Banning Veterinary Hospital

Reviews

• IS

  Irene Snow

  Oct 7, 2026
  1.0
  I brought my cat into this Veterinary hospital because I was so happy with the service I received previously with his leg injury and ultimate amputation. So this time I brought him in because he was scratching his head raw. My cat does not have fleas ticks or mites which the vet tested for over there. I told the vet that we saw that we don’t have fleas up where I live because I’m in the very high desert near Joshua Tree higher than Joshua Tree actually. We tested for the fleas ticks and mites everything came negative, but then they wanted to sell me $100 topical flea killer medication for flea ticks and mites. Which he does not have. I also was told that my cat could still get fleas in the high desert where I live because of climate change, which is not true, and to be honest quite insulting. We don’t have fleas up here because of the elevation. He doesn’t have ticks. He’s strictly an inside cat. I don’t need a veterinarian degree to know that high elevations don’t breed that kind of pestilence. The veterinarian did not even suggest that I trim his nails or have his nails trimmed or suggest that they do it there. I drive a long way to take my cat to this Veterinary office and I was tired and I expect the veterinarian to know what to do for my cat to help him. I didn’t think of having his nails trimmed until I got home already. Hundreds of dollars spent and problem, not solved and lectures about climate change and wanting to give me medication for my cat for a condition that he does not even have. Bleeding my money. Sadly, the Veterinary profession has become all about making money and corporatism, and now imbibed with political indoctrination apparently. And I guess now that the vet schools are DEI, this is what we will be getting. My cat is still wearing a cone because he keeps scratching his head. I guess I’m on my own.
• RA

  Robin Anderson

  Sep 25, 2026
  5.0
  I highly recommend Banning Veterinary Hospital! From the moment we walked in, the staff was caring, compassionate, and genuinely concerned about our pets. Dr. Marotta was wonderful—she took the time to listen, explain everything clearly, and made sure we understood our options. You can tell she truly cares about the animals she treats. It’s such a relief to have a veterinarian you can trust and feel comfortable with. Thank you to Dr. Malotta and the entire team at Banning Veterinary Hospital for taking such great care of our fur baby! ❤️🐾
• CD

  C D

  Sep 10, 2026
  1.0
  Selected this office because of the reviews only to be left disappointed and shocked by the treatment we received. Drove over an hour to get her. Spent over 2 hours because I refused to be bullied by the staff. To start... The front desk told me my appointment time was different than what my email and text notifications said. Ok, no big deal, I'll wait. The vet withheld medication unless I would commit to certain procedures. If I asked questions to better understand something she mentally started breaking down to the point of throwing a fit. When she couldn't answer why we needed to do something unrelated to the situation she said "I have to protect my license." ok, suspicious and weird. Know your science or don't make things up. We paid for ear cleaning which was no different than what we were already doing, but had to do this to get meds. The vet and assistances made it seem like I was neglecting my cat because 1. she had an ear infection 2. I refused other procedures and labs that were unrelated to the situation. (At some point you can't save a cat from aging, but they swore up and down we needed to look for other issues. BTW She doesn't have other issues.) We brought her in as soon as we knew something was wrong with her ear. The assistants and staff talked about me 3 times right outside the door. The way the vet money grabbed and stated concerns about her license was shocking. It makes me think that there are some mismanagement on the financial side and they must milk every appointment for all it is worth. I also wanted to add that the vet made it seem like my cats ear infection was life or death but the paperwork stated "mild" findings. Visitors/Patients beware!
• PS

  Phoebe S.

  Sep 9, 2026
  2.0
  I've been a client of this practice for some time, and unfortunately my decision to leave isn't based on one bad experience. It is the result of several incidents involving communication, follow-up, and continuity of care. The first occurred after Dr. Murphy left the practice. Two of my senior dogs had been examined less than four months earlier and were on an annual examination schedule. Despite their recent exams, I was told their existing medications could not be refilled because Dr. Murphy was no longer with the practice, and they would need to be examined again before refills could be authorized. This meant additional appointments and expense simply to continue medications they were already taking. Later, one of my dogs needed emergency care. Multiple staff members told me her X-rays would be forwarded to the emergency clinic. When we arrived, they were not available, and I had to pay approximately $500 to have the imaging repeated. When I followed up, I was told there was no way to determine whether the email had actually been sent. I left multiple messages for the office manager and never received a return call. Most recently, my 15-year-old dog was seen as a drop-off appointment after he stopped eating and became very weak. I understand the nature of a drop-off appointment and did not expect an extended consultation during the day. His bloodwork showed severe kidney abnormalities. I was told his kidney value was extremely high and that he needed intensive emergency treatment. When I picked him up, the veterinarian spoke with me briefly but did not have his bloodwork with her or review the results with me in detail. I was again told about intensive treatment and given euthanasia as the other option, with the comment, “It doesn't seem like you are ready to do that today.” When I chose to take him home, I was required to sign paperwork documenting that I was declining the recommended treatment. I understand why a practice documents declined treatment. My concern is that I was being asked to make an enormous decision without first having his bloodwork meaningfully explained, understanding his prognosis, or discussing whether supportive or comfort-focused options existed between intensive hospitalization and euthanasia. I had to call afterward to request that his bloodwork be emailed to me. When I also requested his medical records, I was told the portion containing the veterinarian's notes required approval before it could be emailed. I sought a second opinion, and I want to be very clear: the second veterinarian confirmed that my dog has end-stage kidney disease. The original diagnosis was not the problem, and I am not criticizing this practice because I received news I didn't want to hear. What was different was the conversation. The second veterinarian reviewed his condition, discussed his advanced heart disease alongside his kidney disease, explained his prognosis, and discussed both aggressive treatment and supportive care. We understand his disease is terminal and are not expecting a miracle. We chose supportive care focused on his comfort and quality of life for whatever time he has remaining. That was the conversation I needed at the original appointment. Any one of these experiences might have been something I could overlook. Taken together, they caused me to lose confidence in this practice, particularly regarding communication, follow-up, and continuity of care. When families are dealing with a seriously ill pet, they need more than a diagnosis. They need enough information to understand what is happening, what their realistic options are, and to make an informed decision for an animal they love.
• TW

  Tim Wang

  Sep 4, 2026
  1.0
  Took our pup to Banning Veterinary Hospital for a simple cough this morning. Of course, and as usual, got “suggested” to do a bunch of procedures ending up to close to $1000. Fine, for the safety of our pup, proceed. Told us it would take them less than an hour, and we were told that we can pay when we pick up our pup because we left our card at home. Went home, picked up our card, went to eat, and came back in about 1 hour. Receptionist told us all the technicians are out to lunch and ask us to wait. Waited for an hour or so, we saw staff coming back, chit chatting, laughing, so I went to check with the receptionist again. Made us wait longer, came back and told us that they are STILL working on our pup and it is going to take a “few hours”… Suggested we to go home and come back or we can sit there and wait God knows how many hours… Fine. We decided to go home, and while we almost reached our house, they called and said that “we have not paid yet, so they CANNOT (IMPORTANT DETAIL HERE) work on our pup”. Mind you, 1. Their doctor told us we can pay when we pick up our pup earlier in the morning, 2. Our pup is still under their care, 3. NONE of this was mentioned to us while we waited there for an hour or so just before we left. Wife tried to explain that the doctor said we can paid when we pick up our pup, the receptionist rudely shuts my wife down, and said “that is not how we work, there must be a miscommunication” Fine. We turn around (literally few block from our home) to go back to them, and wife and I decided since they have not started working on our pup, and their behavior is highly unprofessional, rude, and inconsistent statements throughout the day, we decided to just pick up our pup and leave. Went back to the vet and told them we do not want to proceed, and just return our pup. Made us wait another 30 min or so, and called us to the front desk, and told us they need to charge us for “work done”, which were two of the most expensive item on the list, ended up close to $700. I stated that earlier when they called us, they claimed that they cannot work on our pup since we have not paid, how is it that all of a sudden the two most expensive works on the list were done? She replied: “must be a miscommunication”… On top of it all, they MADE us sign a release form BEFORE they would return our pup. We had to sign it in order to get our pup, so we signed it under protest with me specifying that their so called “medical professional” gave us inconsistent statements throughout the day, and that they were/are highly unprofessional. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND, in fact, looking into potential legal actions so we can subpoena records of the “actual work performed” if any.

Frequently Asked Questions About Banning Veterinary Hospital