Why I provide at-home pet euthanasia
Making the decision to euthanize a beloved pet is never an easy decision. But it is often one of the kindest decisions we can make for them. With my own pets, I have experienced euthanasia both in a clinical setting and at home. The kindness and support provided by the veterinarians in both situations has always been incredible, but I felt that being in my own home provided a level of comfort and familiarity for both me and my pets that can’t be replicated outside the home. I am honored to be able to provide a similar experience for other families and help make their pets’ transition from this world as peaceful as possible.
Education
Undergraduate: University of Florida - 2000
Veterinary Medicine: University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine - 2005
Certifications
2Virginia Veterinary Medical Association Member, CAETA's CPEV (Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian)
- Based InChester, VA
- Service areasRichmond, VA and surrounding areas
- Work Experience20+ years
- Animals ServedAll Dogs & Cats
- Notice Required3 hours
General availability
Wednesday10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Availability each week can vary based on demand and scheduling. Please provide a minimum 2 hour advance notice for all bookings.
Services provided
At home pet euthanasia
Dr. Angela Schmillen will help your beloved pet transition peacefully in the comfort of of their home, surrounded by loved ones
Est. CostStarting at $350
Keepsakes
Clay paw prints, wooden urns with personalizations available with ashes returned
Est. CostStarting at $60
What pet parents are saying
Choosing to put down my beloved cat of 13 years was an incredibly painful and difficult decision, but Dr. Angela was very comforting, patient, and gentle through the whole experience. I am grateful for her support before, during, and after the event.
Dr. Schmillen was kind, caring, and compassionate when our oldest dog, Yuki, experienced a sudden decline over the weekend. After calling numerous emergency vets and clinics with no luck, she was the first to answer~ and more importantly, the first not to turn us away. She brought comfort not just to Yuki, but to our entire furmily. Her presence gave us space to be together, to grieve, and to give Yuki the peace and dignity he deserved in his final moments. I’m incredibly grateful to her for the gift of a gentle, not rushed, loving goodbye through in-home pet euthanasia.
Given the situation< having to part with a much loved pet, it was as good as it could be. Dr. Angela was so supportive & calm/quiet that it helped us to try& manage to let go. My husband does not do well with grief&loss and she handled him so well. We miss our boy so much but this was absolutely the right thing to do and we appreciated her so much.
Excellent thoughtful and dignified service. You can tell she really cares about your pet, your feelings, and just how difficult a moment that is.
When our French bulldog Roxen was diagnosed with Stage 5 IVDD and could no longer walk with in a matter of two days and was in extreme pain even with the meds our vet had given us to the point where I could not even move him without him yelping in agony, we had to make the difficult decision to put him down in a short time frame. It was not an easy decision and was even harder being over the weekend with our normal vet not being very helpful to us in our opinion. So after doing research and looking around at places that could do it, my mom told me of a friend of hers that had gotten an in home euthanasia. At the time I had never heard of it and I had never had to be the one to put a family pet down, so I looked around at a couple of different places on the internet after a google search. Most websites made it more difficult to schedule a time for a vet to come and visit, but with codapet.com it was actually very user friendly. So on Sunday morning after having a rough night with our beloved roxen, I set the initial appointment up for the first available for my area which was on Tuesday. Within moments I received emails and texts confirming the appointment. Dr. Schmillen reached out to me after reading our story of what had been happening to our boy Roxen and said that she could come sooner if we needed. At the time we were still thinking about going to an emergency vet place we had never been where we were going to have to move Roxen who yelped in pain whenever I tried to move him, so when she said she could come sooner I asked if she could come the same day and she said yes. She came within a few hours and was very respectful and understanding about what was going on and explained the whole process to our family. Her coming to the house on such short notice really shows how much she cares for pets and their families that have to go through this difficult time. She helped make this hard decision for us a little easier and words cannot express how grateful we are for her and the service they provide. Being able to be in your home and having your beloved pet be surrounded by all of their loved ones including our other dog Jax was a blessing. The whole process took a couple of hours and it was much easier for him to be laid to rest in his favorite bed surrounded by us instead of being on a cold table in a strange place with only a few of us being with him. I will suggest this process to everyone I know and I will only do it this way if I ever have to do it again (although I am hoping I never have to again). Dr. Angela was very kind to the whole family and took her time. She helped us and our young daughter (12) understand everything that was going on and made the whole process a little easier. I cannot say enough how grateful we are for her and the service they provide.
Dr. Angela was wonderful during an extremely hard time and decision. If you should have to make the decision, it is nice to have the option of your pet and family to be in the comfort of your own home. Dr. Angela explains everything, gives you all the time you need and is compassionate during the process. It makes an extremely hard situation, a little easier.
