Banfield Pet Hospital

We took our dog here for the last 9 years, and to the location in Gurnee for her first 3 years. I was always able to schedule appointments quickly and easily, and received reminders and follow up calls. That is beyond the level of service that I have ever received from any of my own physicians!
Every doctor, technician, and assistant has been friendly and professional. They have always received our dog with enthusiasm, which let us know she was going to be well cared for during her stay. The drop off service has been so convenient; and doctors always followed up with updates via phone calls. Again, where else does one receive such great service?
Recently, we had to make the decision to have our dog put to sleep. The level of care and compassion that all of the staff gave us was simply beautiful. My husband and I were so grateful for the manner in which we and our pet were treated — they were so respectful, informing us every step along the way, allowing us to have and take all the time we needed to say goodbye. A short while later, we even received a card, hand-​signed by the doctor and several staff members.
Thank you Sarah, Kaylene, Shannon, Kathy, Liz, Lori, Lisa, Kayla, and Dr. Steinhauer — and many more over the years! Thank you for loving our sweet Calico well! Bless you!

I wish there were Zero stars I could give this location. We had always used Banfield (a different location closer to our home) for the basics with our cats over the years. We weren’t wowed by them but it was easy & basic so we didn’t think twice… until one of our 17-​year-​old cats had serious problems. The location closer to home couldn’t see us for several days so we opted to go to this location. The male vet who saw us was not the least bit helpful or sympathetic & barely looked at our cat. He rattled off a bunch of medical technical jargon & couldn’t explain in layman’s terms when asked what the heck he meant. And it turns out he gave us terrible advice/​treatment without even having done an x-​ray on our cat. Since we were very unhappy with this place we looked up on Unilocal and found an amazing animal hospital near our home and took our cat there the next day. The other vet was floored by what the vet at this Banfield location recommended & what he did/​did not do — causing unnecessary trauma to both our poor sick cat and ourselves. Had the vet at this Banfield location done an x-​ray he would have known the problem was far more serious and grave and not wasted precious time. Unfortunately it would not have changed the incredibly sad outcome for our dear cat but it certainly would have made his last days with us more peaceful. The vet at this location did give us pricing on x-​rays, etc. but said it wasn’t necessary at that time and we should wait a few days first and try these other things. and by the way the pricing on their x-​rays for a cat at Banfield was 3 times higher than the price at the amazing animal hospital near our home.

Nothing but problems with this location. Not friendly or helpful. Brought my dogs in for a wellness check up and they did not have the tags for my county which they told me after I paid. I had to seek the help of another Banfield to get a refund and go to the county to get the tags. Which I could not get at another Banfield because they did not issue the shots. Then my dog needed its anal glands drained and still continues to scoot. The other Banfield location says they need to be drained again and that they dont fill up in less then 7 days if done properly or at all. When I called they wanted to charge me again to re drain them. If my dog was not on a high fiber diet of pumpkin carrots apples and other vegetables I could see. Any other time it takes 2 – 3 months for them to fill again. Not good customer service in my book and It just feels that they are looking to nickle and dime you to death at this location. I definitely will not be going back and prefer the Bloomingdale location.

Poor service, Rude staff after being a customer for 11 years. Over the years Banfield had some amazing staff and doctors. But, this weekend when I needed their help the most for my 11.5 year old dog, they let me down. My dog has been diagnosed with Melanoma (benign but locally aggressive). 3 months ago she couldnt walk one day, she had severe pain and high fever on her bad leg/​armpit. I had rushed her to the ER and after antibiotics and pain meds she recovered. Subsequently, she went through xrays, blood work at Banfield. And I spent almost 3000 $ at a speciality clinic on CT scans and biopsy. She has had many needle aspirations, tests and a biopsy at Banfield as well. The diagnosis was confired a benign Melanoma. This past weekend she couldn’t walk again, had fever, swelling and severe pain. We were advised that this could happen. The only option given was amputation, which is not an option. She gave her pain meds and antibiotics left over from her previous episode. (Palliative care).
Instead of forcing 90 lbs dogs to walk, jump into the car and go to Schaumburg (35 miles from where I now live) I called the office and explained the reoccurrence. I asked them for the prescription that was given 3 months ago that worked. Despite her history they claimed no knowledge of her condition, past meds and demanded that I get all paperwork from the speciality clinic. They said they were scared for their license for a controlled substance. While my dog was in pain and running out of the few pills left.
After they were satisfied that this was not a fake request, they were willing to give her the meds. the only problem they would not email the prescription, upload it to the Banfield site or send it to another closer Banfield for it to be filled. Apparently one Banfield can’t honor a prescription from another Banfield since they don’t have a pharmacy license. I called 1800petmeds for medication but hospital sat on it for two days leaving me no option but go down to the Schaumburg location or spend hundreds of dollars at an ER close by. The same medication is twice as expensive at Banfield. So, I go down to Schaumburg, collect the meds and ask for a written prescription I can take back but they would not give me her prescription. So I call Monday and ask them again for the prescription, this time thoroughly frustrated with the service and I threaten leaving them as a customer.
Dr Williams calls me back and the first thing from her is an order that I be more patient with her staff. Nothing to inquire any my dog or her condition. After a lengthy frustratingly defensive conversation she apologized for how difficult they have been with a long standing customer and a dog in pain. I am honestly tired with your service and I am truly wondering why I paid you guys thousands of dollars these past 11years.

Dr. Henriquez is AMAZING!!! Our 10 year old dog unfortunately was diagnosed with lymphoma last week and died a couple days ago. Throughout the initial testing, results and treatment decisions, etc dr henriquez was very compassionate and caring. I had tons of questions and he always took the time to answer them and offer his advice. He even called after hours to check on how our dog was doing. On his day off he went to another facility to get our dogs cytology results so that we didn’t have to wait another day. He went above and beyond any other vet I’ve been to before. I will be bringing my other dog to seen him for all future appointments. Thanks Dr H!

Horrible. The rooms are dirty, the staff is rude and every single time I take my dogs here they find something wrong with them. They work up a 500 plan. Seriously?! Take your dogs elsewhere. Yeah the wellness plan is great but don’t ever miss a payment! I changed debt cards and forgot to call them. They let it go 3 months before I found out. I called them and they demanded full payment or collections. Apparently they can submit to collections and your credit report without your social. Not sure how that’s legal. They are awful!

I hate giving 1 stars to anyone but this place truly deserves a 0. Terrible Service! I made a 5pm appointment and I wasn’t checked in until 6pm! How is this possible? How can a business do this to paying customers? Why ask for appointments then? I will never comeback to this Banfield again and I am seriously considering canceling my wellness Plan. This is a disaster of a location. Please folks who read this reconsider coming here. Seriously…

This is probably the worst location I’ve ever been to. We get there and wait for an appointment and wait to get checked in for about 10 minutes. After we finally get checked in, they tell us that there’s no room available, which is acceptable as it is a vet hospital. It took 20 minutes to get a room and after that 20 minutes, we get it into that room and don’t get greeted by anybody for 25 minutes, actually we left before we even got greeted by a tech. I went out to the front desk to see if they were short staffed and the front desk attendant told me that «no this is how they always operate.» They always operate with very poor customer service and making people wait for over an hour before ever seeing anyone. Just the place I want to go to all the time! Is there sarcastic font?!? If so, The prior statement would be in that font!

So let’s see, it is now six months later, and I had not been back to this Banfield as I moved. But I took my dog in for a second opinion on skin lesions that a doctor at another Banfield indicated might be cancerous. The doctor saw her on Wednesday, and said that someone should call me by Thursday or Friday. Here we are on Tuesday, and no one has called. When I call requesting the results, I am told that Dr. H is on Vacation, and can I call tomorrow, when he returns. 1) Is there anyone else who can read a cytology reports, say, a licensed veterinary? 2) Are you unable to call me back when the only guy who knows how to read reports is available? Or do I have to try and catch him between patients?
With the exception of Dr. Henriquez, who was EXCELLENT, this clinic has proved AGAIN that they are not very good.

I’ve taken my cats here a couple times for the basic free exams offered to new pets and some yearly rabies shots and stuff. I never understood why Banfield had such low ratings. Then again, I didn’t have a pet that needed extra medical attention until last week. I brought my cat in and learned why they have such horrible ratings. I’m never bringing a pet here again.
My poor cat was throwing up everything she ate for three days. After the third day of realizing that this was something more than just eating too quickly and puking it all up, my husband encouraged me to bring her to the vet. I called one night and they told me I could «drop her off» between 7:30 and 8:30am the next day. Drop her off?” Hmm. OK? I showed up at 7:30am the next morning, expecting that they’d give her a quick look over and talk to me about further testing. Instead, they took her in the back, handed me some wellness plan brochures, and told me they’d call me later this afternoon after checking her out. As any worried pet mama that is leaving their baby behind at a strange place, it was hard to leave.
I sat around at home all day waiting for a phone call. Finally, early in the afternoon, the vet called me with some questions about her basic medical background and recent behavior. OK. Cool. An hour or two later, the vet called again and asked if I could come in to speak with him in person about my beloved cat. A bit worried at this point, I went back to Banfield around 3pm to meet the vet.
He came out and told me all they had done so far was a basic exam — eyes, ears, throat, heartbeat, that kind of stuff. That’s it. It takes FIVE MINUTES to do that. My little girl had been there for SEVEN HOURS at that point. I felt the rage inside starting to boil. He couldn’t find anything except a heart murmur and wanted to run a series of tests to eliminate possibilities for the vomiting, lack of appetite, and heart murmur. I asked to see how much the tests costs, so the vet’s assistant brought me a paper listing all the exams. at a beautiful total of $ 800. The fun part? The wellness plan they were trying to push on me didn’t even cover most of these exams.
$ 800??? For some tests? WHAT. I don’t think so. I asked to eliminate some of the tests and was told they had to run them all just in case. Not in my opinion, Doc. What if it’s just a little stomach bug? Or what if they found what they needed in just one test? Nope… they had to run them all. My boiling rage escalated.
I told them I couldn’t afford the tests. They brought out a credit card application. I gave it right back to them and asked for my cat back.
After waiting alone in that tiny exam room for another half hour (I still hadn’t seen my darling girl yet), the vet came back and asked if they could at least give her some fluids and a medication to stop the vomiting. YES, please! That’s all I needed!
Nearly an hour after I arrived, they finally brought my cat out to me. The poor girl was shaking terribly with fright. I. Was. Pissed. I paid a little over $ 100 for the meds, fluids, visit, and special cat food and left at 4pm. No wellness plan. No exams.
The whole ride home, she was quivering in fear and meowing constantly; while she does hate car rides (she meowed a bit during the morning car ride), this was definitely not her normal self. She hid under a couch at home (again, not normal — even when she was sick) until it was time for dinner. I fed her the special cat food and she was fine. The next day, she was normal again. The sickness went away. I’m convinced it was probably just the flu or something.
So…the only good thing about my whole experience was the fluids they gave her and the medicine to reduce vomiting. Whew. I’m very thankful for that. I’m just really angry that they left her alone in her tiny carrier all day long in the back doing God knows what while she shook with fear and then wanted me to drop $ 800 on unnecessary testing!!!
I do plan on going to the vet to check out the heart murmur, but I’m taking my business elsewhere. Never again, Banfield.

Our puppy was seen by Dr. Kelly Philips for her first check-​up, and she was very thorough, professional and caring. Dr. Phillips correctly detected a condition that our breeder’s Veterianrain did not detect, which was extremely important for us to know about. We have a high level of confidence in Dr. Phillips and Banfield. Banfield’s Wellness Plans and Veterinarians have served our dogs well for ten years.

In contrast with the other four reviewers, I have had nothing but positive experiences with Banfield over the past 2.5 years. My wife and I initially switched to Banfield after having a bad experience with a local veteranarian, and we are glad we made the move. Our little friend has had regular teeth cleanings and check ups without issues.
When she has been sick, we have had no problems scheduling prompt appointments to handle her issues. The vets were friendly and addressed her problems effectively.
I was particularly surprised by the reviewer who gave them one star for them demanding that she pay her bills. With all due respect, having a pet is a priviledge not a right. It’s always sad when a pet passes away but to then decide not to pay your financial committments for the staff’s valiant efforts, come on!

Lisa — It’s clear your last post was meant to deceive readers into believing Banfield cares. When I read your post I thought you cared but it’s clear to me that your lack of response to my voicemail supports my initial belief that Banfield simply doesn’t care. I would urge those that read this to think twice about entrusting their loved pets with this organization. I for one will never do so again. Lisa, save your rhetoric, I’m not interested.

CANCEL MY PREVIOUS REVIEW!!!
A few days after our most recent visit that (I thought) went well, they called the day of our follow up appointment and cancelled on us. They said their computers system crashed. The young lady who called said «Corporate informed us we’re closed for the day». I wish I got to close my office when our computers crash and didn’t have to work any more that day. I’d get an extra 2 weeks vacation annually.
They were going to unwrap my boy’s ears/​head that night to see if his ears were healing. When I got home from work, I found him miserable and shaking from some pain he was in. I decided to unwrap him because he obviously needed the wrap off. After removing the first few layers, I found they had taped his ears up with hardly any gauze or padding of any kind. The tape was actually directly hitting his fur and skin on his ears where we was bleeding. They had over-​glued his little cut so badly that the tip of his ear was a solid block of glue. If he were to whip around his head now, it would crack his ear in half and cause him to bleed so much more than when we first brought him in! I was appalled. I truly have never felt worse for my dog. I started to take photos while removing the adhesive they used as evidence and really don’t know how to proceed with them except to update my review and take care of my dog with another vet’s assistance.
I have to call and cancel our wellness plan we had with these guys and I want my hundreds of dollars back because I could have taped up my dog on my own and spent less than $ 10.00 at the store on tape for what they charged me to do it for me. HORRIBLY Disappointed. :(