Banfield Pet Hospital Skokie, Illinois

Love Banfield. They always have been very pleasant and friendly with me and my pup. I've found them to be very thorough and knowledgeable as well.

Poor communication by staff and doctors. Performed unnecessary tests and prescribed unnecessary expensive medications. Unwilling to refund or give store credit for these unnecessary charges.

If I could give this pet hospital no stars, I would. The staff here is rude to pets and human customers. Every time I brought my kitten in for a check up or booster shots, they would complain about her or I would hear a technician screaming at the dogs to "shut up" in the back room. If this isn't enough to concern you, the main reason why I'm even writing this review is because this hospital is fraudulent and pushes for unnecessary testing and diagnoses. I took my kitten in for a spay surgery, and promptly received a call that they were unable to perform it due to her liver enzymes coming back unusual. The vet informed me that she was diagnosing my kitten with a liver shunt, a hereditary condition that if left untreated, is fatal. She said my kitten only had a few months to live, and the surgery for the liver shunt wasn't guaranteed to save her, and that the surgery would cost upwards of $9,000. But not before I was to perform three other tests, totaling to hundreds of dollars, to make sure. I went to the referred testing center my vet recommended, to the doctor she recommended. A liver shunt was not found, "but the level of high enzymes from the banfield test supported the diagnosis that there was a liver shunt". Thank god I went and got a second and third test and opinion from two other veterinarians at private practices. The fact that this vet immediately jumped to a liver shunt as a diagnosis is a huge red flag. Her enzymes came back normal at the other two clinics. I have no idea where they were getting their numbers and test results from, but all of the emotional wear and devastation I experienced from this hospital is unfathomable. I just wanted a simple spay for my new kitten, not this nightmare and insane vet bill. The treatment of pets and people here is not excusable. If you love your pets, never bring them here. Pay the little extra at a private practice.

Very friendly and helpful staff

Made an appointment yesterday , for 7:30 am drop off( here we go again) “drop off”…Today.. I admit we arrived at this facility 7:45 am. Late for 15 minutes. With a long line of customers waiting for there turn to be called..When it was our turn , literally we are at the front desk at 8:35am.. Just to be told that i was late an hour and because of that i have to re-schedule …Frustrated of what I've heard , telling her that i cant wait to finished our “Contract” with Banfield Pet Hospital”. Cause since we started , this Company does not met our expectations …We've been dropping off our family pet here, and have to wait for 5-6 hours wondering what was going on, if your pet is ok or not… We have to make a follow-up call just to checked if its finished…They dont give a call that your Pet is done with her checked up..

First of all, I want to clarify that I told the receptionist that if dental cleaning procedure was dangerous or painful for my dog, I did not want it.. took my little dog (chihuahua) for a dental cleaning and Dr Leigh and Amber Specht removed 9 teeth without my authorization. I went to talked to them at Banfield pet hospital and nobody wanted to take the responsibility for waht they did. I told not to do any type of teeth removal procedure with out my permission.They did not care about it. They are so unprofessional, When I went to talk to them, one of the members rejected giving me the names of the responsables (doctors), therefore I asked the receptionist until she finally ended up giving me these two names "Dr. Leigh and Amber Specht" They hurt him so much, three legs were on pain. He couldn't even walk. I can't imagine how much my little dog was suffering on these unprofessional hands.

I have been coming to this location for the past 4 years and have seen the quality and professionalism dwindle substantially during that time. This location has frequently kept my dog for 10+ hours for drop off appointments, and I have continually had issues communicating with the veterinary staff. A few times I have been promised a call from a vet during appointments to discuss concerns, yet the only person who calls me is a vet tech. Today I had an urgent issue and was placed on hold for 15 minutes. I called the Niles location and was able to secure a same-day appointment for my dog in less than 2 minutes. If you are expecting prompt, professional veterinary care… do not come here. Alternatively, I would recommend Banfield in Niles for your veterinary needs.

Very nice staff, however, they always answer the phone and put you on hold EVERY TIME. I’ve been on hold for over 10 minutes whenever I call. If you guys are busy don’t answer the phone.I’d rather leave a message and get a call back at this point.

Thieves and strictly business minded bottom line. My dog wasn’t even sick but they somehow found 1000 dollars plus things to do to my dog and convinced me to get the wellness plan despite having a coupon for a the office visit which they refused to honor and absorbed that cost into the plan. I am no longer in possession of the dog and had to cancel the plan. I had to up 525 dollars to cancel from one visit they I already paid 400 plus dollars for at a supposed discount. Disgusted

Do not go! We have been customers there for over 10 years. I brought in my sick dog this morning and they refused to see her! Even though I pay for the monthly wellness plan. Who turns away a sick dog? Isn’t that what a vet is for. I have 3 dogs and will look for a new vet. These people do not care!

B E W A R E , they try to milk your wallet as much as possible. The wait time was long most of the time its one person at the desk i asked for the paperwork from my visit and testing I had done, they told me it's all here but when checking it they failed to give it to me so I requested it to be emailed they said they can't, I asked for it to be faxed they said it's broken that I'd have to come back in person again. I got an exam but they refused to check his eyes and charged me extra when other vets did it as part of thr exam. If you need vaccines PAWS FOR CHICAGO will do it for a cheaper price and will with with medicaid insurance to drop the pricing more ! I spent 151$ for something another vet could of done for 40!!!!!!!

They need more help at front desk

They always charge you extra, you get roped into this wellness plan you think will save you money, but on the end you paying more and your stuck paying that off also, . I've asked them several times to cut my cats nails, but they say they did, but don't. It happened three times, and every time they tried to brush it off. Go to the anti cruelty. Save your money,

They never picked up your call. Save your time and call other Banfield hospital

Friendly staff! Always take great care of my pets.

It was good but grooming is very expensive now

I got a call the day before my dog's appointments and told I needed to drop off early the next morning while I was out of state planning to be back in time for the appointment the next day. Then they told me I can drop him off around the time I would be back call on my way to drop him off and they tell me they're canceling his appointment at the last minute because they can't fit him in anymore even though his appointment isn't until 3 and it is 2 o clock. Finding another vet and canceling my dog care membership with this group. Definitely not worth the price monthly for this terrible service.

Amazing service and friendly helpful atmosphere

I brought my pet in for constant urination issue. When they did the urinalysis they told me he had red blood cells in his urine from the test strip but when I asked if they saw any crystals to watch for bladder stones as my daughters dog had stones and had similar issues they told me they dont do that type of test to check in a urinalysis. This is a lie as part of the urinalysis is to check for any cells or crystal fragments which can be seen while the sample is stained under the microscope. Also in the chart they marked red blood cells on the strip test but not under the microscope stain section which they should have been seen. They also stated they could not give my dog the heartworm prevention shot as his heartworm test was not done. This was after I dropped him off for over an hour and the heartworm test takes 8 minutes in the machine after getting the blood test started. So now he has to go back at a later time and is still at risk. They never explained or offered heartworm prevention or other services to me while checking in or out and if not for my daughter I would have never known what to look or ask for. I was never explained any blood work or other test results. They also were out of stock if half of the antibiotic they put my dog on(in spite of not seeing bacteria or red blood cells or crystals under the microscope). So I guess I will see if a uti is even the issue. Very poor service and unprofessional doctor/staff.

I do not usually leave reviews, but the issues I have had with Banfield (especially the skokie location) are unacceptable and I do NOT recommend any pet owner to bring their pets here. I am canceling my membership here for my 14 year old dachshund and 7 month old kitten. A few months ago, my dog went in for a teeth cleaning as usual. Banfield said they would call us when they are done around 1pm. I did not receive a call so I called myself and the lady who works on the front went to check on him and said that he is doing okay and I will be called by the doctor soon. I did not get a call till 4pm saying that they were not able to do any procedures. My 14 year old dog sat in their facility all day for absolutely no reason other than the fact that the doctor never called me and the doctors have no communication with the nurses and people who work at the front. I decided to forgive this as we are in the middle of a pandemic and I understand they are busy. Yesterday my cat got spayed. We made an appointment about three months in advance because they are so busy with drop off policy to do covid. When we picked her up, the vet tech was condescending about her behavior during the procedure. We went to give her the pain medicine that was given this morning, just to find out that package it came it was empty. I tried to call them multiple times and was on hold for 45 minutes before I gave up and went to the place. Once there, the phone rang about 30 times while they tried to solve the issue and no one was there to pick up. There was one girl there with no help and a huge line of people to get to. Giving empty medication and not being able to answer your customers is completely unacceptable and ridiculous. You would think a corporation that has been around for so long would do better. I am not wasting another dime here.

I'm writing this review just to close a chapter as customer of Banfield paying plans for 2 dogs for about 16 years, receiving a treatment in the past few weeks that was unacceptable with my 5 years and 8 months Cane Corso that faced an injuries last Thursday night with possible tier knee ligament, unable to stand alone on his left back leg, when i tried to find a spot to check him out the answer from the nurses was we are overbook and under staff because the Covid-19, the only appointment they offer was for the following Thursday, so 1 week later, i tried to be calm and polite but i explained that if the diagnostic made the night before by Blue Pearl hospital was right ,i would ends up to the doctor since i was lift him with a towel to help him with his back , the answer was still after 16 years payments , no we are sorry but that's what we can do for you. My opinion is that Banfield is a bad corporation with no ethic, if you cannot reserve a spot for emergency call for regular customer. Today i went there to ask about closing my account, not a why , not a thank you, just a piece of paper with a corporate number to call after 16 years. Bad Company that's all

Just called to see if I can get my dogs post surgery laceration checked...they’re too busy.. and didn’t even recommend or compromise. Thanks a lot. If you want to be a vet for animals do it as a passion.. not a business. Trash. It’s ok my dogs life is more valuable than your money.

This Banfield has provided first class care for my two dogs. I've visited several other Banfield locations and consider this one to be best in class.

Wasn't that thrilled thought overpriced and didn't help with the situation.They were friendly.But ended up going somewhere else

They did a good job. Just a little slow .

They killed my dog. Her name was Sherry. Contact me and I will tell exactly what happened. This place is beyond trash. They use a computer to diagnose your dog and follow steps on it. It is an outright scam and they should be shut down nation wide. The anger and frustration and sadness they caused me - no one should ever go through. Please please please find a real vet to take your loved animals to. It will be a lot cheaper. Trust me. Again, contact me for more information about what happened to my dog and I will tell you exactly step by step what happened. I wish the worst for every single employee there.

My poodle was sick with severe gastritis and I just wanted him to get some subcutaneous fluids. They wouldn't even see him, wouldn't give me a prescription so I could do it myself. I tried 2 different Banfield locations and neither would help. Apparently they are a vet clinic that doesn't treat sick animals how novel. Banfield... you suck!

Good luck getting an appointment here. Even though the people that work here are very friendly they are so busy and overbooked that it’s just assembley line service.

They love pets, people, and good care

I moved here from Denver and could not find a vet with openings to see my 2 miniature schnauzers. I have always used private vets for years. I went here and stupidly took on their plan. They take a good sum of money from you then you come in for a 6mth wellness check and think that what they are Do I g is part of the plan but it is not and they keep trying to get more $$ out of you. A bit of a money factory and have already sent in to cancel this "membership " and take my dogs to a place that cares more about the dog than how much money they can squeeze out of you! Buyer beware and cancel at year end or they will keep charging you. You have to send in a letter to Banfield to cancel.