Banfield Pet Hospital Suggested Potentially Life-Threatening "Treatments" for My Cat Paramus New Jersey

Following are my personal experience and opinion. Using Banfield's coupon for a "free exam," I took my cat who'd lost his tooth and was exhibiting symptoms of infection. I expected to be overcharged for the antibiotics, but I was shocked and disgusted by what happened when my cat and I got to the Paramus, NJ hospital/store. Keep in mind, that all of what the Banfield vet said, sounds plausible, but I couldn't trust anything she said, due to her focus on making money.

First, the free coupon is false advertising, and is useless, because they won't even check your pet unless you provide written proof of his rabies vaccines, which I didn't have available. (And it doesn't say that anywhere on the coupon.) They insisted he needed a rabies shot before they'd even check him, which I would've agreed to pay for, except that my cat was ill, and not in shape to get a vaccine at that moment. The receptionist said to ask the vet.

The vet comes in and refuses to examine my cat, unless I agree to "sedate" him. I've had pets all my life and have never had to have one sedated just to be examined. Marbles is 11 years old and has never been sedated for an exam. I asked how much it would cost and she had to step out to get an estimate. That's another thing. The vet and the tech kept stepping out and leaving me there for ten minutes at a time. They finally came in at one point with an invoice. When they realized I had no money for them to get, the doctor, without even examining Marbles, said the only thing she could do is possibly start him on "clinical trials of clindamycin." I did agree to try this antibiotic therapy with Marbles, since he's tolerated it before.

Instictively I knew not to put Marbles under general anesthesia, which is what the invoiced drugs were for. I've since researched them online and have found that what Banfield tried to sell me was actually life-threatening for my cat!

1) Animal should have been fasting for 12 hours prior. Marbles had not, and they didn't even ask if he had. The food inside could have caused him to aspirate on his own vomit and die.

2) One of the drugs is contraindicated for cats with hypotension. They did not even check his blood pressure before recommending I allow them to administer this to my cat.

3) One of the drugs is listed on a vethealth website as only to be used for dogs.

They even refused my request for them to take my cat's temperature! What kind of an "exam" is this? After several "stepping outs" they asked if I could remove the cat from his holder, which I did. As I held Marbles, the vet briefly checked his mouth. She said this exam was inconclusive and he needs to undergo "sedation" to be examined further.

When I got home I researched the drugs, and the combination Banfield had suggested was not for sedation, it was for general anesthesia. For a declawed cat (he's an indoor rescue cat). For an initial exam.

Aren't vets trained to examine animals? This "doctor" acted like Marbles was a steaming biohazard. She acted like I was an ATM machine. I can understand her statement that she didn't want to get bit by a rabid cat, but (a) he's not rabid, and (b) every other vet I've ever taken any of my pets to, managed to examine them without sedating them, much less putting them under general anesthesia. And if they didn't have the vaccine info,we'd simply make an appointment to get them the next week when the pet was feeling better.

These are the drugs she ordered:

- antisedan 5 mg/ml injectable.

- Dexdomitor0.5 mg/ml/  Ketamine100mg/ml/ Torbutrol 10mg/ml

So, this Banfield hospital is a consumer threat on two levels:

1) free coupon or not, you don't get a free exam, they refuse to examine the animal unless you pay for other services in order to do it, even if you tell them the animal is suffering; you have to negotiate with them even as the cat is on the exam table, as they try to sell you expensive "services,"

and worse:

2) they recommend potentially life-threatening procedures for pets. It's bad enough they do this at all; that they do it for money is even worse.

As it stands, they still recommend that I come in, subject my cat to these procedures, and pay $150, for the (anesthetized) examination alone. That's not even including whatever treatment they may find to be "necessary," which I wouldn't be able to trust anyway, given their unsatisfactory initial handling of my cat.

So now I still need to take him to a reputable vet, to get an actual exam, and treatment he needs for his health, which is really what the veterinarian is there for, not to be a sales associate.

In my personal opinion, keep your animal safe and keep him or her away from Banfield Hospital!