Your Mobile Veterinary Hospice Practice in Chicagoland

Also wanted to express thanks for making a difficult experience smooth, professional and as easy as could be hoped for during a tough time. We really appreciate all your efforts and won't hesitate to recommend A Gentle Goodbye to anyone who might need help for furry friends. Thanks for all your hard work, we are sure it can't be easy...

Please tell Dr. Heidi how much we appreciate her compassion and kindness at what was a very sad and difficult time in our lives. She was so kind and thoughtful, and also subtly reassuring that this was the right thing to do. She mentioned her own dog, who had to be put to sleep, and she told how she did it before the dog had a chance to suffer. Those are my words, not hers, I can't remember exactly how she phrased it. But it made me feel better, so much better, about what we were doing, and that we were doing our dog a kindness. Dr. Heidi was simply wonderful. Please thank her for me, I am grateful. I am also glad that in his final moments he did not have to face the terror of a trip to the vet. Thank you for providing this service.

"I was deeply impressed with the professionalism and empathy of Dr. Kalivoda and staff at A Gentle Goodbye. This is a special group of professionals that provide a very difficult but valued service to the community with genuine care and empathy. "

Dr. Kristina Kalivoda came over to help me transition my 17year old soulmate Maeve. Dr. Kristina is extremely kind and compassionate. She heard me and all my questions with undivided attention. As I am a very technical person, Dr.Kristina explained to me scientifically what had happened to Maeve and how aggressive her cancer was and how terribly beyond my control this situation was. I felt so much at peace after talking to Dr.Kristina. Maeve was telling me it was time and I had to listen and not blame myself. All the doctors and the staff at A Gentle Goodbye Hospice are great souls with so much meaning to their work and life. I am blessed to have met my cats and all the experiences they have brought me until the very end by bringing people like Dr.Kristina into my life. Thank you Radha.

Thank you so much! Dr. Heidi is so amazing! She really made this process as comfortable as could be. I appreciate her so much! I love the eulogy for Ranger! She really captured his spirit and personality. ❤ The last few days have been so hard without Ranger. But we are trying really hard to keep him alive in our life by remembering all his little demands. Thank you for everything!!

We really struggled with the decision and we were so uncertain of when the right time would be. We are so grateful that you were able to help us when we finally decided. Dr. Heidi was very calm and compassionate. We truly believe that Kiki's experience was as beautiful as dying could be. And we're so touched that Dr. Heidi listened so closely and took the time to write this sweet eulogy for Kiki. And thank you so much for being there for us when we needed you. We are so very grateful.

Thank you so much for being there, even on weekends. Dr. Molly and your entire staff have all been absolutely wonderful. We were so grateful that Dr. Molly was able and willing to help us when she did. She was just perfect, how she handled everything. I know this is not easy work. I know it is heartbreaking at times. Mere words cannot express my deep and ongoing gratitude for everything you do.

You cannot imagine how comforting and reassuring it has been to work with each of you at A Gentle Goodbye. The attention to detail and individualized consideration has meant so much to me and has made the experience a little bit easier…the eulogy, the contribution, the personal note from Dr. Kristina, and more. Dr Kristina could not have been a better match for our family and I will be forever grateful for her knowledge, and her incredible attentiveness and perceptiveness. She has a remarkable gift. I worked with a total of 4 veterinarians at the end of his time, 2 at Med Vet, 1 at VSC, and Dr. Kristina. I wish that the doctors who treat human beings would be so kind, patient, and attentive. You all get it!

This type of thing is never easy and this weekend has been especially rough. However, your team has made this process as easy as possible as you have provided a wonderful service and been incredibly respectful throughout the entire process. As an understatement, Keena was never a fan of going to the vet. With the ability to let her pass in her favorite place with as little stress as possible, it made everything more tolerable for her and for us. I imagine that this work can be difficult for your team as well, but just know how much of a difference that it made in our lives this weekend.

If you ever have the unfortunate experience of having to put down a pet, you should contact A Gentle Goodbye. Everyone who works there is so compassionate, sweet, and understanding. We had to put down my first cat, Gus, when I was 14 years old. It was such a cold and medical process. I had no idea in home services existed, I randomly came across A Gentle Goodbye during my research. I had fears about having it done in my home vs. at the vet. However, the office manager took the time to answer all of my questions and concerns. Dr. Juliana was unbelievably amazing. She made the experience so special. Chong was able to say goodbye to his brother. Dr. Juliana really took the time to make sure the entire experience was about Cheech and his comfort.

I cannot, cannot, CANNOT say ENOUGH good things about this incredible service. My partner and I recently had to make the toughest decision of putting our sweet cat Charlie down after a yearlong battle with Hypercalcemia and Kidney Disease. He had reached his limits of being in and out of the ER at the pet hospital we took him to and we knew it was time. That did not make it any easier to say bye to our sweet boy who was only 10 years old.

A Gentle Goodbye was the most heartfelt group we have ever dealt with when making tough decisions and using an end-of-life service. From the initial incredibly hard call to them to get the process started to the next day in-home service, to the follow-up calls to check on us after everything was said and done, they completely went above and beyond our expectations. And I specifically cannot say enough good about Dr. Molly who performed the at-home euthanasia service. We had run into some trouble with services we’d used in the past with our other pets where it felt very cold and disconnected. Like they could care less about you or your pet. Dr. Molly was the opposite. She assured us we were doing the right thing and she really gave us all the time we needed to say goodbye to our baby. She was WONDERFUL. I’m crying now again just remembering how compassionate she really was. Thank you Dr. Molly and thank you A Gentle Goodbye. We will never use another service for our pets again. Thanks for caring. <3

My husband and I also want to thank Dr. Kristina and your whole team for your incredible compassion shown throughout the whole process. Knowing Ellie passed comfortably, without fear or stress, in her own home and space provides us immeasurable solace. You are all very special people and we simply can’t envision this tough experience could have been made any easier by anyone else. We are forever grateful.

Thank you so much. Dr. Molly was so wonderful and especially patient with our extra curious big dog! It truly was the perfect way to say goodbye to our dear Renee.

Words cannot begin to describe how grateful we are for A Gentle Goodbye and Dr. Kristina. I was a bit nervous about the process but I’ll tell you what…. It was worth every penny to see our sweet lil’ Fen slip away in peace, outside in an area he enjoyed so much. Dr. Kristina was so kind, compassionate and understanding. She explained everything so well and we could tell she felt our pain. Thank you for providing this difficult service. It made the transition for us, and Fen, so much easier. Lauren and I have talked several times about how amazing it was, and how it was the absolute best decision for everyone. Rest assured we will pass your information along to anyone in need. The eulogy is great, thank you for posting it. Please pass our thanks along to Dr. Kristina and let her know how much we appreciate her time, compassion, and kindness.

I can’t thank Dr. Karen enough for her calm, compassionate, and loving demeanor toward both me and my beloved kitty Scout. She made what was an excruciatingly painful situation much easier to bear.

We felt like we were in very good hands the moment she walked through our door; she seemed to guess how we were feeling and knew just what to say. She treated Jacob with honor and dignity too. It was such a very, very hard thing to do and we still think we hear his footsteps around the house and miss him terribly. But Dr. Kristina made it easier.

Juliana was a true comfort to us and Max yesterday and my wife Kim and I feel blessed that we found out about her service through Terry Animal Hospital. She managed, in difficult circumstances, to combine genuine empathy and kindness with a highly professional approach. Both Kim and I want to express our eternal gratitude to Dr. Juliana for assisting Max and us in our time of need. She made the process so much better than it might have been. We will spread the word about A Gentle Goodbye Veterinary Hospice and its excellent services.

Thank you to AGentleGoodbye for your kindness in helping us through one of the most difficult times of our lives. A special thanks to Dr. Kristina for her gentle caring presence and knowing patience. Thank you all for getting us through an impossibly difficult situation. We will love and miss our Libby forever.

We couldn’t have been happier with how everything was handled, given the circumstances. This was our first loss of a pet and it was an incredibly tough experience, but the overwhelming sympathy from everyone I spoke to at Gentle Goodbye made things much easier. I talked to the doctor about this, and it’s touched on in Crystal’s wonderful eulogy, but I worked at a shelter for cats for about 2 years. I know exactly how much emotional effort it takes to do good by so many people going through the loss of a pet and I just want you all to know that your work is beyond appreciated. I just wanted to reach out and emphasize how thankful we are, and how intimately familiar I am with the level of compassion you guys give and how important that is. Thank you for making time for us, thank you for even coming a little sooner than scheduled to help our old girl stop suffering, thank you for the wonderful eulogy, and thank you for the important and incredibly difficult work you all do.

Thank you for what your team does. I cannot imagine letting go of her in any other way than at home with us by her side. You guys truly are angels. While we will grieve for a while, I can have some peace knowing she passed without pain, fear or stress. I don’t know that I would have known it was the right time without Dr Kristina’s visit to evaluate. Dr Heidi’s concern for her well being and the kindness she showed us and Aggie was amazing. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you