Banfield Pet Hospital

Banfield is absolutely an amazing kind of budget vet. The Optimum Wellness Plan is a lifesaver on exam fees and discounts on other services/meds. But Banfield isn’t like a regular clinic, they do things differently so you have to understand their concept and be okay with it to be a happy client. I love the monthly payments over large singular payments for wellness visits. SUPER AFFORDABLE DENTAL SERVICES!! Seriously, it’s 2025 time to get your pets’ teeth cleaned like you do for yourself, Banfield makes that possible and affordable with the OWP. I’ve been to a few different Banfields with different doctors and staff, this is by far my favorite. Shout out to Dae, Ruby, Joselyn, Dr. Tramble, and Dr. Z! They take such great care of our crazy hounds, and are so friendly and helpful to me! Dr. Z is an awesome doctor who really listens and tries to find the best solution for you and your fur family. Ruby, Dae, and Joselyn are so great and friendly at the front, constantly helping me schedule, reschedule, and confirm my appts. Very helpful with answering quick questions and filling prescription meds at other pharmacies, like HEB and Sam’s, that’ll save you $$. Joselyn knows my Beau and Klaus very well, recognizing them immediately and knowing what they need to be comfortable. You’d think they were her own pets the way she loves and cares for them. Dr. Tramble is another smart and empathetic doctor on staff, I believe part time. But get her if you can bc she ROCKS! Quick to the point with easy explanations you understand, but not trying to break the bank. I see negative reviews for Banfield, and like I previously said; this is NOT like a regular vet clinic, or like any other in town. They see MANY more patients a day than a regular vet, at a much affordable price, but drop off appts make that possible. If you aren’t willing to wait up to all day for your pet DO NOT DO A DROP OFF!!! In room visits are harder to get at short notice, but are more setup like a regular vet visit. Respect the staff as they see so many pets and care for them so deeply! Oh and the app is awesome!! Great 24/7 chat advice and you can easily schedule, reschedule, and check when your next appt is. My fur family is definitely team Banfield!!

I used Banfield for years for all my dogs. In the beginning, I was great (at an Austin location). When we moved and came to the San Marco location, its just been an awful experience since day one (and unfortunately we have been coming here for years). The front receptionists are rude and sarcastic- with every interaction. They schedule 7am drop off times, yet their staff isn't ready for intake and act rude that you are there waiting with your pets. When you bring up concerns, they don't address them. For example, my dog has cried about his ears. Every visit, I ask and they say they are fine. The last 2 visits I asked for an ear cleaning (that is $30 extra) to ensure they look at his ears. They call and tell me the ears are fine and likely due to diet- wanting me to buy an expensive diet plan (which I got con in the past to do). My dog came home- his ears weren't cleaned at all. It's a scam. I'm not saying it may not be food related, but have my doubts that they actually looked in his ears since they weren't cleaned at all. They love to shame the owners into doing unnecessary tests and scans- and so you pay these costs to find out nothing is wrong. Your pet goes in for a normal check up and they say they want to run expensive test for some symptom your pet didn't have prior to going. They use your love for the pet and guilt you into these tests- for everything to be negative and you pet to come home perfectly fine. This has happen on multiple occasions to the point I just didn't believe the veterinarian anymore. Their Optimum Plan doesn't save you any money (actually costs you more) and it is virtually impossible to get out of. You have to call and on hold for 30+ minutes for the person to tell you the office can do it and they can't. Then you go to the office for them to tell you they can't and to call. I had them call from their office because I am not the middle man due to their lack of being able to assist. They can sign you up, take all your money, but no one can cancel your plans (or even cancel the renewal of your plan). Its worse than getting out of a gym membership. I was stuck at Banfield for so long because if you miss the annual renewal date, you are contract to pay for the whole year. Being stuck in this plan had me unfortunately stuck with Banfield- and the plans aren't cheap! I had a dog that past, and I notified the Banfield office- they had it in their system- but does that transfer to billing for their Optimum Plan? Nope. On hold for 45 minutes that time and no answer- and no call back as the automatic phone recording said it would. I actually paid for an extra month of Optimum Plan due to inability to get a hold of billing and a pet who passed away. Not to mention how rude the phone assistance are- every aspect is bad. Most appts are drop off only. That's not convenient for me- I want to see the vet, point out my issues there, converse, and then go home. I don't want to drive there, deal with the rude front desk to drop off to get a call 30 minutes later to come back and deal with the rude front desk again to pick up my pet. This office is all about them and their conveniences- not the animals or the owners. I am so glad I have finally untangled out of their scam Optimum plans to take my animals where they come first and clear communication with kind, friendly staff can occur. We will NEVER step foot in Banfield again.

Banfield is as corporate as it gets when it comes to vet clinics. It’s not personable, they just want your money and I definitely don’t feel safe taking my dogs here anymore. Highly recommend NOT coming here.

I will never take another pet or recommend this vet to anyone EVER. My dog has been sick for roughly a month and a half. Bloody stool and vomiting. First visit I left with just antibiotics and no tests. Then the bloody stool got worse so I went back again. The next visit tests were ran and came back negative but they still wanted me to purchase $120 of medication that was unnecessary and prescribed dog food. Two exam fees within a week and if you’re not in the room you can’t guarantee they are doing a thorough job looking for issues. I decided to take my pet somewhere else the next day because I was tired of no results. Within 15 minutes of the ROUTINE exam, the new vet noticed her lymph nodes were incredibly swollen. She then tested the blood and came to the conclusion that my pup had lymphoma. A month of being sick, two visits with OBVIOUS issues and nearly $500 later they didn’t even notice that she had swelling of the lymph nodes in her neck, armpit area, and abdomen. Truly a horrible experience, an absolute WASTE of money on top of them attempting to get me to spend hundreds of dollars on ultrasounds, unnecessary medications, and other tests with no reasoning as to why that would be a good idea. Please do NOT bring your pet here. There are a ton of amazing clinics in San Marcos who have genuine interest in your pet and will go the extra length to check everything on your pet.

My sister’s dog, a patient here, was re-homed to me. I had a vet visit in the early morning and she couldn’t find the pets records. I called and the staff were incredibly helpful, quick, and very nice! I had the dog’s records emailed to me very quickly and made it to our appointment! Thank you so much for your help!