Low cost pet vaccinations

[subeasley]

Veterinary Express does a low cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinic in Fuquay once or twice a month at the Country Gardens Bed and Biscuit (567-9007)

Animal kind offers dicount vouchers as well.

[dlatella]

I have had terrible experiences with Banfield. Many times when they wanted me to drop off my pets they neglected to call me when they were through the exam, which meant my pets stayed in their cages all day, when I called they said "Oh didn't anyone call you" My Wellness plan was supposed to end in February (then I was going to cancel it) and one of my dogs had an appointment for boosters in January what they did was give her vaccines and blood work etc that was supposed to be given after the contract expired, they told me that I would have to give them $375. because those vaccines were to be given after the expirations date but they decided to give them to her prior. How dare they go ahead and give boosters without my consent. So I had to stay in the plan for another year since at the moment I did not have $375. to give them.
My two dogs went to a doggie day care, one week after that they developed a terrible cough, and sneezing, all the symptoms were Bordetella (Kennel Cough) I brought one of them to Banfield and even though I was in the plan it still cost me an additional $127. for medicine and blood work. Their diagnosis was Bordetella. My dogs had a bordetella shot there and they are not due until February according to the Warranty for a booster, which meant that Banfield was suppossed to pick up the tab. Then after I called and complained about the bill and the warranty they told me that they weren't sure is was Bordetella, and to test for it they couldn't do until AFTER my dog took all the antibiotic and cough medicine and then it would be $275. After the medicine I'm sure it would not show positive.
One of by dogs has allergies and I now go to a Holistic Vet, when she saw my dogs vaccine records should not believe that Banfield gives so many vaccines and boosters all at the same time which has side affects later on. My suggestion is stay away from Banfield, if you go make sure that you a stay in the room for the exam, and make sure they don't give mulitple shots at the same time. I think that they are dispicable.....

[wheelsup]

I've had a different experience with Banfield on Capital Blvd (near Lowes). However I am the first to admit your experience will depend on the Vet itself. We have used "Dr. V" exclusively. She is excellent.

We had always taken our dog to general vets to get shots done, take care of sick calls, etc. It hadn't been a problem until abotu 2 weeks ago when our 5 year old Lab/Shepard developed several ailments in the same time period. After 2 visits to our general vet (the second due to our dog getting an eye infection from the first visit) we had spent over $150 and then our dog developed pankcreatits. For those who are unfamiliar it is a disease that has a 50% fatal rate for dogs, cats, even humans.

Our vet was closed (day after thanksgiving) but Banfield was open. The dog was puking blood, we had to have her seen. Our brother in law as well as sister in law use Banfield and highly recommended them.

To make a long story short we ended up spending $700 at Banfield however had it been done at our regular vet the amount would've been close to double. Also $300 of that was our choice because we wanted to have her spend another day on the IV, the vet had released the dog the day before. We were just being extra cautious. In addition we signed up for the wellness plans which are simply a preventive plan. You get unlimited office visits with this plan, we were paying $35-$58 per visit just to walk in the door (depending on level of exam) with our other vet. You do however have to cover cost of meds etc. just like your own health coverage. However depending on the level of the plan certain tests are included.

Before doing ANYTHING to your pet the vets write up a document that displays the total costs for the days recommened treatment. No such thing exists at any vet I have ever been to. Before they start working on your pet you know EXACTLY how much it is going to cost. In addition, you are given the option to sign up for a wellness plan or one-up your plan if you need tests that are included in the next level for free. They show you the price different and in our case it made sense to one-up our plan. For another $60 for the year for the wellness plan we saved around $150 due to the tests that were included.

Now, to the vacciness. What I would do is call Banfield up and tell them what you need done. They will tell you how much it is going to cost you both on and off the plan. See if they are a fit for you. I wish we had been under Banfield prior to all of this because our dog was showing signs of pankcreatitus (unbeknowst to us) for 6-8 months prior, but due to the cost of a vet visit for what we thought was simply an attitude problem we never took her. In addition the lowest wellness plan for dogs includes all of the shots needed yearly/semiyearly. What this means is at a traditional vet you have to pay the office visit as well as the fees to get shots. At Banfield just the cost of the wellness plan alone is what a tradtional vet would charge for the shots and you get unlimited office visits. It's a no-brainer.

I don't understand what happened to the above poster, I can't really follow along. I do know that they keep track of any needed shots and let you know if they are included in your plan. She might have been confused on when her plan ended possibly, I do not know. Or possibly the dog could've gotten the shots already under the expiring wellness plan and the doctors figured she was continuing with the plan so it wasn't an issue, and the owner didn't speak up and clarify that she was canceling it. Hard to say.

[juttammoore]

To CaryCathleen
Go to The SPCA and get a voucher for spaying of neutering. When I got my last voucher for my female dog it cost approximately $40. There is a list of local vets that accept those vouchers. Unless you want to have a blood test done before the procedure, the voucher covers the entire surgery.