I cannot put into words on how amazing Sam and his employees are. It is very obvious that Sam loves and cares deeply for all of the animals he sees. He makes all of his animal patients his number one priority. I have had nothing but great experiences and I have encouraged all of my friends and family to go see him for all of their veterinary needs. They are also accommodating when calling to see if your animal needs to have a visit or wait a few days. It is very clear they operate for the animals and not the money. read more

I took my cat there several years back and Dr. Smith diagnosed my cat with diabetes. He took him into the back where he supposedly did a blood test, urinalysis, x rays and blood work, he had him back there for 1 minute!!!! I asked him what all was done and he said "We did what I told you we were going to do"!!!!!! When I commented on how quickly they worked, he became agitated, and quickly sent me on my way! My bill was $1500, the insulin alone cost me $285. LOOOOOONG story short, I now take my cat to Juneau Vet, LOVE it there, They switched up his insulin as he was on the wrong one, he missed his opportunity to go into remission as a result!! :( I now pay $35 for his insulin, although he will live the rest of his life with diabetes, thanks to Juneau Vet, he's doing very well!! read more

My family started using Tongass vet during the vet shortage and I appreciate how friendly they are to me and how quickly they get me in when I have a problem with a pet. They always make themselves available to me when I have questions or concerns and never make me feel bad when I'm having a hard time. read more

**I am local here in Juneau and do not know why it is posting CA as my location. **Dr. Schaffer at Tongass is amazing and I would hope she finds employment elsewhere because she deserves far better. I do not have adequate words to describe how horrible my experience at Tongass was today. My dog tore her ACL, which is not a cheap thing to repair. While trying to wrap my head around the costs and keep myself from crying because I just spent $4000 on my other dog last month, I opted to stare at the wall instead of looking at Dr. Smith because I was having a hard time keeping my composure. Apparently this was not to the liking of Dr. Smith. He threw his hands in the air, accused me of being ungrateful, not listening to him, and not caring about my pet. He then also told me it "wasn't his fault" I had already spent thousands of dollars at his clinic for my other dog (which is an incredibly sensitive subject for me and involves the dog I had in his clinic today so I am inclined to believe he has some bias). When I tried to explain to him that I was in fact listening and trying to process, he continued to talk over me and call me ungrateful. I then was able to squeeze in a comment, telling him I was confused as to why he was being so abrasive. He told me it was because I was ungrateful and unwilling to listen to him, then accused me of shaking my head and rolling my eyes (neither of which I did). As if this wasn't bad enough, he told me "perhaps I should take my dog and go". After fumbling for some more words and unable to get anything in due to his incessant berating of me and my listening skills, I finally said that I would in fact take my dog and go because I didn't appreciate the manner he was speaking to me. He then got up and said "I don't appreciate the manner that you are speaking to ME", ripped open the back door of the exam room, and called out to his tech to "get that dog and get it out of here." In the wake of some pretty sad tragedy for my dogs in our home, I found zero empathy, compassion, or patience from this man. He is an abhorrent excuse for a medical professional. I work in the medical field and I have never seen someone speak to a client that is clearly in pain and fear for the future the way that he spoke to me. I highly encourage anyone who uses this vet to withdrawal and choose another, as I did today. read more

Edit: Sam Smith's response to this review on Google speaks highly of his lack of character. I urge people to read all one-star reviews on here and google before deciding if this is the right vet for them. This is not an isolated incident. I went with my friend to put down his dog who he's had for thirteen years. He made a tough and personal decision to put her down after she stopped eating, using the bathroom, and unable go to up the stairs. She was well loved. The staff was unprofessional and lacked any form of compassion. They rudly questioned my friends choice and as other reviews have mentioned, the vet was arrogant and seemed to talk down to us. Not only was the staff terrible but the room they used to put her to sleep was used as a storage room with dog food bags everywhere and a ratty blanket tossed on the floor. My friend was heartbroken and crying. When I put down my best friend in Anchorage this summer they had a living room like setting, gave him snacks, and comforted everyone in the room. If you are in the position to say goodbye to your animal companion I do not recommend coming here. read more

My husband and I both experience professional service from polite professional people every time we go. Our dog goes to regular exams, gets her shots and has had a surgery with Dr Smith. Each and every time she was treated well and we were very happy read more

4 years ago my dog was put down. This extremely terrible day was made immensely worse by the vet I ended up seeing. My dog was very sick for a couple of days. I called every vet in town that I had taken him to in the past. No one had any openings. I needed to get him in, I did not want to wait one more day. I remember someone telling me about Sam Smith, the owner of Tongass Vet. I had had a really awful experience with him when he worked at SE Vet a few years prior, but I heard good things from my friend and was desperate. I called him and he had an opening. I made an appointment for a couple of hours later. I took him in, and Sam Smith looked at me very strangely when I walked in. I didn't think too much on it because I was distracted by my dog. He took a look at him, and told me I could do all of these tests and leave him overnight but it would cost $1,000s and wouldn't end up helping him. He told me I should consider putting him down. I had seen him sick many times, but he didn't seem like himself. I decided that my comfort by keeping him alive was not as important as not having him in pain. I made the very hard decision to put him down. Sam Smith gave me a few minutes alone with him. I told him how much I loved him, I told him I would be right there with him. I called him back in. He came in, and gave him one shot. This took me aback because my 16 yo cat was put down by a different vet earlier in the year. He gave her 1 shot to calm her down, and 1 that made her slowly pass away. Perhaps this is correct, I don't know. Everyone else who has taken their animals to Sam Smith has told me he has always used two shots. But he breathed in strangely, looked at me, and breathed out one final, loud breath. That was it. I looked up at Sam Smith and I said "is that it?" And he said "yep, he's gone...you don't remember me do you?" I said "no I do remember you, you saw my dog at SE vet a few years ago". He says "yeah, I know. Don't you EVER talk sh** about me on the internet EVER. AGAIN". He started to take off his gloves and walk away. Please keep in mind this was less than one minute after my dog stopped breathing. I said "excuse me???" he said "I saw what you wrote about me. Don't talk sh** about me on the internet". I said "I complained about you because you didn't test my dog's blood levels for both of the anti seizure medicines he was taking, you tested him for ONE. You kept him on the same loading dose he should have only been on for a short time. He was overdosing on it and he was PARALYZED for ONE MONTH are you F***ing kidding me??" He started to walk out of the room. I said "where are you going?" And he said "I thought I'd give you some TIME ALONE with your dog" I said "you kind of ruined that for me already. Do not leave him on this table in here alone". I went out to go pay, he picked him up and was carrying him away. He also said "I'm the ONLY ONE who would see you today. Remember that." At this point I was hyperventilating. I could not stop crying. The receptionist looked terrified and asked me what was wrong. I told her what he had just said to me. She looked mortified and said she was so sorry. 30 seconds after I walked out of the room, he walked back and put my dog on the table and left him there. I walked back into the room and I said DO NOT LEAVE HIM HERE ALONE. he took him into the back. In all of my time taking my chronically sick dog to many vets, I have never seen someone with such a blank and evil stare behind his eyes. I felt disgusted, I felt scared, I didn't know if my dog really didn't need to be put down and he just said he did to get back at me. I spent an hour 1/2 sobbing in the driveway of his clinic because I couldn't drive home. I have seen friends who have gone to him to have their pets put down receive paw prints, cards of condolences. I received absolutely nothing from him. It took me two years to file a formal complaint against him because I could not stay calm while writing it. It took them almost a year to get through the complaint process. They found it to be valid, and it is on file but it is not public record. The initial complaint on the internet I made years before my dog died was on a very weird website that not a lot of people see. I didn't mention him by name. I chose that website rather than yelp or Facebook because I didn't want to be rude to him. The website contacted me months later telling me someone was protesting that it wasn't true. I provided them with proof of the lab tests and the outcome. They kept it up. I can provide proof of all of this to anyone who needs it. Please go read his google reviews. Read his yelp reviews, read the ones under "not recommended". This vet is a disgrace, he is disgusting, he is a vile human being, he does not deserve to treat your pets. If you have had good experiences with him, I am very happy for you. But I needed to share what happened to me. Please, do not take your animals to Sam Smith with Tongass Vet. read more

For Stephanie D, I am so sorry to hear of your experience with Dr. Smith. I originally took my two shih tzus to him as well, based on a friends recommendation and was very disappointed with his attitude and service. He was expensive, rude and very defensive when I asked him questions. My groomer warned me about him and recommended Lisa at SEAK. She is the best vet ever. She was able to diagnose and resolve my dog's medical issues without charging me $1000. read more

Sam Smith is terrible. After putting a friends dog down he commented about a negative review my friend left for him on the internet. Cold hearted and callous. Take your pet to Juneau vet with Dr. New he will take care of your loved one and not over charge. Most importantly he will respect you. read more

Tongass was not my normal vet but with Veterinary shortages they were able to get my dog in when my normal vet could not. Sam was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain the injury and the surgery. He answered all of my questions and did not pressure me to make a decision immediately. All costs were discussed up front, there were no surprises. All the staff were great, they called to check on my dog after surgery. I had a post operative question and Sam returned my call personally to answer any questions. read more

The staff that i dealt with & Dr Smith were awesome. I'll happily bring my dog there again. Friendly and fast despite being super busy.

We took our dog to Tongass last week and the doctor put him on Rymadyl and Gabapentin. He had a terrible reaction and we called for help. Our call was never returned. We called again and still no call back. If your dog's in trouble and needs help, don't call Tongass. read more

Tongass vet & staff are so very helpful and caring. They are absolutely wonderful with my husky and my silky-tzu. They are prompt and reliable with their service. They love the dogs and the dogs love them! Takes the hassle out of vet visits and obtaining medical records when needed. read more

This business is VERY good. All my animals instantly love the Vet, the staff members, and front desk (of course). Dr. Sam is patient and always answer my questions. These people are professionals! So professional ... it is hard to get them to laugh. All in all, I love them. They are also in the valley so they are located where the majority of residents live in this town. read more

My husband and I love this vet and the vet techs. They have helped us with our dogs and are the most affordable place in town. They also do some phone triage which was helpful with past issues that my dogs have had. I highly recommend this place for their customer service and caring attitude towards my dogs. read more

Very pleased with the care received here. We originally just took our dogs here for their health certificates for travel, but when we arrived in Juneau and our chocolate lab suddenly collapsed with a bloated stomach, we called Tongass and they had us bring him right in. They quickly evaluated our sweet dog and explained the scary diagnosis we were dreading. He needed emergency surgery, and although the vet had done that kind of surgery in the past, she advised us based on what she would do he was her own dog. She referred us immediately over to Juneau Vet, coordinated the transfer (even loaded our 120 lb dog into her own truck and sent him with her assistant as we followed), made sure she got an IV started and gave him pain medication before we tried moving him. She was very compassionate and we could tell she truly cares for the animals she treats. read more