Banfield Pet Hospital

I called to cancel an appointment they keep you on hold for almost an hour. I hang up call again they are like please hold, I’m like I been on hold for almost an hour she is like I have 3 people in front of me before you. I said well I’m just calling to cancel an appointment she is like give me your number and I will call you back when I can. Really un professional. I’m going to cancel. Where is there customer service. I work as a customer service representative and I know that I need to attend the phone and I need to attend the people that is in front of me but you have to know how to have some courtesy which these people here don’t have it they would have to train their front desk personal. If they are so busy and shortstaffed they would have to hire two people for the front desk to attend whoever is in line waiting and one person just to answer the phone or two that way they have a more better customer service for whoever comes in or who ever calls. Really unhappy. Would not even give them 1 star but to be able to post your review you have click on one star

I see why now that this location is rated so low. When it comes to billing here everything is a big to do if Banfield makes an error. Front office clerk can’t make any decisions regarding corrections to account without some higher up/​practice manager signing off, who never is available. In addition they totally moved my appointment (same day but different time) without my consent. Didn’t mention that in the reminder call they placed. Irked me as I arrived only to be told appointment pushed off 45 mins. Confusion between Drs as to when they’ll give vaccinations… creates more appointments than I think are necessary. Can’t wait till my year plan is up to move to a different practice.

Alright… I’ve changed my review on this vet a couple of times and I’ve finally left for good. I first brought my cat to Banfield after I rescued him from a local shelter. I was told he had an ear infection and a heart murmur so small, the vet could «barely hear it:. Whatever. $ 300 later I leave with my cat, I was totally not impressed by the amount of time I was kept waiting, and the pure chaos around me. Not a very great place to bring cats. They don’t take you into the room within a reasonable amount of time, so you’re sitting in the middle of the store, basically.
Came a second time– severe ear infection and what seemed to be a hot spot on his foot. Another $ 50 for an ear swab and this time I leave with some ear drops and a spray for his foot and the kitty cone of shame for two weeks.
Came in a third time… The vet says the ear infection is so bad, it’s impacting his balance. Says it’s «easy to misread» the bacteria on the slide… So I’m not really clear if she was telling me the previous read it wrong. or he magically had a new bacteria in his ears… They took him back for blood work and I can hear the cat screaming bloody murder– when the vet came back, they said that he was riled up because of the dogs… Why are the cats that close to the dogs???
$ 500 later I leave with two weeks of antibiotic and was told that he needs to come in for a teeth cleaning… I asked what the price might be… and they quoted me between $ 700 to $ 1000… So I started looking around… I brought him to another vet. My cat was instantly relieved… Was letting the new vet pick him up and was walking around happy as a clam… I was told there that his teeth are fine, and because of his heart murmur I shouldn’t put him under (the vet at Banfield did mention that because of his murmur, there was a possibility that he would have complications. I was recommended to do a cardio consult ASAP… I asked if it were possible to do the cleaning without it, and there was a vet that was willing to do so.) The teeth cleaning seemed so urgent, I didn’t know what to do.
I’m so glad that I went to this other vet. He literally saved my cats life. Says his heart murmur was probably a 3.5 on a scale of 6, and he probably would have died had be been put under… His teeth are fine, and I was recommended to get a cardio consult within the next year.
Not that this is a huge deal– but when I walked in to sign in for my appointment for the third time the people at the desk were making fun of my cats name– not like it’s a human, but still a little unprofessional in my opinion…

For 12 years we were loyal patients at Banfield. We dealt with long waits, decent vet care, and poor emergency response mostly because we appreciated the pet wellness plan. Our dog died yesterday and we were informed that we will have to pay for pet insurance until next October. I can’t believe this is their business model. I can’t say that we will ever use Banfield again as I can’t support any business with such disgusting disregard for their grieving families. Btw, the renewed process is super shady. It automatically renews when you visit. You only officially sign up for the plan once

When we first got our pup we took him in for a sore under his tail that apparently needed to be cleaned out and ointment applied. after spending almost $ 500 to for the cleaning, which required anesthesia, and the ointment the sore only got worse. We then took him to Cherrydale vet and after one glance she diagnosed him with a fistula, which required another cleaning and a different ointment but was ultimately taken care of. I understand that a glance look at Banfield might be tough to diagnose correctly, but after hours under anesthesia the vet should have known what they were looking at. We wasted that money to have it get worse and who knows what would have happened if we hadn’t gone somewhere else.

if you’re just doing routine shots/​check-​ups, Banfield is an okay place to go. However, if you’re coming here for a more serious issue and looking for a resolution, stay FAR away. My elderly dog (12 years) had 2 massive lipomas on his body (1 the size of a softball, and another the size of a baseball). He’s only a medium sized dog (about 35 lbs), so these are extremely large on him. I took him to Banfield to get a cytology that confirmed that they were lipomas, which are just fatty tumors, and are benign. Because they are benign, the doctors told me that I «didn’t have to do anything, and its fine to just leave them as is». I brought up concerns to the vet regarding their size, and how fast growing they were. They didn’t seem to hurt him, but being so large I can’t imagine it’s comfortable for an elderly dog to be carrying all of that extra fatty mass. I continued to express my concerns, and asked for an honest medical opinion, with cost not being a factor since I was willing to pay whatever it cost for his well-​being. She continued to recommend against removal, again stating that because of his age, the anesthesia wouldn’t be worth the risk, and the money i spend wouldn’t be worth it either. Basically from a client’s point of view, I heard that as «your dog is so old and gonna die anyway, no point in spending that money». Made me feel very uncomfortable, especially since I already made clear that cost wasn’t a factor. She agreed to give me a price quote, however, and said if i wanted to proceed, they would just do it right there in-​house. I assumed a surgery like this would require a surgical specialist, but she assured me Banfield could do it just fine. I left the appointment feeling very uneasy and not comfortable with putting my dog in their care for something like this, and did not schedule the surgery. I ended up taking him to a surgical specialist at the Veterinary Surgical Center (VSC) within The Hope Center in Vienna, VA. During that consultation, the surgeon made a detailed assessment, explained that sometimes lipomas of that size and location can be infiltrative into his muscle so removal was definitely recommended if financially possible, and gave me all of the information I needed to proceed. I was assured that even anesthesia at his age was a low risk for them because they would be very careful with monitoring him throughout the process. (The Banfield vet made that one of her #1 reasons against operating). Turns out the surgery was extremely complicated (but successful!!), they were partially infiltrative lipomas, so not 100% could be removed. VSC had told me there was no way a general practice hospital like Banfield could have performed this surgery successfully. If I hadn’t followed my gut feeling and let that Banfield vet perform on my dog, he probably wouldn’t be here right now. My now 13 year old dog was almost immediately more active, happier, more mobile, and healthy looking post surgery. Even though not 100% of it was removed, no regrowth/​signs of regrowth has occurred yet and it’s been 8 months. He still gets random people on the streets ask me if he’s a puppy because he’s so active now. I’m extremely happy with the surgery, which was an operation i was told by Banfield doctors NOT to do. I wrote Banfield regarding this situation when it happened, and they never responded to me til this day. Apparently they don’t care. I take my 2 dogs to the Tysons location for routine checkups and shots, but I will never step foot in the Falls Church location again, nor will I ever take my dogs to any Banfield hospital for an actual issue. My dog seriously would have died during their «attempted surgery», and that just scares me.

I have to admit, I was really nervous about bringing my new puppy to Banfield after reading the reviews. Unfortunately (or not) for me, I had already signed onto the year long «puppy plan» and promised myself I’d give them a shot. I’m so, so glad I did.
The team at this Banfield are really great. My baby girl has already been in a dozen times for check ups, vaccines and her spay and they’ve always been top notch. Friendly, knowledgeable and caring… they’ve answers all my crazy puppy mom questions and never made me feel like I was a crazy puppy mom (I am.) Best of all, they are available to you. I’ve been to many vets that make me feel like I should be lucky they took my pet. These guys know this is all about the team.
I’m sorry that others have had bad experiences here. I can say, without question, that I’m fully satisfied with my vet team!

I was very worried about a recent diagnosis for my old pup. I called Banfield back with a bunch of questions and they were very thorough in going over it with me. Giselle even went back and consulted with the doctor and gave me a call back to fully explain everything again. I’m sure they get worried owners all day long, but it made a huge difference to have them take the time.

I don’t usually review but felt like I needed to say something here. We have used Banfield ever since the recession caused us to economize throughout our household expenses, so that includes one cat and 3 dogs over 7 years. We have gotten routine care here and also lived through 2 dogs dying of cancer and a bad FUS attack with our cat. We have always gotten proficient if not excellent care from Dr. Castro and saved a ton of money in the process. I have had some issues with a couple of the other vets but Dr. Castro has been excellent and I now just stick with him.
For those who are expecting a posh private clinic atmosphere then this is not the place for you. I have been to those places for specialty services over the years and they can be great but they can also have poor if not downright dangerous vets. If you are a knowledgeable consumer of pet health care services you can do very well at Banfield for routine treatments.
I would give 5 stars if all the vets were as good as Dr. Castro.

Wow, there are some rough reviews on here. I’ve never had a bad experience at Banfield, from the first checkup I took my kitten in for they’ve been polite, helpful and accommodating. Maybe I haven’t had a chance to get caught up in one of the bureaucratic money-​grabs described by others on here, but I’d absolutely recommend going to at least check it out. I have nothing but good things to say about their routine care.

I should’ve listened to the reviews. I called in advance to see if I could pick up my dogs prescription and I was told yes they could transfer her records. When I arrived there I was told no I could not have her prescription filled because even though she is a Banfield patient because she has not been seen at this one they could not fill her prescription. I do not have this problem with any other locations. WHAT A JOKE!

I take my doggie here for his regular yearly exams. He just got a comprehensive exam done. When I went there I did not have a grooming scheduled because I usually go somewhere else but I asked if they could squeeze him in. They could which was great and Danny Took such great care of him, giving him kisses the whole way through. I stayed to watch. :) I left him there for his exam, they administered his heartworm medications and gave him his vaccines. The vet called me during his exam to mention a few things of note to like allergies which I thought was a nice service. They gave him some allergy medications and tick medicationand I picked him up four hours later. The staff seems to be very friendly and treat my dog lovingly which is very important when they are so scared going in. He is always scared no matter what but it’s nice to know that they are affectionate with him. I will be keeping my yearly plan with Banfield at this location.

My family scheduled an appointment for our sick cat a few weeks ago as we noticed he had lost weight and was losing interest in food. We took it seriously and wanted him seen as quickly as possible.
Banfield Pet Hospital in Falls Church had open availability that day, and they ran some blood tests and other screenings. Following the test results, Dr. Christine Cho’s conclusion/​belief was that our cat had hyperthyroidism — yet failed to prescribe any medication or treatment plan. Instead, she administered a rabies vaccine.
This past weekend our cat became weak and was having trouble breathing. We took him to the emergency pet hospital, VCA Southpaws in Fairfax, where they ended up running the same tests (and charged less in total!). The veterinary specialists’ conclusion at Southpaws were unanimous: kidney cancer. They could feel his enlarged kidneys and said he wouldn’t live much longer — they were honest and sympathetic and left the option to us – a treatment plan would be invasive, and might not offer much relief (chemo, pills, more uncomfortable vet visits and tests). In the end, we decided it would be more humane to stop our cat’s suffering than to put him through harsh treatment for a disease with a very poor success rate. It was very hard moment for us after a decade together, and we are still coping with our cat’s passing. He was a family member and a friend who we love and dearly dearly miss.
During the ER visit, Southpaws tried to reach Banfield for more information, but stated nothing came up with them. It’s devastating that the professionals at Banfield could not properly diagnose a disease given all the similar advanced equipment, tests, and screenings they did. My family needs an apology. If Banfield Falls Church were truly sorry, they would refund us for misdiagnosing my cat’s illness during the difficult period he was in.
Please do yourself a favor and do proper research before selecting a vet for your pet companion — especially when your pet is ill.

I have taken 3 cats here since it opened. I actually followed Dr. Castro from Cherry Hill. My first cat lived to be 22. Dr. Castro was her vet until the end. He is my preferred vet, but there are other good ones there too. There does seem to be high turnover in the tech, nurse and check in staff and there was a period a year or so ago where I had to wait and had a hard time getting info. That has improved. I have gotten excellent care here for my 3 cats.

I documented my experience as a warning to others.
I have just returned from Great Falls Animal hospital and had the exact opposite experience as I documented at Banfield. It was unfortunate that my dog had to endure another trip to the vet in less than month to receive necessary medication.
In the 16 years that I have had canine companions we have had several emergency visits, cancer treatments, acupuncture, tplo knee surgery, dental treatments, dog wheel chairs etc. None of these were at a Banfield Hospital and all services were promptly paid for. Why Banfields office mgr goes straight to the collection agency threat instead of provided the agreed service will always be a mystery to me.

I’m sad to read such poor reviews of Banfield Falls Church. I’ve been bringing my cat and dog for over a year now. Being a first time dog owner I did as much research as I could online about first time vet visits, puppy development week by week and so much more. All together I saw over five vets at first, but have made Dr. Jutte our primary. We request to only see her and keep it consistent. She has a wonderful disposition and always greats you with a signature handshake and smile. She’s been very honest and upfront about treatment options for my pets. When my pup was having stomach issues instead of jumping to x-​rays and expensive tests, so gave us alternative options to try first. Even though she knows I’d lasso the moon for my pets. I never feel pressured to add «extra services» and we stick to addressing the reason for our visit. And she’s even gone above an beyond in calling me personally to follow up about my pets health.
The puppy and kitten plan have been life savers for us! The puppy one covered Theo’s neutering. Which right there pays for its self. But it also lets us come in for unlimited office visits at no cost. Obviously we pay for tests and meds etc. but even that is at a discounted rate. My kitten, Huxy, had some respiratory issues when we adopted her. Her kitten plan helped with her visits, meds and vaccine costs. Both my pets have come in for their fair share of office visits. Now that they’re both over one enrolling them again is a no-​brainer and the cost even goes down!
Lastly, I’d like to thank the staff. Giselle and Tanya are rock stars! They know both my pets by name and always come around to say hi to them. They are efficient in the check in and out process. And try to give us realistic wait time expectations. The staff takes the time to listen to the needs that bring us in and make sure we get them addressed. And it doesn’t hurt that they have positive attitudes and smile. Shocking so uncommon.
There are a lot of reasons why I would avoid a large chain operation and often I do favor the small independents. But in this case not only is the cost as competitive as it can get, but the Falls Church team treats us like we’re family with friendly, honest, and transparent personalized service. Keep it up and we’ll keep coming back.
#ForeverLoyalTeamBanfield

We signed up for the «Kitten Wellness» program when we got our kitten. We took our cat to all of his appointments. In December we visited for a booster shot as well as his annual check –up,. I mentioned to the examining doctor that my cat would often breath rapidly, even when in a resting state and asked if it was normal. I asked again. I was assured there was nothing to worry about.
Fast forward to April. We come home and find our 1.5 year old cat unable to move his back legs and meowing in agony. We rush him to a animal hospital to find out that he has a blood clot and underlying congestive heart failure and that it is a very severe case with a very grim outlook for our beloved cat.
For some reason I get a nagging feeling and ask the vet at the animal hospital if the rapid breathing is a symptom of the congestive heart failure. I can tell that the vet is choosing her words wisely, and indicates that yes, had we been told that there could have been an issue, gotten the appropriate tests, referred to a cardiologist and put our cat on medication that this could have been prevented.
We were given a very grim outcome for our loving cat that included a very slim chance of passing the clot, a long hard recovery, possibly not regaining function of his legs and a life expectancy of 2 year with a low quality of life. We chose to have him put down rather than to have him suffer. It was the hardest decision and my son was devastated.
Our service with them prior to this was very disappointing. Not horrific, nothing that put my cats health in jeopardy, but nothing that I was pleased with. I decided that I would continue through the remained of our year long plan then find another vet. I felt that I was always being nickel and dimed and the strong arm up-​selling was ridiculous.
I understand that there are good vets and bad vets. I understand that some people love their jobs more than others. But when you neglect something and assure me it is normal after I ask, then come to find out that it was not a minor over-​site and it cost our cat his life, it is very upsetting, to say the least.
I would not recommend them to anyone for any service.

I have to say, as a customer, for the first sixth months I was really impressed by this place. We signed up our new puppy for the puppy care program. Every month we would take him to receive his vaccinations and eventually his neutering. They then told us our puppy would most likely not get bigger than 25lbs.
After that, is where things really went downhill fast. We decided to go to PetMeds to buy his heartworm and flea prevention medication. In order to be able to purchase these medications, PetMeds calls the vet to get an approval. Banfield denied my purchase because «He may get bigger than 25lbs.» Understandable, except that’ not what the last vet told us. Followed by, «So you’ll need to come buy one pill from us.»
Banfield makes over 300% profit on a single heartworm prevention pill. I understand they are a business, but as a consumer, I have the right to purchase wherever I choose. I then called PetMeds to order a single pill. Banfield blew off the process. I continued to get e-​mails from PetMeds saying «We are waiting on approval from your vet.»
So, fast forward two months — If your pet doesn’t get the once a month treatment, you then have to get a heartworm test. So, we took our dog in. Heisted for another $ 28 dollars, which they should have paid for since they denied medication in the first place.
Unfortunately, I’m on a contract with this company for a few more months. I will update this review accordingly.

The experience my dog and I had at this Banfield Pet Hospital was exceptional. The reception staff was friendly and professional as I filled out the new patient paperwork and waited to be seen. We did have to wait a little bit to be seen by a nurse and then the vet, but there were a couple of emergencies with other pets that I totally understood.
Both the pet nurse and the vet were very gentle, patient and caring with my dog while they were doing the vaccines and the samples they needed to take. I feel like they all were honest, caring and kind in their treatment of both my dog and me.
When I left the office to go to my car, my car didn’t start. After I spent an hour trying to figure out what to do, my phone died and I still couldn’t find a tow truck that would come tow my car and let my dog ride in the tow truck too. I came back inside and even though she was closing up, the receptionist helped me figure out a solution and use their phone to call all the different people I needed to talk to to figure this all out. She really went above and beyond to help me and my dog and I appreciated the kindness she showed me. I would definitely recommend going to this place because they genuinely cared and made a point to help me when they easily could have pushed me away.

I would avoid this Banfield. I have been to one in Massachusetts, which was a much better experience for me and my dog. I visited this vet several times last year for various appointments and, unfortunately, had to return this week due to my ill puppy.
Firstly, the service is slow. If you don’t wait for a room for 45 minutes, you will wait in the room for 45 minutes. The place is way overbooked.
Secondly, I always feel like they are scamming me. I had a very similar experience to Mili. They ran some tests on my dog and before they even had the results, they had prescribed probiotics, antibiotics, and specialty dog food and wanted to treat anal glands, without even examining that area. They also prescribed 2 different antibiotic prescriptions for my dog due to her size (at double the cost) and specialty dog food. I kindly pointed out that I could cut the pills myself and that I can make rice and chicken. We still don’t have a diagnosis and my dog is still sick. I find it a bit disconcerting that they hand out antibiotics like candy and that they upsell services constantly.
I don’t think all of the Banfields are bad, but this one is pretty bad.