Banfield Pet Hospital

F.U. Banfield vet in east Harlem!!!
My dog is a senior and her arthritis is slowing her down. They told me without hardly looking at her that she was too old and there was nothing I could do for her. They said they wouldn’t give her medication unless they ran a bunch of expensive tests that hey had already run in January. I wasn’t even asked if I wanted them done. They just assumed I couldn’t afford it. What the hell, it’s not their dog so what do they care. Turns out I found a local guy who actually does care about the animals and he found (thru an actually examination!, go figure!!) that she’s got some muscle loss in her back legs and just needs some more exercise. We are awaiting the test results HE ran for us (at roughly ¹⁄₃ the cost of banfield) to see how her kidneys and liver are holding up before further meds. In the meantime he told me just what to do to make her feel better and more comfortable. Take notes you callous, money grubbing «veterinarians» at banfield. That’s what a real vet that cares about his patients does. And take note all who read this. Avoid banfield vet. Shop around for a local guy. They are caring and work with you and your pet to help in every possible way. My dog would be put down right now if I hadn’t gotten a second opinion. And she’s no where close to being that far along.
This is merely an abridged version of the story. To go into EVERY detail of the horribly insensitive ways we were treated there would take several pages. I am a freelance writer for an online and print magazine that circulates in the 5 Burroughs. I’m putting together a BIG article on just this kind of exploitation of authority and peoples love of their pets. And banfield, your front and center. If I had my way you’d be shut down.

The doctor was good but the treatment gets compromised by the constant pressure to up sell. My cat needed to get an EKG and they refused to do it without sedating her. She is completely docile and I explained that she has a medical history that would put her at risk. They wouldn’t budge so we got the procedure done without sedation at another location. The Banfield business model is flawed.

I have been a Banfield Client since 2003. I have two dogs enrolled in wellness plans. I began using your services in Brandon, FL and recently moved to New York City. The Banfield on Causeway Blvd in Brandon was AMAZING. They were gracious and caring and always willing to work with you.
In Florida I had such a pleasant and safe experience and assumed that this was standard at all of your hospitals. I moved to Brooklyn and the Banfield there was amazing. I loved the staff there and even though it was difficult to get to for me, it was worth it to know my dogs were in good hands.
HOWEVER, I moved to East Harlem and my impression of Banfield has been tarnished beyond repair. The Banfield of East Harlem has the worst customer service.
At First the service was excellent. They were able to fit us in if there was an emergency and the hours were convenient because of our work schedules. I have been since notified that the hours have been changed dramatically not being convenient at all. This is the only Banfield in the area and I’m sure they have a lot of clients so they are usually fully booked well in advance. The reason people use your hospital is because of your wellness plans. I cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars for each vet visit when they are sick or need comprehensive exams and I am sure others are in the same position.
Also, the past couple of times that I have called for emergency appointments I was greeted with rudeness and uncaring attitudes. This is not somewhere I would like to take my dogs to. I do not have children and these two animals are like my children. For example this morning approximately 25 minutes ago I called because my dog has a UTI. This is a serious AND PAINFUL illness and I have taken the day off to bring her in. I depend on Banfield to accommodate me as best as they can because I have an ill pet that needs to be treated AND I have been a customer of Banfield for over 12 years. Does that not count for anything? At least be courteous when explaining the situation.
The girl who seemed to not care at all told me that the morning doctor was in surgery all morning and that they were fully booked for the afternoon so I may or may not be seen. I then replied, «So if I show up with my dog and wait with her to be seen in the store all afternoon there is a chance I will have wasted an entire afternoon there because you won’t see me?» Her answer was YES! I couldn’t believe she said that. Then she said, «well it is raining so we may have some cancellations.»
How could you not have anyone to cover another Doctor that is in surgery all morning??? What if a dog was hit by a car and brought in? Would the owner have to wait to be seen? So I ended the call with I will be in later with her and wait because to take her to an emergency vet in NYC would cost at least $ 400 to start. She didn’t even look up my account which is standard. Why should I have to do this when I pay Banfield monthly for TWO Wellness Plan and their benefits. I should be able to be seen and not given negative attitude or uncompromising responses. I have paid thousands of dollars to you for caring for my pets and this is how I get treated?
I have never been treated this way EVER at Banfield. Where is the customer service or the compassion. Do you care about the animals that come into your hospital or are you just there for a paycheck? Another time my husband took one of our dogs and he waited for two hours in one of the freezing cold exam rooms before anyone came in to even talk to him? No «Hey I’m sorry about the wait.» NOTHING!!!
Banfield, you really need to reconsider the staff you have working there and with the limited amount of Petsmart Stores that you have in NYC the hours should go back to the way they were before so that people can bring there pets in for emergencies without a hassle or being told they may not be seen. Do you not want the money or clientele?
I am considering canceling both plans when they expire and taking my chances with a regular vet. If I can’t be seen at Banfield then I will be spending the money on other vets anyway. For now, I will be waiting with my sick dog, hoping to be seen today. Thanks Banfield of East Harlem for making a customer and pet feel like they were not a priority.

I have decided to get another addition to my family. I went back to have her added and to get her first set of shots. There has been a complete change and the staff was even more welcoming with little to no long wait time. Thank you Xuxu, Tiffany, Christina, Dr Bernard. Continue success with the new and improved service at banfield. There has been major improvement. Very satisfied completely. Thank you.

This place is a fucking joke. My brother rescued a dog who was going to be sent to the NYACC and we brought her here so she could get examined, updated on her vaccines etc. The vet told my brother about the insurance and how it would be good for this and this and that. Long story short, the dog needed some dental work and he was told that the insurance would cover for it blah blah blah. A month or two later we make the appointment, wake up very early to drop her off around 6−7am and we were told she was 2^nd in place. And we would be able to pick her up at 5pm. My brother was really worried about his dog so he called at 1pm to find out how everything was going. Can you believe that they hadn’t done a thing? No dental work whatsoever. Like I’m confused, so that whole 6 hours they were only taking care of 1 other dog, THEN they tell my brother that apparently the insurance wasn’t going to cover it and that if they would proceed with the procedure he would not be able to pick up his dog unless he paid a certain amount. Are these people serious? Never will I ever come here again nor recommend this place to anyone. If the insurance wasn’t going to cover it then that is something that should have been said at the drop off time so that everything could be taken care of. Not take the dog, keep it in a cage for hours and be like «oh by the way, the insurance doesn’t actually cover it» 500 hours later. That is not cool. Off I go to find another vet that actually cares about my pets.

Horrible wait times. Actually charged me for a procedure that was not done on my pet. I requested to have his nails cut while he was getting a dental cleaning (under anesthesia)…they had no problem charging me, but didnt do it.

Fantastic place. We went for the first time today (had used other Banfields in New Jersey) for our two senior citizen pets (dog is 16 and cat is 15). Convenient from the upper westside, easy parking right outside, and Dr. Kim was terrific. And the price was reasonable, compared to almost every other vet I’ve ever used. I will be recommending this location to everyone.

My first impression of the doctor was that she was pretty nervous and uneasy, it could have had something to do with the fact that a dog just died while in her care. I heard the whole commotion while waiting in the exam room to be seen. (Btw, I waited for an hour before I was seen.)
Even though she looked upset I decided I would give her a chance with my Cats exam and shots, after all its just a simple exam and shots. Boy was I wrong, my cat was held down and made to withstand her numerous attempts to draw blood from both her hind legs.
The vet used a butterfly needle, she attempted to find a vein, knew she didn’t see one and proceeded to stick my cat anyway, then while the needle was still under the skin she began to pull the needle in and out and wiggle it back and forth still without finding a vein. My cat cried and meowed in pain as she did the same to both hind legs. I asked them not to make anymore attempts to draw blood and if they could just leave for five minutes let my cat rest and then come back and give her the shots.
But, by then my cat was in distress, she would not let the Vet come near her. The vet tech tried to hold her down, I tried to hold her down but we could not calm her. I felt really sad for my cat because she trust me and I let these people hurt her. The vet would get close with the needle start to stick it in and then my cat would jump and she would pull the needle out without injecting the vaccine. The Vet did this more than three times.
Then the Vet tech decided she was going to get a muzzle and put it over my cats face. This muzzle seamed very barbaric, it covered her eyes, and entire face with only a small hole for her nose. I mentioned to the Vet tech that this seamed a bit medieval, and the Vet tech just said she has a hole to breath through. Even With a muzzle and with my cat wrapped in a towel, neither one of them could get it together to give the last shot.
AT that point I had enough and I said you guys have to stop. And the vet tech said well its the law she needs this shot and then stormed out of the room. I tried to reason with the vet as to where did this whole fiasco go wrong and she just kept saying we didn’t know your cat, we didn’t know we shouldn’t try to take blood and give her shots at the same time. But the next time they will know. In my mind I’m like, «there will never be a next time lady!»
I guess I was wrong for trusting them, to top it all off, I called Banfield to put in a complaint and I received a call today from the East harlem location manager asking me what happened (although she received a full report) and after I begrudgingly told her, she said nothing like this has ever happened before. Then she tried to blame my cat, So, I asked her well did you speak to the Vet yet?” She said no, so I said then, «how would you know? and Why are you calling me just to tell me that this would never happened?» She said she would call me back after she spoke to the vet. Even she does call back they will never admit they were wrong.

I’ve been using Banfield for a few years now, but just started going to this location a few months ago. Everyone has been very nice so far. When I check in, I never have to wait very long and the staff seem to care and the examinations are very thorough. It does seem a bit harder to get an appointment at this location than at my former Banfield. I understand they get booked pretty fast, but when you are paying $ 30 a month for their wellness plan, you would expect to get an appointment when needed.

I am not going back to Banfield ever again because I have gotten the impression that they don’t care about my dog at all and just want to make money in any way. When I went on february 5 to the east harlem location, they pushed the wellness plan down my throat the whole visit. I get that that’s what they’re trying to sell but it’s a rip off by the time I use it for what I’d like to: 1 – 2 visits a year, vaccinations and deworming for a healthy 3 year old dog. If I paid out of pocket for that, it’d be cheaper than paying for the rip off plan for a year. Their plan also doesn’t cover emergencies, such as if my dog injures himself at the dog park and needs bandages and stitches. So it seems like a total waste of money for what I’d like it for.
To make matters worse, I had 2 objectives for this visit. 1.) update my dog’s vaccines and 2.) have them look at his claw which was injured at the dog park.
They immediately became fixated on trying to bandage his claw. Keep in mind, the claw was ripped but healing nicely and starting to grow back when the wound got reopened at the dog run recently but it didn’t look like anything major. I had told them I was just keeping it clean and wanted it looked at. They suggested bandaging it for good measure and I thought, why not? Until I realized that bandaging his claw would cost $ 481 that isn’t covered by my insurance and wouldn’t even be covered by their useless wellness plan if I was to purchase it. One of the ridiculous charged on the invoice was $ 80 just for some gauze to bandage it. I was like, I could go out into your store right now and get a whole bunch of bandage for about $ 8! Needless to say, I told them I’m not spending over $ 400 to bandage a claw and they continued to try to pressure me into doing it in case he loses his entire toe where the claw is! (That was almost 2 months ago, I kept the area clean and his claw and paw are completely healed… Thank God I refused to pay that amount).
So — they continued to pressure me about the claw and told me that if I can’t afford everything in one visit, we should bandage the claw now and do vaccines next time (um– but these are required annual vaccines and they expired 2 weeks ago!) Maybe the vaccines aren’t as profitable as the bandage would have been, so that’s the reason they’d rather wait on them? Just a guess… I insisted on getting his vaccines. They would only do rabies and bordatella and said to wait on the third one (parvo) because it had another week left on its expiration date. Fine.
Now, it’s been awhile, his parvo has been expired for a month and I just called them to try to make an appointment to get that done and they told me I’d have to pay $ 80 for another exam before I can get the shot, even though he had an $ 80 exam a couple months ago. They don’t care. They won’t vaccinate until they get the money for another useless exam.
So forget them. What a rip off. They’re clearly all about money. Take your pets elsewhere.

I would give them less if I could and let me also note I have never written a Unilocal review before so that should let you know how upset I am. Today my dog accidently got hold of a bite of my raisin bagel. The most raisins he could have eaten was two or three. Knowing that these were not good for him I immediately called Banfield as they are our vet here in NY. The doctor preceded to tell me to either bring him to the er or there get his stomach pumped, get him hooked up on ivs etc. I explained to her it was only 2 maybe 3 raisins and that we simply could not afford a 500 dollar bill. She preceeded to make me feel as if I didn’t love or care for my dog even though I pay 60 bucks a month to have him on their wellness plan. She told me how to make him throw up and of course we did that just to be safe. She then told us to bring him in after than for at least the minimum of giving him fluids. I hung up with her and called my vet from a Banfield in Louisiana whom I have used for 14 years and the only reason I don’t anymore is we moved. He told me that this vet was absolutely wrong and she intentionally was working me up and making me scared to simply get money. While it is true raisins are toxic 2 or 3 would not result in what she was suggesting for a dog my size. While it was safe to make him throw up he felt that was probably unnecessary as well. I’m sorry but stay away from this place. They just want your money and try to make you fearful and scared to get it. We will be cancelling our plan and going somewhere else asap.

I have been a loyal customer for over 5 years with two pets on wellness plans. I have never experienced such poor customer service from any company as I did today at the Banfield Harlem. I had booked an appointment about a month ago or so for my two pets Jolie and Lucas today, ¹¹⁄₃₀ at 11:00 and 11:30. I arrived today at about 11:10. The two receptionist were each on the phone for about 7 to 9 minutes, Sue and Elizabeth. Neither one of them acknowledged us while on the phone and Sue the girl in training I believe when she got off the phone still didn’t acknowledge us and went to the back room for a few minute no big deal. When we finally spoke with Elizabeth, she had said we couldn’t be seen because they have new management and the new policy is that if you don’t confirm by 2 PM the prior day they cancel the appointment. I had explained that I’ve never heard of this policy all my years being a client and I receive the reminder emails and no where on the email does it say to confirm the appointment. She then said she would see what she could do, upon coming back she goes it’s now past 11:20 you wouldn’t be able to be seen because your now late our new policy under our new management is 15 minutes. This was even more frustrating because 1^st off I was within the appropriate time frame of the late grace period, I don’t feel I should of been penalized for them being on the phone and not acknowledging the actual time that I had arrived. At that point I was so frustrated I said you know what that’s fine if I don’t get the 11:00, I still have my 11:30 appointment and would be on time for that. She said because both appointments were booked together they would both be canceled. This was even more frustrating because 1. I had to pay the parking lot for this appointment 2. My fiancé specifically took off work this morning to accommodate me 3. I had spent money on the drug Alprazolam and dispensed this medicine to my pet Jolie this morning as she does not do well at the vet. I had explained all of this. The most that I was offered was a drop off and was told the earliest both pets could be seen was 2:00 Pm, which didn’t work for me as I work in Flushing from 1 to 9 and by that point I would imagine the Alprazolam would of worn off Jolie and I didn’t understand why I should inconvenienced. Even after explaining all of this there was not one thing done to accommodate me. At that point I knew they weren’t going to do anything to accommodate me, so I at least asked for a free refill for Jolie’s Alprazolam or at least reimbursement and they said that there was nothing that they could do. Today was a total loss as well as a complete inconvenience. I have never heard of such ridiculous polices, nor have experienced such a lack of customer service or lack of any effort to try to accommodate myself as a loyal paying customer.

Ok staff and great vet! I have been to this Banfield for about 2 years. I have the dog Wellness program so I take my dog there at least twice a year.
Some staff are great while some are average (not very helpful). I would have given them 4 stars instead of 5 but the vets there are amazing. I highly recommend Dr. Walsh, she is always friendly and she always answer our questions. She makes the vet visiting experience great!
Beware that you will be in the vet for a long period of time though because when you go into the exam room, it takes some time for the vets or staff to come.

I’ve had enough with this clinic. Today was my last straw. I was checked in 5 minutes of standing there — fine. I was placed into a freezing room with my 4.5 month puppy — Fine. I was made to wait about 25 mins before I got up and asked why no one had come into see me, waited another 10 for a response, a cat or something — fine. I waited another 15 to finally see someone, the nurse. She was friendly as always, OK this was fine, I can be patient.
Nurse was there total of 5 mins and left, I was made to wait another 10 – 15 not sure because at this point I was freezing and loosing feeling in my arms — Fine. Vet comes in, she’s a friendly Vet, but really 79.00 a visit for the Vet to ask me if anything was wrong and just take an ear swap and run her fingers down my pups body??? My pup was there for a rabies shot and vaccine booster, this took less than 10 mins to administer. I would have appreciated the nurse to have done it when she first came in instead of having to wait for Vet, then have to wait again another 10 mins or so for them to get the shots ready.
I have brought all 3 of my dogs here on a consistent basis the last 2 years, but today was the first time I realized how stupid I’ve been.
Last note, I to pay with care credit, which has my husbands name on it. I am apparently not a co-​signer but have signed for it many times before in other high end vet clinics. This should not have been the fiasco it was. I was denied and made to wait 20 – 30 mins to get told that my husband should just come in to sign. My questions, why couldn’t they have just called my husband, who is on file? to ask if it was ok? Why not just have told me to have him come in to sign in the first place? I literally live across the street and they know that from how many times I’ve been there and it’s on my record.
I was kept hostage at Banfield for 2 hours. I’m tired, I’m beyond frustrated right now and will look to bring my dogs somewhere else.

If i could give this place minus stars i would. I am a positive person so its not worth my energy getting into details but I will take the time to post here that any human with a heart for animal should stay far away from here. I strongly recommend not going there because of the staff and crew including the vets themselves, who are far form human or compassionate and treat animals owners as well as their animals like things and robots instead of living beings. They are heartless and remind me of the staff that you get on the phone when you call banks, the DMV or any other in-​personable large corporation or gov office that talk to you like out of a machine and would not care less about you as customer. I can tolerate this for material matters but most definitely not for when i need medical attention for my loved ones. STAY FAR FAR AWAY.

I took my cat in for an examination after he was experiencing some stomach problems and symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. It took a little over two weeks to get an appointment, so if you suspect that you need your animal examined, do not delay.
My cat was examined by Dr. Walsh and she conducted a thorough examination, explained the issues my cat was having in a way I could understand, and gave me great suggestions. She did NOT try to upsell me, and provided me with a treatment plan for options I could take now or in the future.
This was my first visit to the Banfield Animal Hospital and I was able to take advantage of the FREE consultation and exam (normally $ 79). I like to keep my pennies in my pocket, so this was a great way of drawing me in as a customer. All I paid for was his stomach and URI meds and then they sent me on my way.
Only drawback was the wait time. I had a 2:45 appointment and the vet didn’t conduct the exam until closer to 3:30. Other than that, I have no other real complaints. Everyone was super nice and they were gentle with my cat (meow :-).

I bought the wellness plan and used this in Indiana which was great, Harlem, not so much. If you’re pet is ever sick, you will not be able to get an appointment the day off, and sometime its 3 — 8 days before they will schedule your sick dog. I wouldn’t sign up for the wellness plan because it ends up not benefiting you when you need it.

Dr. Douglas is the kindest, most attentive, most knowledgable vet we’ve met. No matter how concerned we are about the latest of our medically-​needy cat’s issues, Dr. Douglas guides us through the diagnoses, prognoses, and courses of action thoroughly.
The treatments at Banfield may be expensive, but some of us believe that our pets are worth a chunk of change (even despite a underpaid teacher’s salary).
The wait can be long, but it’s worth it considering the amount of attention we receive. Dr. Douglas spends as much time as it takes to give us the right amount of attention. We never leave feeling short-​shrifted.
In what could be a corporate, big-​box animal hospital, Dr. Douglas gives us the kind of individualized care we haven’t found anywhere else.

I signed up for the Wellness plan for my 12 week old puppy that was having pretty consistent Urinary tract infections. At the time, I figured, I might as well pay $ 70 a month to get free office visits just in case (instead of 75 $ a visit) and get a spay + bi-​annual checkup to boot.
Here’s the thing with the wellness plan, I feel it’s a little bit of a scam. I signed up for the wellness plan with the understanding that because I’m in the program, the things I signed up for (Spay, Comprehensive Checkups) would be fully covered but they’re not.
For instance, I went in this morning to drop my dog off for her Spay which is part of the Wellness Plan, I was charged $ 36 for a cone, $ 30 for antibiotics, & $ 20 for pain medication. These items are optional «plus-​ups» and not part of the package.
When I would go in for a checkup or to get my dogs UTI’s resolved, the office visit fee was waived, but any procedure or test of any kind was an additional fee. Need Benadryl? Another fee. Basically any action that isn’t talking with the doctor is going to be an additional fee on top of the $ 70 a month + signup fee.
So, for the year I will be spending $ 1250-​$ 1500 in Banfield. In retrospect, even with the spay and comprehensive checkups, I think it’s too much. For older dogs, this would probably be completely worth it. But for younger dogs who don’t have a health problems, it’s just 60 bucks a month down the drain. I could have gone to a spay clinic and had the procedure done for under a hundred dollars.
The positives of this place is that it’s really clean and they are accommodating when you need to get in for an emergency. The staff is also nice.
Negatives are it’s really pricey, there are hidden fees in every section of the wellness program, & the doctors/​nurses consistently try to sell you the most expensive procedures even semi appropriate for your situation. On several occasions we stood in line for over a half an hour with an appointment as well.
Update 7.21.2014
I’m actually updating this review from two stars to one. We have since moved on to other smaller Vets in the Harlem area and since moving I now realize how drastically overpriced this place is. This was my first pet so I didn’t have anything to compare this to when I wrote the first review and I think it’s only fair to give credit where it’s due. We did a quick google and the new vet we enrolled with is ¼ of the price, nicer, more accommadating and quicker and actually cares for our pet. I can’t think of any reason to ever go here again.

DO NOT bring your pet here under any circumstances. If this sounds overblown please read the rest of my review to understand why I say that.
I visited the East Harlem Banfield a few days ago when my cat had gotten let outside and was attacked by stray cats. She was very much in pain and refused to move her tail so it was limp behind her when she did try to walk. Since I had always used Banfield in another state where I used to live it seemed logical to bring her to one.
The initial check up by the nurse (?) was fine, but when the actual vet on staff, Miu Douglas, came in things took a very negative turn. Without so much as getting within two feet of my cat, let alone actually examining her, she was intensely insistent that the tail simply must be dead because it was lying limp. Her ‘professional’ test for this was to simply pinch the end of the tail which supposedly proved outright that the tail was actually dead and the only choice of amputation or death.
I naturally became very overwhelmed by the information and instead of trying to be sympathetic or helpful she continued to batter me with how urgently the tail had to come off and how she can do the surgery right now and waiting any longer would be inhumane, etc. At this point remember she had still not actually examined my cat, other than feeling her belly. She tells me it will cost $ 1000 even though she’s giving me a ‘break’ from the ‘usual’ $ 1500. I tell her I need time to think and she continues to come down on me about doing it now. I begin to get suspicious of her intentions at this point and question her credentials. She gets on the defensive quickly and tells me to call someone if I need to and leaves the room. At this point I decide a second opinion is the better call.
Fast forward to another nearby vet. I tell her the whole story and she remarks how she’s not surprised given how many other people come to her from this Banfield complaining of similar treatment. After a real exam she determines the tail wound has simply inflamed the tissue hence the lack of movement and reaction to pain. She gives my cat an anti-​inflammatory and prescribes some pain meds and antibiotics and sends us on our way. Not 6 – 7 hours later my cat had mobility and feeling back in her supposedly ‘dead’ tail. Unbelievable. I walk out with less than a ¼ of what I would have paid for that ‘urgent surgery’ with a happier, healthier pet.
Long story short, Miu Douglas is as greedy and incompetent as they come and will clearly do anything she can to take advantage of you at the expense of your pet.