Thomas F. Horkan Veterinary Practice

Thomas F. Horkan Veterinary Practice (also referred to by reviewers as “Ballina Veterinary Clinic”) appears set up for both routine care and more involved medical/surgical cases, based on reports of hospitalisation, surgery and follow-up treatment. Owners describe procedures including removal of embedded fish hooks with sedation and medication to go home, ultrasound appointments, blood tests and IV fluids (“dripped and rehydrated”), and treatment for feline urinary obstruction that involved several days of hospitalisation.

Reviewers give mixed signals on the experience: some mention “exceptionally clean” facilities and “professional” vets, while several 1‑star reviews focus on cost transparency (large bills without an estimate being discussed first) and payment policy (requests to pay in instalments being refused, and one owner alleging their pet was not released until payment was made).

Services

Services mentioned by owners in reviews include

•Sedated minor procedure/wound management: removal of embedded fish hooks with tranquiliser, plus antibiotics and painkillers prescribed for several days.
•Diagnostic imaging: ultrasound (one owner attended specifically for an ultrasound requested by their regular vet).
•Bloodwork and inpatient supportive care: attempts to take blood, and IV fluids/drip rehydration for dehydration.
•Cat medicine: monthly injection referenced as Solensia (used for osteoarthritis pain), and treatment pathways for arthritis and urinary issues.
•Urinary obstruction care: described as a “flush of the urethra,” with one account stating this became major surgery and included four days of hospitalisation.
•Prescription diet/food: “special food” supplied for urinary issues (as described by a reviewer).
•After-death care: ashes collection is referenced; one reviewer also mentions hair/clippings and paw prints being provided, and states they did not give permission for this.

Pricing

Explicit prices mentioned in reviews

•€108 for removal of embedded fish hooks, including labour, tranquiliser, antibiotics, and 5 days of painkillers (as reported by one owner).
•Ultrasound: one owner says they were told €150 for an ultrasound, but were billed €460 in total when collecting their dog (they describe this as unexpected).
•Cat visits: one owner reports being charged “over €300” for an arthritis-related visit, and again over €300 for a later visit for suspected urethral blockage.
•Emergency urinary case: the same owner reports a bill of €1,100+ after what they understood to be a urethral flush, which they say turned into major surgery with four days of hospitalisation.

People

Staff named by reviewers (with specific feedback)

•Sercan Kaya (vet): praised for a “gentle and professional manner” and kindness to a cat in the cat’s final days; the owner valued continuity and tried to book monthly appointments to align with Sercan’s schedule.
•Agne (vet): one reviewer describes concerns about how gastrointestinal symptoms and dehydration were handled at a monthly injection visit, and notes Agne unsuccessfully attempted blood draws; the same reviewer says they did not see Agne check in during a subsequent inpatient stay.
•Claire: mentioned as helping with bloods alongside Sercan.
•Isabelle: mentioned as checking in on an inpatient cat.
•Fintan/Finton (surname varies in reviews): mentioned in both positive and negative contexts—praised by one owner for care during a fish-hook case, and criticised by another for a dismissive response about medication being unavailable.

Reviews

Google rating: 4.6 stars from 128 reviews. - Hands-on treatment is frequently described, including sedation for removing embedded hooks, prescribing antibiotics/pain relief, and inpatient care with IV fluids and blood tests.

•Cost and communication are a major fault line: multiple 1‑star reviews allege bills were much higher than expected (e.g., €150 quoted vs €460 charged for an ultrasound visit; €1,100+ after an emergency urinary procedure) and say estimates or the likely scale of treatment weren’t made clear upfront.
•Payment policy disputes appear in more than one account: two reviewers say they were refused instalments, and one claims their pet was kept until payment was made (they report eventual release after partial payment).
•Cat-specific concerns are raised: one owner describes small steel cages, limited space for litter/food/bedding, and worries about overnight monitoring; the same review also mentions a month where Solensia wasn’t available at the appointment.
•Positive notes do appear: one review calls the clinic “exceptionally clean,” and another describes “professional service and top class vets,” while others focus on specific individuals (notably Sercan Kaya) who made a difficult situation feel more supported.

Reviews for Thomas F. Horkan Veterinary Practice

Note: Showing the 5 most recent Google reviews out of 128 we track in total. Recent reviews may not be representative of overall sentiment.

Rimantas Kneizys

4 weeks ago

Maria Brogan

2 months ago

Sean McMahon

4 months ago

Brought our Minature Jack Russell in with embedded fish hooks in her tummy . Finton & his staff took great care of her . We couldn't be happier with the level of care she got . Exceptionally clean The cost was satisfactory too , €108 for labour, Tranquiliser , Antibiotics & Pain Killers for 5 days. Highly recommended Finton O'connor Impressive

Garry Mooney

I brought my dog here to have an ultrasound done for my regular vet. Although I was told it was 150 euro for the ultrasound and they'd need to see her first I was shocked when I collected her and the bill came to 460 euro. I didn't have the amount so they said they'd be keeping her until it was paid in full to which I even more shocked. They eventually released her after a partial payment. Just a typical vet that takes you to the cleaners for anything they can think of presuming you can afford it. I won't use them again and have had plenty of other people warm me away from them too

Franca Bisceglia

5 months ago

Disponibilità e cortesia.

Michael Roughneen

3 months ago

Professional service and top class vets. Would highly recommend. Private parking outside front door.

Bridget Brown

I have given this review only 1 star, however there is an exception - Sercan Kaya. His clear love of animals, gentle and professional manner and kindness to Felix was so appreciated. In the last days of Felix’s life nothing was too much trouble. Thank you Sercan. Whilst I understand the need for several vets in a busy practice, I think that with long term patients having the same vet is essential. I tried to coordinate Felix’s monthly appointments for when Sercan was on duty so that there would be continuity but sadly this wasn’t always possible. Why then only 1 star – firstly when I took Felix for his monthly injection on the 17th June, the Vet on duty was Agne. I told her that Felix had been better during the last month but that the last week he had been a little stressed with house guests which included a 2-year-old. More importantly, the weekend before the Solensia he had bad diarrhoea and had vomited green bile the day before his appointment. Surely this should have raised concern? She tried to take bloods unsuccessfully and said he was mildly dehydrated. Two days later he was back and needed to be dripped and rehydrated. Thankfully Sercan was on duty and was able to take the bloods easily along with Claire. I spent both Friday and Saturday with Felix to care for him. Agne was on duty on the Friday. She never once came up to check on him or to speak to me, I found this strange. Both Isabelle and Sercan came up on the Saturday. The 2nd reason for a 1 star is the facilities for cats. I was appalled – small steel cages which were too small to house bedding, food and a litter tray – so far from the needs of a cat & in what seems to be a storeroom with little ventilation. No Vet, nurse or even CCTV cameras to check on them overnight. I felt traumatised to leave him in such awful conditions. Thirdly, a few months ago there was no Solensia when we arrived for his appointment. Unacceptable and stressful for Felix. As I received a reminder every month for his appointment, surely having the medication is the least one can expect. When mentioned to Fintan that I wasn’t happy about it, his reply was …. These things happen… Really? What a sad attitude. I was further saddened when my sister collected Felix’s ashes… little bottles of hair and prints…. I never gave permission for Felix’s dead body to be treated like that. Whilst this seems to be standard practice, perhaps in future you should get permission first. Bottom line – overall, did Felix have the best care at Ballina Veterinary Clinic? ….sadly NO. There were some kind people at the clinic for which I am grateful but in conclusion, whilst there is so much more that I could say, suffice for now to ask a question…. Should we hold Vets, like Doctors, Priests, teachers etc to a higher standard…. YES, you deal with the fragility of life. If only you could have the attitude of, how may I serve…. What more can I do for this life … animals are a precious gift to be treated and considered with more care.

Kinga Piekarczyk

We’ve been bringing our cat to Ballina Veterinary Clinic for about two years and had been really pleased with the service—until recently. What we experienced has left me questioning not just the professionalism, but the ethicality of how this clinic operates. About two months ago, we brought our cat in because he was constantly licking his private parts, meowing in distress, and showing signs of discomfort in his back legs. He was diagnosed with arthritis, we were charged over €300, sent home with medication that didn’t really help. Two weeks ago, we returned with more concerns—he had started urinating in strange places around the house and at times seemed unable to pass urine altogether. This time, they diagnosed a urethral blockage—again over €300, sent home with medication and special food. We were told this is quite common in cats, that a full blockage might eventually happen, and that a flush of the urethra might be required. What we weren’t given was any clear explanation of what that would actually involve or how much it might cost if it did happen. What we were only told that it does happen it would be considered an emergency. Four days ago, that emergency came—our cat could no longer pass urine at all. We were told that a procedure to flush the urethra was now necessary. Having never been charged more than around €300 before—and with the clinic knowing we always paid upfront and that we didn’t have insurance—we trusted that we’d be kept informed. Instead, we were presented with a €1,100+ bill after the procedure was done, which turned out to be major surgery requiring four days of hospitalization. At no point were we given an estimate or informed about how serious—or how expensive—this was going to be. When we asked if we could pay in installments to manage this sudden, unexpected bill, we were flatly refused. And when we raised concerns about the poor communication and lack of transparency, the dismissive response from the vet nurse was: “Yes, but did you ask?” That attitude said it all. No responsibility, no empathy, and no sense of duty to the loyal clients who had trusted them for years. I fully understand that veterinary care is expensive. I’m not questioning the necessity of the procedure—but I absolutely am questioning how ethical it is to withhold essential information about costs until after the fact, and then offer no flexibility to people blindsided by an emergency. I’ve also started to question whether the two initial visits were even necessary—if handled by truly competent vets, could the real issue not have been identified earlier, potentially saving us €600 and a lot of distress? Ballina Veterinary Clinic, under Fintan O’Donnell, has shown itself to be a profit-driven practice with little regard for fairness or transparency. If you choose to use their services, ask very specific questions about potential costs before agreeing to anything—even in an emergency.