Banfield Pet Hospital

Great. We continue to use them.

We've been using them for the past five years.

unknown

THIS WAS A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. I had read bad reviews of Dr. Aziz at this vet, so I scheduled around that so I could see any vet other than this one. I called THREE times to ensure the appointment was not with him. When I arrived, that was the vet they had scheduled for me. I said "I do not want him to examine my dog" so they brought in another vet after forgetting about me for a half hour. The other vet exclaimed "I'm doing you a huge favor because I was off the clock at 5 and just got out of a meeting with my boss. I'm going way out of my way to see you and am willing to do this favor for you." I was taken aback and said, "You are not doing me any favors. It was your staff's scheduling mistake so if anything, you're doing your team a favor. Please stop saying you're doing me a favor." To this, she kept exclaiming "well I was off the clock at 5 so I'm staying late just to see you." This went on and on. I'm not sure how her exam went because most of it occurred in the back. Our issue was unresolved. All communications were rushed and garbled (I'm sure because she had to stay late) and we left feeling brushed aside and uncared for. We will never return here. With all of the independent vets out there, I should never have risked going to a big box store vet. It's the wal-mart of vets. Go someplace with individualized care where the vets have some semblance of bedside manner and accountability.

NEEDED TO GET MY CAT'S NAILS CUT, BUT THEY CANNOT DO THAT WITH OUT GIVING HER A SHOT, SO I HAD THEM GIVE HER THE SHOT.

I felt compelled to write this review after reading the handful of poor reviews that people took time to write here. I have two dogs, 7 and 3 years old., that have been on the wellness plan for 3 years now. Banfield's appointment schedules are super flexible and often open to free last minute time changes. I have had nothing but great, friendly, attentive service from the front desk, tech/nurses, and the vets, except Dr. Aziz. I had the staff put a note on my account that I never want either of my pups scheduled with him ever again and so far that's worked, or he's gone. He had absolute distaste for dogs and treated them as if I had brought in a bucket of raw sewage for him to look at.
Otherwise,
Dr. Foo and Dr. Valcarcel are both equally amazing. They will spend extended time with my dogs answering any questions I have and go above and beyond in their care. I've found the vets to be very flexible in their advice and recommendations. For example, there were 3-4 different tests and medicine options for diagnosing a problem that my pup had. Dr. Valcarcel walked me through each option and suggested the cheaper route to start to see if it made a difference before trying the much more expensive options.
I was hesitant about using this vet to start, because yes it happens to be in Petsmart and may on the outside come across as Wal-Mart-grade care. My experience though has been the opposite. I really get the feeling every time I go with either dog that my dogs are getting all the personalized care and attention that I could possibly ask for. I feel really bad for some of the other reviewers on this site and other review sites, whose pets had complications from a health issue and did not have success in getting those treated. I think health issues are not always 100% clear and diagnosable, the way a leaking faucet in your house is. You can call a plumber and any can 100% solve the leaking faucet. Fixing health items in people and pets is not that straight forward. That said, unprofessional or un-knowledgeable care in the treatment of your pets is not acceptable by any means. I have not experienced such at Banfield Bethesda.
On the wellness plans, you will get more than your money worth in care, exams, treatments if you are proactive. By this, I mean be sure to ask that they provide/do the exams covered on the plans, such as the yearly dental cleaning for older dogs. Use all the free visits you can to get any concerns checked out. I don't really get the feeling that they are upselling me anything. I guess if you DONT have a wellness plan and go to this vet for routine care, you will get ripped off. Their suggested prices for regular exams items (if not on a plan) are very very high. I think this shows in the expression of anger from other reviewers.
I think the number one thing I like about this vet is that it keeps me engaged and routine in the vet care I provide for my pets. I have it down on the schedule to several times a year get the necessary vaccs, exams, and such. With a plan, you have a foundation of care to work from and stick to. With a regular vet, I think it's very easy to forget regular exams and go only when Fido is feeling bad. You could compare it to practicing a sport in your back yard on your own time whenever you got the urge to play VERSUS getting out and joining a team and creating a stake of responsibility in your own success.... just my two cents.
Pros:
My pups have better healthcare and get health checkups more than I do!
Friendly staff; caring vets; staff that knows my pups' names even when I don't have an appointment and just show up; flexible appointments; good deal price wise overall if on plans, being in petsmart allows you to shop for cheaper-than-vet-rx options like shampoo or vitamins.
Cons:
one or two bad apple vets in the past, sometimes the floors in the exam rooms get really dirty with dog hair by the end of the day - IF THE STAFF IS READING THIS, please set up a more routine cleaning plan for your exam rooms. Vet bills shows super inflated prices for a laundry list of services performed, though if you are on the plan, it shows $0 next to it. This is kinda slimy sometimes, because it feels like they really throw in your face what a deal the plan is or isn't.

I like them because they have Saturday appointments. They have waited for the appointement up until 7 o'clock, so you have to pickup your own animal up until 7 o'clock. It was very convenient. Our dogs have care plan so they have regular check ups, emergency check ups and chief cleaning there for one year and her medications were separate. It will be nice if they offer clients the option of having the generic prescription because it the dog's medicine cost a lot more.

I have been shockingly pleased with the veterinarian, but I would not recommend their grooming services. Our last visit was great; we haven't had any problems. They are always available by phone and you can leave the dog there for the whole day so I can drop them off on the way to work and pick them up later.

The provide padded the bill. We did not ask for an examination, and by no stretch of the imagination does a 2-minute meeting with the vet constitute an examination. I regret that I did not protest at the time, but we were in a hurry preparing for a trip. We again have a need to kennel and therefore vaccinate the dog for bordotella, and have re-joined Angie's list expressly to find a trustworthy vet.

Well, first of all I think they did a normal job that any veterinarian would do. What I didn't like is that their prices were very high. Their quality is basically the same as any other veterinarian, but they did a good job overall.