Chattanooga Holistic Animal Institute

The entire staff at CHAI shows such care and concern for each little critter that comes through the doors. If you are looking for traditional medicine as well as ways to make holistic care a part of your daily life with your fur baby, I can't recommend this practice more. From emergency intervention to annual check-ups, CHAI is the best place to come to get the whole picture about caring for your pet. Read Less

Took my friend and her dog to the vet since she couldnt drive herself at the time, and got to see how caring and sweet the whole office was to the lil pupper! They were patient with him while he was nervous, and seemed to have so many answers to his issues (older dog). I definitely recommend this vet! Read Less

THIS is what's supposed to happen when you take your beloved fur baby to a professional. Dr Smith wanted to know about my dog's whole life. Beyond history she wanted to know how does he live & play, what he eats & how to describe his personality. No clock was set on our consult. She taught me how to be an even better provider for his specific needs. When I said I can't afford to feed 2 large dogs a raw meat diet, she directed me to a more affordable option. Being extremely knowledgeable in The Govna's breed confirmation & his elbow history (Belgian x GSD), she checked his spine & muscles to treat that on account of old injuries. I wish I could go back to school to become a vet like Dr Smith! Huge kudos & prices were more affordable than I feared! Read Less

The initial consultation was great. Dr. Smith probably spent an hour with us telling us about the raw diet, flea control, heartworm, etc. things we didn't schedule the consult for. But we appreciated her and left happy. We ended up buying a therapy package over $600 worth. Since the initial consult, her, another vet, and the vet tech at separate times said they would get back to me regarding scheduling(for another therapy), referral, and an issue regarding a skin condition he has. Not one of them has gotten back to me over a period of about a month which wasted a lot of critical time for us, and my dog's condition has gotten worse as a result of the waiting... not to mention his skin condition never addressed. I thought a vet would notice the obvious conditions and address them, but I had no problem bringing them up to her since she seemed too busy to check him out each time we went. I had to bring it up to the tech, and the tech said she would be in touch with me after she asked the vet. That was over a week ago. Unfortunately, this is the closest holistic vet to me, but I will not be bringing my dog there again when the vet doesn't address his health issues even after I bring them up. I had heard that some people drive two hours to other holistic vets rather than coming here, but I wanted to give this place a try since they're suppose to be "holistic". I will be driving 2 hours to a vet that actually cares and treats him, not have him get worse. Read Less

Dr. Katie and Dr. Smith, from CHAI are amazing and I highly recommend you take your dog there. I feel like I have a good basis from which to make this recommendation. We have moved and traveled a lot with our dogs. We have taken our dogs to a lot of different vets all over the country: Key West, San Diego, Seattle, New York and everything is between. In all our travels, CHAI has been the absolute best vets we have come across. Our dog had a melon sized tumor on his spleen and because he was getting old and the chances of it being cancer, we didn€t immediately jump to surgery. In fact, we saw three different vets before seeing CHAI. What made us decide to go forward and have the tumor taken out was the evaluation and detailed explanation of our options. After both Dr. Katie and Dr. Smith gave our dogs a generous amount of time, explaining the pros and cons to us, we elected to do the surgery. Dr. Katie did a superb job taking out his mass and our dog walked out of the office that evening. We found out the mass is cancer; but it is a slower growing cancer than the kind we suspected. This has given us an expected eight more months with our beloved dog. Having the melon sized mass out has made our dog feel much better, increased his mobility, eliminated the chance of the mass bursting (and causing severe bleeding) and lengthened his chance at life. I like their blend of both traditional and holistic medicine. CHAI was able to recommend some herbs, better dog food and supplements, which should add to his life. The price of all this was very reasonable as well. I cannot say enough good things about this place. Read Less

I've been hesitant to write this review because in general-- with one major exception-- I was very pleased with the care I received at Chai (hence, the two stars instead of one star). The staff and vet are really caring and passionate about what they do. I also like that they focus on a healthy diet. However, I no longer go to Chai and would never recommend it because of a very negative experience with an anesthesia-free cleaning. I had this done for my pup at the recommendation of the vet. After the procedure, when I went to pick of my dog, the vet tech let me know that he had a "hard time" with it and they really had to hold him down. It was obviously incredibly stressful for my dog-- so stressful that he couldn't go in the car without extreme trembling, shaking, and drooling for several months after the cleaning. Two years later, we still can't go on that side of town without this trembling, shaking, drooling happening, and he now has a pretty serious fear of going to the vet (a different vet, obviously), and this was never an issue before, as he previously always loved the vet. The anesthesia cleaning also wasn't very effective. He had an anesthesia cleaning a couple of years later, which was recommended by his new vet, and it was no problem and clearly much more effective. It's really heartbreaking when you do something that your vet recommends and then it turns out to traumatize your dog. I still feel guilty about it, and because of this experience that was obviously painful, stressful, and traumatizing to my dog, I would suggest considering other vets. Read Less

Don't make the mistake of thinking that a holistic vet only deals in hippy like treatments or that they are expensive. Our dog needed to have an x-ray taken. We took her to our local vet who gave her a general anesthetic to put her fully under and then took an x-ray with their digital equipment. The x-ray was fuzzy and hard to interpret but cancer was suspected. We were then advised to get a CT scan ($1,500) to get a 'definitive view'. We didn't do that but went to Chai for a second opinion. Amongst other things, they also took an x-ray but not only didn't they anesthetize her to do this, they didn't even have to give anything to sedate her. They have developed a method where the dog is calmed without using any drugs at all and then an x-ray was taken. It took ten minutes from her leaving the room to her coming back. That alone surprised me but seeing the clarity of the x-ray surprised me even more. Crystal clear and no guessing or further tests were required. And no it wasn't expensive. The X-ray alone at Chai cost less than the one at our local vet, and with no anesthesia cost (let alone an additional CT scan), it ended up being considerably less in terms of cost and more importantly, less in terms of physical stress to our dog. So no hippy stuff, just combining very good equipment with well trained staff resulting in minimal stress to our dog and as clear a diagnosis as you could get. What more could you want.Read Less

I literally drive from Nashville to Chattanooga; that's how much I love this vet clinic. They truly care about animals, you never walk into what feels like a stressful environment and they are very reasonably priced. I only wish they had weekend hours. Otherwise, it's probably the best vet experience I've had and they practice true holistic medicine. Highly recommended! Read Less

Amazing vets - wouldn't take my dog Clover anywhere else. Excellent groomer. They have boarding as well but I've never used the service. Western and holistic vet medicine. Modern and super clean clinic.Read Less

Everyone there is so compassionate and caring and taking such good care of our Toby, a West Highland White Terrier. It is such a relief to have such professionals to turn to with our terrier problems. Thank you! Read Less

These people are THE BEST!! I have two vets within three miles of me but I drive to the other side of chatt to take my furry friends to CHAI...They made the passing of my Baby Huey so loving and personal and no other place can top that kind of love.... Thank You Dr Colleen and Staff for all of your love Read Less

Words can't describe the team effort involved and compassion and passion at my clinic. I see it while working, but truly felt the impact yesterday working with my own four legged baby, my horse Kat. Thank you for never giving up and always having plans a, b,c, d and as many as we need. Read Less

Our parvo baby just ate food for the first time in 3.5 days. CHAI sent us home with fluids, medicine, and supplements on Tuesday. They followed up yesterday and got the puppy some injectable meds. At this morning's 5 AM medicine session, he finally ate! This is the second, and by far biggest issue we have brought to CHAI, and we have been so happy with both visits. It's so nice to have a vet whose love of animals shows in their practice. Thank you! Read Less

Ok, seriously, Jo is the greatest groomer on Earth. It took me years to find a groomer who didn't do that awful thing where they cage a dozen dogs and make you wait four hours to pick up your dog. Other groomers who I used before Jo infuriated me, because my dogs were a nervous wreck when I picked them up and had limited access to water/ a place to potty. Jo takes your dog straight back and gets started. You pick them up in around an hour when she is done. This is exactly how every groomer should do it but it took me YEARS to find one who did it this way. As far as skill goes, I have a solid white standard poodle who looks flawless every single time! She doesn't hate going to the groomer anymore! Read Less

Took my dog for an evaluation and discuss options to treat his mast cell tumors and when we got there, there was no wait and we were put right into the exam room, immediately my dog noticed the comfy dog beds that were in the floor for him and he plopped right down on them, which made him already feel like he was home. The technician was prompt and then the Doctor was very on point and thorough. My dog while normally can be anxious at a vet hospital was actually happy and relaxed. The doctor also noticed he was stiff and so she decided he needed an adjustment and WOW is all I can say , my 14 year old dog is getting around much better this morning! I had a very good experience at Chai and will be coming back! Read Less

They're okay. Not great. Not terrible. Fair. Their fees are VERY high compared to other vets in the area and they are not open on weekends. So if you have an issue you need to take off of work. You would think for the higher prices you would be getting better care and/or better service. Not so. Read Less

Finally, a vet and staff who actually listen to me. Even though it is a 200 round-trip drive to CHAI, it is worth the trip. Dr. Colleen Smith cares about the well being of my Scottie Ruby; she examined her with tender loving care and reviewed the home-cooked meals I prepare and provided wonderful recommendations. Dr. Smith doesn't believe in putting dangerous toxins in her little body. I also appreciate Tech Jo, who was very attentive during our initial introduction. I am so pleased to finally find a vet who is up-to-date on proper nutrition and preventative care. Thank you! Read Less

Finally, I have found a vet and staff who actually listen to me. Even though it is a 200 round-trip drive to CHAI, it is worth the trip. Dr. Colleen Smith cares about the well being of my Scottie Ruby; she examined her with tender loving care and reviewed the home-cooked meals I prepare and provided wonderful recommendations. Dr. Smith doesn't believe in putting dangerous toxins in her little body. I am so pleased to finally find a vet who is up-to-date on proper nutrition and preventative care. Oh, their fees are also reasonable! Read Less

Finally, I have found a vet who actually listens to me. Even though it is a 200 round-trip drive to CHAI, it is worth the trip.  Dr. Colleen Smith and her staff care about the well being of my Scottie Ruby, who has bladder cancer.  Dr. Smith examined her with tender loving care and reviewed the home-cooked meals I prepare and provided wonderful recommendations.  Dr. Smith doesn't believe in putting dangerous toxins in her little body. I am so pleased to finally find a vet who is up-to-date on proper nutrition and preventative care.  Oh, their fees are also reasonable! Read Less

Chattanooga Holistic Animal Institute (Chai) is absolutely the best animal hospital I have ever been associated with. We had taken our little Grace to other Vets and they did not catch her diabetes. The Dr. at Chai did blood work the first day Grace went there. They explained what was going on and the treatment plan that would give Grace a better life. Grace was already 15 years old by now but they didn't just write her off like others had done. They were very up front about the fact that she was not going to live forever but, as long as she is going to be here with us then we would give her the best care we can. They were always very helpful with the medicine and shots and other treatments. They even worked Grace in on a day that they normally don't take appointments. It should be noted too that the environment at Chai is so peaceful and calming...from the first day, Grace just walked in and layed down in the exam room. We were never, never, never rushed by any of the techs or even the Vet...very patient. When it came time to let Gracie go, they provided a private room for us to spend time with Grace. The Dr. explained the whole process and exactly what we should expect. They told us that we could take all the time we needed to say our goodbye. The first shot they gave Grace was a calming, sleeping medicine. She fell asleep in our arms and was so restful. They again told us to take our time...would come and check on us periodically but just to check on us, not to hurry this up. When it came time, the Dr. and the tech were so gentle and loving and patient with Grace and she just slipped away. We could not have asked, and certainly did not expect, for this experience to go any better than it did. That is absolutely due to the loving, caring, genuinely heart-felt commitment that the people at Chai seem to have for the pets. I could never imagine taking my pet to another vet. Thank you does not even start to cover how we feel.Read Less

My dog tested positive for heart worms pervious to bringing him here. Other vets wanted 1200$ plus, and to crate the dog for 6 weeks. It is impossible for him to be crated he will find a way out. Lol. He couldn't be active on the medication that they wanted to give him. I came to chai and they only charged me around 200 for the whole process. And he is now heartworm negative. It's effective and it does work! I love CHAI and everything about them. :) Read Less