Bottom Line Up Front: We had the following terrible experience with Benson Animal Hospital, many people in the area have shared their similar experiences, do not take your animal there - especially in... Read More
Bottom Line Up Front: We had the following terrible experience with Benson Animal Hospital, many people in the area have shared their similar experiences, do not take your animal there - especially in an emergency. Go to NC State College of Veterinary Medicine & Veterinary Health Complex who has amazing staff and is completely fair in their pricing, or Dr. Frazier of Frazier's Mobile Equine - now Hannah Creek Veterinary who comes highly recommended and rumor has it will be seeing small animals soon (if not already). Please let everyone know - thank you! I was at work at Ft. Bragg when my wife called frantic that Mia (my dig) was bleeding everywhere from a fight. I told her to take her to the closest vet -Benson Animal Hospital - and put pressure on the wound. Thanks to my neighbor who helped usher the two dogs that were the worst-off to the vet they were there in minutes. As I rushed from Ft. Bragg to Benson - I called ahead and informed the vet that they would be receiving two injured dogs shortly. They said they would be prepared. I got to the vet in under forty minutes and as I arrived I walked into the treatment room worried and hoping to see my two dogs alive and ok. Mia was on a table with a towel over her leg (held there by my neighbor), and Ginger was being pet by Emma. There was a tech in the doorway standing with her arms crossed and nobody else. I pulled off the towel to see what it looked like and was hit in the face from more than a foot away by the spray of arterial blood. I put the towel back on, placed pressure on it, and asked where the vet was and what the plan was. The vet Dr. Anderson was standing behind me and said that they were just about to take a look a Mia's leg, but she thought it was minor, and Ginger's leg was "superficial" and would heal on it's own. To this point the only "care" given was a groomer who came and partially shaved around the wounds. I told Emma that I was calling our vet at Ft. Bragg, getting some treatment supplies from my car and we were leaving. I placed a pressure bandage on Mia's leg and left back to Ft. Bragg. Within an hour of arriving at the Veterinary Treatment Facility, all three dogs (Dobby needed many stitches as well) were sedated and being stabilized. Ultimately, Mia severed a branch of her cephalic artery and her radial nerve, Ginger required a multi-layer complicated closure that went down to her bone, and Dobby took 10 stitches to close the flap on his leg. All told, it took two veterinarians, one special ops medic, one vet tech, more than 50 stitches, and two drains. Had I followed the plan set by Dr. Anderson, Ginger would have probably died from infection at worst and lost her leg at best. Mia would have bled to death or had to have her entire leg amputated. The worst part of all of this is that Benson Animal Hospital sent us a bill for both Ginger and Mia. They "credited" us for Mia - understandable since the only person in the building who treated her was my neighbor. We told them we would pay for the groomer's time who shaved a few spots but nothing else was done, so nothing else should be billed. Less than 30 days after nearly killing our dogs and billing us for it, they had the gall to send it to collections. We will contest all of that as needed but it should be known, never, ever, take your animal to Benson Animal Hospital; especially not in an emergency. Go to NC State College of Veterinary Medicine & Veterinary Health Complex who has amazing staff and is completely fair in their pricing, or Dr. Frazier of Frazier's Mobile Equine - now Hannah Creek Veterinary who comes highly recommended and rumor has it will be seeing small animals soon (if not already). Please let everyone know - thank you! Read Less