# Banfield "Kitten Wellness Plan"... worth it, or no?



## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

Hi everyone! We have a deposit down on our new kitten and will be getting her in a few weeks.

I've been evaluating vet costs for our new kitten and someone told me about Banfield's "Kitten Wellness Plan", which is $29.95 a month for a year and includes:

Two comprehensive physical exams, routine recommended vaccinations, diagnostic testing, fecal exams, deworming treatments, spay or neuter surgery and unlimited free office visits.

It would be about $360 for the whole year. However, this doesn't include any emergency appointments that could arise. Also, I'm worried as I've heard some good things about Banfield, but have also heard some bad. The positive is Banfield is about 5 minutes away.


I'm considering it only because I paid a decent amount more for Ellie (our vet is pretty pricey since they have 24 hour emergency care). I probably paid $1,000 for Ellie's first 6 months of care, including her spay and one emergency appointment.


But I am also considering just opening up a 15-month no-interest credit card and taking the kitten to a cat-only vet nearby that sounds great, that is about the same cost of the vet I took Ellie to (planning on switching her to the cat-only vet as well when she's due for her yearly exam in October).


Although I have the money in savings, I'm a working college student paying for my own living so would prefer some lower-cost financing rather than pulling from my savings. I already have a credit card set aside for any emergency care for Ellie.



Anyone ever done one of the Banfield plans?


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## G-PEG123 (Feb 20, 2014)

I don't know. I called over there to ask about a spaying for Lily and they could't tell me the price. I had to come in. And actually, another place I called stated they had to call me back after they did an estimate. This practice seems weird to me. My own normal vet gave me a price, as did another 2 places. One place was over $100 less. The $100 place did not include an overnight. The other two were about $250. None included pre op blood work.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I don't know.... I've always considered Banfield the 'walmart' of the vet world. 

The no interest credit card sounds like a better idea imo... for a better vet.


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

Thank you both for your feedback! I also have my doubts... when I worked at Petsmart they didn't seem like they were the most knowledgeable when they were treating our small animals... that was my only experience with them but makes me doubtful.

I think I'm leaning more toward the cat-only vet, and considering doing her spay at our local low-cost spay/neuter clinic... may still be more than the Banfield plan but would probably give me peace of mind.. Our old vet charged $300 for Ellie's regular spay (no bloodwork) which I just think is way too high. My mom had her Pomeranians fixed at the spay/neuter clinic and they did a great job, and it was only $280 for both. It would probably be less than $100 for the kitten.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Chain store vet practices...not the kind of care I want for my pets. The credit card is a better choice imo. Or purchase insurance. It won't cover spay/neuter or wellness check ups (although some of them do for an extra fee)...but it will prevent you from getting smacked with a big vet bill for emergency care.


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## MsPepper (Mar 26, 2014)

I chose a different vet for our Pepper than for our dogs and I will switch our dogs to the same vet our Pepper goes to. 
Pepper got spayed at a Spay & Neuter Clinic 30 min. away from us, since her vet wanted $ 360.- for spay, blood work, chem panel and micro chip. I paid now $ 65.- for getting her spayed and micro chipped. 
Banfield wasn't on my list for vets at all.


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## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

MowMow said:


> I don't know.... I've always considered Banfield the 'walmart' of the vet world.


I agree with this. Banfield is run PURELY with the purpose of generating sales and commission. If they can talk you into getting an unnecessary procedure done, they will. If it's the most convenient thing for you, go for it. If other options are available, I would avoid Banfield.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Mandy, I vote for the credit card (like Care Credit) for emergencies, thats "my go to card" and only kept for our pets.
You could check out pet insurance, there are several now to choose from, but DEFINITELY do the research!!
Sharon


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

Thanks so much everyone! You all definitely just explained all of my worries. I am for sure going to go with the cat-only vet... he has INCREDIBLE reviews, people apparently come from out of state to go to him, and he's only about 20 minutes away. The only thing I dislike about the practice is that they still do laser declawing. -_- They try to persuade their clients otherwise, but still offer the procedure...

Just checked my credit score on Quizzle and I had a few great credit card offers... one was no-interest for 15 months and $100 reimbursed for the first $500 you spend. Perfect for vet bills!

While I think pet insurance can be great, I think for the meantime I'm just keeping credit cards available for if or when emergencies happen.


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