Hammond bay animal hospital

Mackenzie Saunders

Feb 27, 2026

I have had my two dogs recently join this vet. My dog Moose had a dental surgery and a few exams. I thought it was wonderful at first, but then I had some encounters that have left a bad taste in my mouth. There is one vet tech or assistant I’m not sure, she has curly hair and glasses. Everytime I’m in this clinic, she is very rude to her coworkers and condescending. She was training this sweet new girl, and the way she spoke to her, her eye rolling and sarcastic responses made me want to pull that new coworker aside and tell her what a great job she’s doing. I still feel so bad and wish I spoke up. This same girl (the rude one) actually snapped at another worker over her grabbing the debit machine. It caught me off guard and I could tell the worker was pissed off. I was so mad that she talked like that to someone right in front of clients. The rude girl then apologized to her coworker right in front of me. Which honestly didn’t even make it any better, just seemed she’s a power tripping person and bosses everyone around in there. Dr.Bal did our dogs surgery, he seems nice and friendly. The surgery went well. He prescribed us Gabapentin every 8 hours for 7days. I was shocked because that’s more of a sedation medication then pain reliever. Also for context my dog only had a cleaning no extractions. I would understand if he prescribed it for a few days. But I would think he would just prescribe him a medication solely for pain. My dog had no stiches didn’t have to wear a cone? So why would he need a sedation medication? Seems like the vet just through a prescription out in the air without even thinking about it. Well long story short my dog was puking and having diarrhea for the whole day after, I stopped the Gabapentin and all his symptoms disappeared. Only complaint I have of the actual vet. I think that medication choice was the wrong one. Plus everytime we have an appointment we are automatically in there for 1.5 hours plus. They are very all over the place and leave you waiting. I understand short staffing issues but it’s every time. I am debating switching my dogs to a different clinic, I am sad because it was good until it wasn’t. I hope that rude tech reads this and realizes that being mean to your coworkers is not ok, and to be more aware of your non-verbal cues, you had me very shocked with your behaviour.

Gary Gauthier

Feb 17, 2026

Hammond Bay Animal Hospital is exactly the kind of locally owned veterinary clinic our community needs. They’re open seven days a week, offer a full range of services, and consistently provide excellent, compassionate care. Dr. Bal and the entire team are outstanding—knowledgeable, patient, and just as supportive of pet owners as they are attentive to the animals themselves. What really sets this clinic apart is that they’re truly invested in the well‑being of their patients. At a time when so many locally owned veterinary practices have been bought out by large U.S. corporate chains—often reducing hours to weekdays only and pushing clients toward high‑priced emergency facilities—Hammond Bay continues to operate on weekends and maintain accessible, fair (if not outright affordable) care. I’m grateful to have a veterinary team that puts pets and their people first. Highly recommended for anyone looking for dependable, community‑minded care.

Bonbonchic

Jan 29, 2026

Professional doctors and friendly service. My cat received excellent treatment, and I will continue to choose them in the future.

Cam Sawatsky

Nov 14, 2025

Nice staff, clean office, convenient hours. I was a client at a South end vet for 15 years. I noticed that they were getting more expensive, had less convenient hours, and were doing things that were un-necessary (for a fee). I finally did some investigating and learned that they had been bought by one of the large corporate vet corporations. This led me to start looking for another vet. As stated at the top, this office is clean, the staff is nice, and Dr. Ball seems good. On top of that, you can get in Saturdays, Sundays, and early evening. I took 2 dogs in for check-ups and shots. The fees on all of these were lower than I am used to paying, and they gave me 50% off because I had multiple animals (I never saw this at Petroglyph). One of my dogs is on a fairly expensive medication, which was quite a bit cheaper too. It is worth it to do some extra driving (I live in Cedar) because of everything above.

Kristyn Nicole

Apr 25, 2025

Wonderful new vet in Nanaimo. My dog was super relaxed and comfortable for his annual exam, he even fell asleep for a little bit lol! Doctor Bal was fantastic and kind ! I will definitely be coming here from now on🙌🏻