# Is Banfield Wellness plan worth it?



## stevenham (Oct 7, 2010)

I've been on the wellness plan with my first dog for a year now and he's relatively a healthy dog except for some allergies. I'd say that I got my money's worth as I was frequently going in for office visits whenever I had any concerns or questions during the first several months. Other than the vets trying to get me to by lots of meds, I had a fairly good experience with them. I also adopted a Greyhound a couple weeks ago and she seems to be a pretty healthy dog as well. 

It's time for me to renew my plan with my first dog and find a vet for my second. If I'm only planning on going in for annual checkups and shots, would Banfield be worth the money? 

We have one of the best vet schools in the midwest here and I've been hearing that it's generally on the cheaper side. Would it probably be cheaper to go to a local vet or the university vet to do an annual physical, fecal exam, heartworm exam and shots? 

They are both around 3 years old.


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## McBee (Jul 1, 2011)

In relation to their plans, I found that they are not all that much less when it comes to getting pups up to date on shots versus going to a local vet. With Banfield's $99 start-up cost, plus first months payment then adding in the future payments, it kind of adds up to being close to what you would pay at a local clinic. Where money is saved is with the neuter/spay option.

The do have it set up nicely in regards to payments and spreading it over a year, but their ratings across Illinois are pretty bad from my research. I was recommended a specific location - which had great ratings - but looking at other locations, the ratings were generally poor. A lot of the negativity seemed to revolved around the corporate structure of Banfield; not inherently bad, but was enough for me to stick with what I'm use to: small local clinics. 

As far as the treatment of animals there, they seem to do OK. I have two friends that take their dogs to Banfield and they have never had an issue.

Sample:
I pay $28/shot, $35/fecal exam, and (for new pups) a one time $60 visit fee which covers me until he is up to date on vaccinations. In total, I've spent just over $300 for a new pup at my local clinic which covered all his shots + lime disease control + fecal exam + medicine (Coccidia). On the other hand, once he is 6mo, it will cost around $250 for the neutering operation through my local vet (goes back to the plus side of Banfield - they have more bandwidth when it comes to surgeries, which equals a lower cost).

All-in-all, I don't think it's a bad place if you find the right location, but I don't think it's the best. I will say, Banfield would of been my second option had I not found a highly regarded local vet.


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## hequestrian (Jul 26, 2011)

I have the wellness program for both of my dogs now. The fact that you can pay for everything over the course of the year is very nice. I find it very convenient. I got a discount on the "start-up" fee for my new puppy as she is my second dog on the plan. 

If you are anything like me the opportunity to pay monthly is great and I know that for my first dog I had TONs of questions and definitely made use of the free office visits.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

It is cheaper if you get the wellness plan that includes speutering and the payment plans are convenient. However, once my pup's plan is finished in a year I plan on searching for another vet. I just don't care for the idea of corporate franchise healthcare.


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