet for a quick suture check-up that took less than 10 minutes to perform. One might expect this from human doctors, but in my opinion, it's totally unreasonable for veterinary care. I am deeply disappointed in this provider and wold recommend to not use them - they are simply too busy to provide quality healthcare to your pet. more

Petsmart needs to take a close, close look at this veterinarian service using their stores. What happened to me sheds a poor light on Petsmart because the veterinarian office is inside Petsmart and advertises there. I strongly urge those who love their pets not to use Banfield Pet Hospital. After what happened to me, I would never feel my pet is safe under their "care."\r \r I went to get my dog a simple kennel cough shot. My dog doesn't do well around other dogs, so I called on the phone ahead of time to find out how to handle that in the store. I was told they could keep my dog in the back while I waited.\r \r When I got to the store, they took my dog and I assumed they would give him his shot and bring him back to me. There were only 3 people ahead of me. I waited 30 or more minutes and figured that maybe the doctor had a complicated situation necessitating a longer wait. I asked the receptionist if it would be okay if I ran over to the birdseed aisle to buy seed. She said no problem. I more

We've used these folks twice. When our cat hurt her back we were terrified it was something serious. They took her in right away and it was a muscle pull, but it was great having people take her in right away and ensure us it wasn't a serious injury without having to spend $1k in ER costs (we've been to the ER for two situations and we waited HOURS for them to do pretty much nothing). That said, the meds they prescribed made her groggy and our normal vet prescribed something that worked much better. The second time, our dog needed her anal glands expressed (she was very uncomfortable and we didn't want to wait until Monday to get them done by our normal vet). They let us in right away and she felt much better! I wouldn't use these folks as my primary vet care but they are cheaper than most ER Vets and they seem more reactive to pets in emergent situations, something I appreciated. more

Great caring people. The wait was minimal, the price reasonable and they really seemed so sweet to my cat. It was nice to see her treated so well. Each piece of the visit was handled well, and smoothly even at the end when we had to pay. There were many animals in there and all seemed to be handled the same way. more

For lab tests and an x ray and two office visits , I was charged over $900...was promised before my pet would seen that it would be cheap since they have all these "package deals"...never arrived at a diagnosis more