FAQs

A Gentle Goodbye is a small, independently-owned company in the Chicagoland area in Illinois. We do not have any other locations. While our doctors are completely mobile, our office is in Northbrook, between Dundee Rd & Lake Cook Rd, and approximately 10 minutes west of Interstate 94.

For a euthanasia appointment, the doctor is usually there for about 45 minutes from beginning to end. This ensures that she isn’t rushing things, and gives enough time to make everything so peaceful and easy for your pet. If there are specific steps you would like to take to say your final goodbyes, it may be best to do this before the doctor arrives.

If there are other pets in the home, especially if they are particularly bonded to the pet you are saying goodbye to, it can be beneficial to have them present. We recommend having them present for as much of the appointment as you are comfortable with. While some pets do not seem to notice that their friend has passed away, others seem to truly process it, and appreciate being able to sniff and inspect their friend after they have passed.

If your other pets would interfere with what the doctor is doing, or agitate their friend in any way, it may be best to keep them separate during the initial part of the appointment, and bring them out later. Please feel free to call our office at any time to discuss your pets and their specific needs.

Children of any age are welcome to be present, though this is a decision that is unique to every family. Please reach out to our team so we can provide further insight, age-specific recommendations, and resources to review as you make this important family decision.

We know that if your pet loves to be outside, it can be very meaningful to have their goodbyes happen outside, in their element. The whole goal is to make this so easy and stress-free for your pet, and we want to make sure that is the case. In order to accomplish this, we require that any outdoor appointment be on private property, typically a front or back yard, and that your pet be comfortable in this location.

We cannot accommodate appointments outside when the weather is too cold (below 50°F) or too hot (above 80°F), due to the effects it may have on your pet’s body and the efficacy of the medications our doctor would be administering.

A euthanasia appointment does not include a formal physical examination, but particularly with the information available before the appointment about how your pet is doing, and what ailments they have, our doctors are typically able to confirm within a few minutes that it is the time to euthanize.

While many of us hope that our pet will pass peacefully in their sleep, the sad reality is that it rarely happens. Natural passing can involve a very difficult ending for your pet. However, the euthanasia medication we use is literally an overdose of an anesthetic, so it basically means your pet becomes more and more sleepy, goes under general anesthesia, and passes away essentially in their sleep.

We are able to personally handle everything from start to finish for you and your pet. We offer our own aqua-cremation, which is water-based cremation instead of flame-based. If you opt for us to handle aftercare, the doctor will take your pet with her after the appointment, so they are always within the care of our team at A Gentle Goodbye. This would be an additional cost to the euthanasia price.

Aqua-cremation is the only aftercare option that we personally offer. If you have other plans for your pet after they pass, such as a home burial, pet cemetery, or alternative cremation service, our doctor can leave them with you after your appointment to make those arrangements. Our doctor would still make the complimentary keepsakes that we offer with every euthanasia or deceased pet care appointment.

If you opt to not receive your pet’s ashes back, they will be spread respectfully on private property by a member of our team.

We completely understand that this is the unfortunate reality of helping sick pets. Should your pet pass before our doctor arrives, please give our office a call as soon as possible. We would still be able to assist you with aqua-cremation services, and make those memorial keepsakes for your sweet pet.

At this time, all of our veterinarians are completely mobile, so any euthanasia, hospice, or quality-of-life consultation appointment would be strictly in-home. Should you need to schedule an appointment with our compassionate aftercare team, you would be able to schedule an appointment to bring your deceased pet to our office in Northbrook for aqua-cremation services.

We unfortunately are not an emergency or 24/7 service. We always strongly recommend having the information for an emergency veterinary hospital on-hand as a back-up plan. If your pet is needing immediate care, and you are unable to reach a member of our team, we recommend making other arrangements.

Our team is able to accommodate certain exotic pet appointments for euthanasia on a case-by-case basis. We can typically help most species of exotic pet for aftercare only. Please give our office a call to discuss your pet and their needs.

Our preferred payment methods are Zelle, cash, or check. We can also accept any major debit or credit card. We do not accept CareCredit and cannot offer payment plans.

We do offer a variety of memorial keepsakes, such as ink paw/nose prints, Pawpals® kits, necklace with your pet’s ashes, resin hearts with ashes, and fur/whisker clippings. All of these keepsakes are made entirely by our small team at our office.