Ark Vets Knocknacarra

BlackEdelweiss · 20-06-2026 06:49PM #1

I have just left Ark Vets is Knocknacarra after a terrible experience with the practice manager.
Our dog was admitted yesterday afternoon with severe gastric issues. I left him there with tears in my eyes, honestly not knowing if I would see him again. Our whole family was devastated when I got home without him.
We got a call to say he had responded well overnight and we could come and take him home this afternoon. We were all delighted, it had been such a horrible 24 hours.
The vet was great when she explained everything to us and really showed that she cared about her patients and asked us to call tomorrow and let her know how he was doing.
The receptionist explained all his medication and then gave me the bill.
€1300.
This was in line with the estimate the vet had given the day before, Friday afternoon. I explained that I did not have €1,300 available to give them and as it was the weekend I could not sort a bank loan until Monday morning. She informed me this was against the practice policy and they would need full payment now. I said I understand this, but I just did not have that much money readily available on Saturday afternoon.
She rang the practice manager who insisted on full payment. I said I cant but will on Monday but this was rejected. The manager said she would come in person to deal with this.
I was escorted into a treatment room and told I had to pay in full, to which I repeated that I did not have the money but would get a loan on Monday morning.
I was told this was not good enough and that I had been given an estimate when I brought my dog in. I told her I thought he was going to be kept in for a number of days and we were surprised he was getting out today so we did not expect to have to pay today.
I said all I can do is walk out the door and she can get the guards after me, or wait till Monday to get paid.
She said I was putting her in a terrible position, I said I was not. I was asking her to trust me for two days, I said I understood her concern but I reassured her I would keep my word.
Again this was rejected. She suggested Humm finance which I agreed to. She said as it was Saturday afternoon we probably won't get clearance until Monday. It was bordering on the ridiculous at this stage.
I said I could pay €100 now, the mortgage had come out the day before and payday was Thursday, this was rejected and she repeatedly told me I had received an estimate and they demand payment in full at discharge.
The charade went over and back, while me 2 daughters waited outside with the dog.
She eventually accepted that I pay €100 now and pay the remaining €1,200 first thing on Monday morning.
I would like to thank the vets in Ark for their great care they gave our dog and my apologies to the receptionist who had to deal with this.
We will never return to Ark Vets. We have been registered with the Knocknacarra practice since 2018, we have 3 dogs and 2 cats.
Some people should not work in a place like this, where they deal with clients who are going through a potentially very traumatic experience.
I never argued about the fee, I just asked for a few days to get it sorted as loan cannot be organised on a Saturday afternoon.
Terrible experience when we were so excited and relieved and just wanted to get our dog home again.
Look elsewhere for your vetinary needs, hopefully you will find a bit more compassion than you will recieve from the management in Ark Vets Knocknacarra.

wily minx · 21-06-2026 11:40AM

When you accepted the estimate you should have said that you wouldn't have access to the funds for 4 days and discussed it at that point, ie before they did the work. If you take the emotion of this being your family pet out of it for a minute, would you expect a mechanic to let you drive away after fixing your car without paying?

beardybrewer · 21-06-2026 06:58PM

An animal isn't a car to be left behind as collateral.

wily minx · 21-06-2026 08:04PM

Exactly why I'd imagine this is a much bigger problem for vets than mechanics.

BlackEdelweiss · 21-06-2026 08:30PM

I didn't accept an estimate. The vet ran through a lot of stuff in a very stressful situation. I left the clinic in tears, thinking I may never see my dog again.

The Vet said he expected him to be in for 2 or 3 days, maybe more. The estimate was just for the basic treatment, not including the potential overnights or additional treatments that may be required.

This was 3pm on a Friday afternoon. We got told at 12:30 that he would be discharged at 2:15pm. Not much time to sort anything even if banks were open. I tried to increase the limit on my credit card but this was not possible.

I have been a client for 8 years and have paid big fees previously, but not €1,300.

I work in engineering, we produce reports worth thousands of euros. Clients are invoiced and fees to be paid in 30 days. Why is that different?

And just to clarify, I never contested the bill, I just asked for a reasonable time frame to arrange payment.

waterfaerie · 21-06-2026 09:31PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124567882#Comment_124567882

The difference being that with a pet, people can have emergencies, like a life or death situation and also, when the work is done you can always leave your car at the mechanic until you gather the money but you can't leave your pet.

And in any case, I think any reasonable business, whether a vet or not, that has your full name and address should be willing to accept payment on the next business day for emergency work that occured when banks were closed. Did they expect the OP to make the money magically appear out of nowhere over the weekend?

It's an awful way to treat someone.

waterfaerie · 21-06-2026 09:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124569281#Comment_124569281

You're right it should be no different. I thought most normal businesses operated that way but it seems less common in Ireland than it used to be. It seems to still be the way of things on the continent. I've had several things delivered from German shops, including some very expensive orders, without any expectation of payment for 30 days. In some cases, it was my first time ordering from a particular shop and I don't even live in the same country as them!

And yet, here you are, a long term client living locally, presumably with your full address etc. registered with them, as well as a track record of paying without issues previously. It hardly makes your case a risk for non-payment. And the timeframe you were requesting was more than reasonable. I mean, if it was literally impossible for you to get the money until Monday, what did they think they were going to achieve by treating you that way?

Mrs OBumble · 21-06-2026 11:08PM

Small businesses here know very well how local clients regularly behave. They often don't offer credit anymore due to being burned in the past.

As a general life rule, you should have three months living expenses available on-call: you never know when you will get sick, or lose your job.

BlackEdelweiss · 23-06-2026 06:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124569655#Comment_124569655

Oh wow, great advice!

Im thinking of spending frivolously between now and retirement. Is this a good idea, or should I maybe put something into some kind of fund that might help me in my later years🤔

JohnCleary · 24-06-2026 10:30AM

We deal with multiple vets, on a professional basis.

Any time I am on-site, with the exception of food etc, almost always when a pet owner is fixing up the bill, they simply state their pet insurance policy number and they are on their way.

This is a great example; Just like travel insurance, it's not mandatory, but if (when) you need it, you'll be damn glad to have it (And personally, i've never had to claim on my travel insurance, so it could be considered a 'waste', but i'll take that wastage for peace of mind).

Suggest you start looking for quotes to avoid this embarrassing situation in future.

In situations like this, I feel sorry for the establishment. It's a very emotional time for the owner, but the amount of bad debt vets (in particular) have to write off is nuts (probably why vet fees are so high); Perfectly understandable that they were not willing to issue credit. Great customer or not is irrelevant… I don't see my local offering me credit, despite being a regular customer. Vets are busy enough without having to chase debt.

As a final suggestion, as it looks like you're living paycheck to paycheck (from what you describe); apply to the bank for an over-draft or a credit card. A credit card essentially offers you free credit for up to a month, potentially… the difference is, if you don't repay the bank, they'll come down on you with the iron fist (or charge you through the roof). It's very easy to get a credit card with €5k limit these days… although maybe not in your particular circumstance since you didn't even have €1,300 to hand.

Cluedo Monopoly · 24-06-2026 10:45AM

The practice manager sounds like an asshole. I have a close relation who runs a veterinary practice in Mayo and this would not happen there. Times have changed.

There are "rules" and there is common decency. Some people value one more.

xckjoo · 24-06-2026 11:08AM

I believe Ark was bought out by some group when the original owner retired a few years ago. Had some terrible experiences with them after that so stopped using them. It's a pity because they have/had some good staff but overall standards went through the floor and there was a constant push on selling things that weren't needed.

Sorry for what you went through OP. You're completely right. The business isn't paying all their bills on day 0 so it's ridiculous to expect their customers to. And they aren't even a small business anymore. They'd have the resources to chase you down for a bad debt if it came to that. Very predatory to push you for instant payment of over 1k when you're going through a traumatic time.

I presume it goes without saying that taking out a credit card for this is horrendous advice. Don't saddle yourself with unreasonable debt so the business can report good KPIs to the money men. Ignore the commenters here. They're mostly middle-aged or above so hit peak earning in the good times and think they earned it by "hard work" instead of lucking out on when they were born.

greenbin2 · 24-06-2026 11:17AM

Hows the dog?

JohnCleary · 24-06-2026 06:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124575741#Comment_124575741

Many vets in Galway have been bought out by a UK Company - it's hard to find a true 'local' vet anymore; most of them are employees.

A credit card is no different to receiving 'credit' from any establishment (The only difference; if you don't pay your credit card bill on time, you get hit with interest… they have a 'gotcha' whereas another sucker of a business just has to keep pleading for the money). Our operation doesn't work on credit (we don't need to) - Once an Invoice is received (regardless of the amount), it's paid. (Although I guess technically, there is 1 day credit there while the Invoice is awaiting payment). The rest of our purchases (ie. online / direct) always goes on the credit card; it's free insurance… any issues (ie. unknown supplier), it's the banks problem!

A credit card would have solved this issue immediately; the OP pays their bill and goes on their merry way. Then, on Monday, when they get money elsewhere, they pay off the credit card… that's how it works… hence the name… keep up in the back.

ingalway · 24-06-2026 08:31PM

I have used Ark for years but more recently find they are just incredibly expensive. A friend told me she uses West Coast Vets in Bearna, who are totally independent, and she does not feel that lots of expensive tests are pushed so fast as seems to happen in some vets. I will try them next time.

Mrs OBumble · 24-06-2026 09:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124574184#Comment_124574184

If you are having financial difficulty, I'd suggest talking to MABS about.

They can help you work out a budget that will let you build a rainy-day fund, and consider what pensions and insurances you can afford. And yes, they probably will challenge you to think about your priorities, and whether you have the income to support pets as well as family.

Cluedo Monopoly · 24-06-2026 10:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124577467#Comment_124577467

Go away with your condescending crap.

Cluedo Monopoly · 24-06-2026 10:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124577284#Comment_124577284

West Coast Vets in Barna run a great practice.

pjohnson · 24-06-2026 10:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124577533#Comment_124577533

Is that not all this character does?

Utter nonsense.

kippy · 24-06-2026 10:50PM

I can see the practices PoV - no matter who owns it, it's likely they have been stung many times in the past.

But,

Despite what many say 1300 is a hell of a lot of money for a lot of people to come up with on relatively short notice. Not everyone is doing well in this economy.

That said, when you own pets and have kids, you often end up between a rock and a hard place when it comes to situations such as this where emotions are high. I've found its far easier not to get into those situations by not having pets but I appreciate this isn't always a "controllable".

I suppose in future, if it were possible to get pet insurance, it would probably lead to less of this kind of thing however I amn't familiar with the products at all so no idea what is and isn't covered.

Have you settled the bill since?

Ark Vets Knocknacarra

Comments