By boats2468 at Citysearch November 30, 2010
My dog wasn't acting right. He wasn't eating as much as usual and didn't seem himself. We took him to Banfield where they wanted to do all sorts of tests. At the time, many of the tests didn't make sense. For instance, the Ultrasound. \t\nThey kept him for several days saying the had Pancreatitis. Bill was about $3,000.00\t\nNow we learn from one of their own vets that they had, indeed, been doing ultrasounds and other work when unnessesary. Google "Banfield Pet Hospital Unnecessary Tualatin".\t\nJust look at all the complaints they have. The Better Business Bureau gives them an "F"! ...read more
By Lilia1 at Citysearch March 17, 2010
I just started my very old dog on very conservative doses of rimadyl - half a tab every 2 or 3 days. I had an old prescription that I rarely used, but it was almost gone. I called to see if I could get a refill of a prescription that was written 04/08. The front desk person said he would have to see my dog before refilling, and when I asked to speak to Dr. Bertelson, he got on the phone and immediately started yelling without even saying hello. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS... I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU RIMADYL WITHOUT SEEING YOUR DOG... YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING". And he went on in a tirade so that I couldn't even speak. I asked him if I could speak and he said, "NO, BECAUSE I AM HANGING UP RIGHT NOW!!!" This was so out of the blue - I thought we had a good relationship and I've never caused any problems. He could have talked to me calmly, telling me why he wouldn't and then telling me no himself. My husband, who is a pediatrician, was standing there and heard the whole thing. He said that he has never in all his years of practice heard a doctor talk to a family like that and was almost speechless, which is rare for my husband. It was just so strange to come out of the blue with nothing to precipitate other than me asking for a refill without seeing the dog first. My dog, by the way, is very healthy other than a sore back. \t\n\t\nOn another note, my 16 yo poodle was losing weight back in Sept. Dr. Bertelson took many blood tests and sent us to a specialist for more work and an ultrasound because one level was high. The specialist said that no, that level wasn't high and that it was a marketing ploy by the developer of the specialized test that Dr. Bertelson used. This was after $1,000 of tests and ultrasound. Turns out, his teeth were just bad, so I took him to a animal dentist and she removed 17 teeth. I had worked hard to keep his teeth clean and had them cleaned every 4-6 months but he had an autoimmune disease to his own plaque. He's back to being his old self and his only problem is a bad back which is why he needs the rimadyl. In a 16 yo dog, the concern of liver problems with rimadyl isn't an issue because it takes years of rimadyl overuse to cause liver issues. I'm just trying to keep him comfortable during the last years of his life and I will not spend another dime at this office. I never complained about this situation to the doctor - that he caused me to spend $1,000 for a dog that simply needed his teeth removed, which of course, was another $1,200. ...read more
By Melissa Jones January 04, 2009
The Dr's here are fantastic, as are the techs. The receptionist not so great. They seem to lack compassion, sometimes to the point of rudeness. We brought in a dog for treatment twice and were pleased with the medical care each time. If they could get someone at the desk who was capable and sincere it would be a five star rating. ...read more
A pet with pre-existing conditions can still qualify for pet insurance. However, it is important for you as the owner to understand what a pre-existing condition is and how it is interpreted by each pet insurance company you are considering. As with human health insurance, the type and the severity of... ...read more
If your pet needs emergency vet care the last thing you want to think about is the bill. Unfortunately, emergency pet services can end up being extremely high. If you have a pet in need and are worried about the bill there are a few programs that may be able to help you. ...read more