Neglect to pet from vet team and clinic turning off phones early on purpose
About 5–8 minutes after leaving the clinic, my dog suddenly began swelling and having trouble breathing, clearly showing signs of a reaction shortly after the visit.
In a panic, I called the clinic for help. Ania at the front desk did not answer my calls starting at 5:43 PM, even though the clinic closes at 6 PM. I called 14 times and have phone records showing it. When I addressed it later, she first said the phone lines “act funny,” then said she was alone and busy. Ignoring repeated calls from a distressed pet owner while the clinic is still open is extremely concerning.
When I brought the reaction to the veterinary staff’s attention, the male vet tech was dismissive — smiling, giggling, and shrugging as if it was no big deal. When I asked why my dog had not been given Benadryl or any precaution, he responded, “I asked if you had concerns and you said no.” It is not the owner’s responsibility to anticipate possible medical reactions — that is the veterinary team’s responsibility.
To make matters worse, while I was visibly shaking and crying, Dr. Tracy Scola came out holding her own dog, shrugged, and said something along the lines of, “Okay, I already told you… it happened, so what.” The lack of empathy in that moment was shocking, especially coming from a veterinarian.
The only person who showed kindness was a woman in the grooming department who answered my call and helped me when no one else would. I’m very grateful to her.
My dog has been a patient since 2018 and has years of records showing he suffers from allergies and typically receives prophylactic medication with injections. He regularly receives Cytopoint, with the last dose administered by this same Aventura location on 10/26/2025. This raises serious concerns about whether patient records are actually being reviewed before treatment.
Even more concerning, the records they printed for me from today’s visit do not document that my dog had an allergic reaction, the injection they gave him to treat the reaction, or the medications they sent home with me. The medication order was even written by hand. This makes me question whether they plan to properly add this reaction and treatment to my dog’s medical record at all — something that absolutely should be documented for his safety in the future.
I have been a Banfield client at other locations (like Sunrise) where the staff were always professional, cautious, and empathetic. Unfortunately, this experience at the Aventura location completely changed my outlook. I will be canceling my medical plan and strongly encourage other pet owners to think carefully before trusting this location with their pets. don’t even bother responding to my complaint because i already reached out to Mars Veterinary Health