Banfield Pet Hospital

Banfield Pet Hospital at Gainesville, VA. or should I say Banfield Pet Business? I arrived with a legitimate prescription from a licensed veterinarian, expecting to simply purchase the necessary medication for my pet. Instead, I was met with an utterly unhelpful receptionist who informed me that they only dispense medication to their own clients. Let’s take a step back—this is a so-called "hospital," correct? The primary function of any hospital, veterinary or otherwise, should be to provide care and necessary treatment for animals in need. Yet, Banfield operates with the mentality of a members-only club, prioritizing exclusivity over genuine animal welfare. One has to wonder: Is this truly a hospital, or just a profit-driven business masquerading as one? When a pet is in need, policies like these serve no purpose other than to inconvenience responsible pet owners and jeopardize animal health. If you’re looking for real veterinary care—care that prioritizes pets over paperwork—I suggest you look elsewhere

This was the worst vet experience I have ever had with my pet. We saw Dr. Lori Flanagan. She was very rough with my normally well behaved kitty. He was so scared to be handled by her. She falsely diagnosed my pet with two illnesses which we later found out he DID NOT HAVE at all. Her examination was very rushed, ran our bill to over $800, and did not explain any of the charges unless we directly asked. She prescribed a pain medication that he did not need and he was immobilized for hours because of it. When we asked about the medication, the sweet receptionist had to answer our questions because Dr. Flanagan said “I am in a rush to get my lunch” (actual words). We followed up with the assistant manager (Karli) who said she would have the main manager contact us. The manager DID NOT contact us and no steps were made to resolve this issue. 0/10 recommend. Take your pet somewhere else unless you want to pay almost $1k for no reason.

Updated on 6/11/2024: After receiving a response on this review, I emailed them my concerns & within a few days had a call back from this location to which they scheduled me to being Daisy in for her missing bordetella vaccine, the Docter was extremely nice & the appointment went smoothly. Any other visit Ive had with them has gone smoothly. I do appreciate that they listened to my concern & made sure that they made it right. Thank you so much to the team! I have used Banfield for years. And we moved to Gainesville area about a year ago & they have always been good for the most part. I knew my puppy plan was expiring & I had not renewed because I fostered another pup for a year & had him on this plan, since he found a forever home a few months back, I continued paying until I knew it was expiring, called banfield to ask what to do in order for it not to renew & I did as I was told, then I had to make an appointment for my actual pup Daisy, and she is due for bordetella vaccine so I called WEEKS ahead of time, explained very specifically that I needed to get her in BEFORE the plan expired & they made my appointment for weeks out. That should’ve been my first red flag was that it took weeks to get her appointment scheduled. I come in today June 6th 2024 for her drop off appointment and I’m glad that I asked before I even left about her plan and the receptionist told me that the plan expired YESTERDAY. I explained to her that I specifically made this appointment and I wanted to be before her plan expired because I’m going through a moving situation right now where I just don’t have the out-of-pocket expense at the moment. She did ask the manager what they could do for me since it wasn’t my mistake, but all they were willing to do was waive the cost of visit & I would still have to pay out-of-pocket for the vaccines. This was not my mistake, I was off yesterday. I could’ve very well come in yesterday or even sooner, but I did what I was scheduled to do even after a specifically explaining that I needed to get this done before my plan expired. This is Completely unacceptable, as a manager of a Dog daycare myself, I am not Inexperienced when it comes to vaccines, There’s a reason I called ahead and planned ahead for this visit. My Financial situations is a little tough at the moment and that’s completely completely on me but again this is why A.) I pay for a plan to begin with B.) I planned ahead, I paid my entire plan over the course of 12 months & never missed a payment & I had the full intecion of using what I paid for. Which was the visit & vaccines, I was never late and even after explaining this to the person that scheduled my appointment, they scheduled me a day after my plan expired? That almost seems like it was on purpose. Was that person even listening to me? Did they just make an appointment to get me out of their way? Now my dog has an expired vaccine until I can figure out whether its worth it to go back to them or not. I love having the plan because it honestly alleviates a lot of financial burden throughout the year, especially when it comes to vaccines or just visits, but it seems unfair that I as a Customer who have made all payments year round, never had any issues have to go through this. Completely Unprofessional on behalf of the person who scheduled my appointment. I am not faulting the person I spoke to today because she was nothing but nice and I know she couldn’t do anything that her manager wouldn’t allow her to do. But it Seems unfair that I paid for a service & was not able to get full use out of it because of the negligence of one employee. Id give an update but I highly doubt there will be one.

Absolutely disrespectful employees. Do not bring your animal here. Instead of attending to our family, they’d rather treat themselves to Target breaks. I made an appointment, simply to look at the acne on my cats chin, and when I did not hear anything after 3 hours I decided to call. They said they were very busy and the dr would see him ASAP. Another hour goes by and nothing. These employees do not care about their jobs or your animal family. I genuinely hope they all lose their jobs.

Love it here. I've been bringing in my cat since he was a kitten and my experience has always been positive. The staff is professional and compassionate. Dr Moss goes above and beyond to provide care. He explains everything thoroughly, making sure to address all your concerns. Everyone here is fantastic. Grateful for all that you do!