WALLA WALLA COUNTY — Veterinarian Brooke Wicks has seen countless clients face the hardest decision — when and how to bid a beloved pet goodbye.

Wicks in February launched her business, Embrace Veterinary Services, to help with that difficult time by offering in-home euthanasia.

It’s an option many people request — to allow an animal to exit life in the peace and comfort of their own home, Wicks said.

While at-home euthanasia has been available for years in metro areas, that’s been less true in rural areas.

As far as Wicks knows, hers is the only veterinary practice offering in-home euthanasia exclusively in a service area of Walla Walla and Umatilla counties.

“The people and pets in our community deserve to have this as an option,” she said.

America’s petsAccording to a January Forbes article, pet ownership has jumped significantly in the last three decades, with 66% of American households having one or more pets. And 97% of those folks consider their animal to be a family member. In 2022, Americans shelled out $136.8 billion on their pets, up 11% from the year before. The higher the income, the more likely those households will have a pet.

In her 14 years of practice, Wicks has seen those significant shifts in attitudes around family animals, including what people want for them.

“Our pets are amazing,” she said. “They are living longer now, just like people. A lot of horses are living into their 30s now. A lot of people sleep in bed with their pets from the time they bring them home. There has been such a role change.”

It’s not unusual these days to hear of owners seeking a level of animal care like that found at the University of Washington’s College of Veterinary Medicine, asking for any and all tests and expertise to be used, Wicks noted. But not every pet owner can afford such tactics to prolong life and some sick animals are beyond such measures.

“If someone comes to me and says ‘I have a 15-year-old dog and I’m not ready to say goodbye,’ there are a lot of ways to keep pets comfortable at the end of their lives,” the veterinarian said.

When it is time for the end to come, however, Wicks has developed a judgment-free protocol. That’s important, because there are people who agonize over deciding when their pet has lived as long as it can. That can delay euthanasia, putting an animal through needless discomfort and pain.

Saying goodbyeFor that final appointment, which requires neither an exam of the pet or prior medical records, Wicks sends out an intake form that, upon completion, reveals the information she needs, saving a client the hardship of retelling at the appointment.

This step is especially important when there are specifics Wicks needs to know, such as an animal’s aggressive nature.

“The more I know, the safer experience I can offer,” she explained.

After a signed confirmation of the owner’s wishes, Wicks follows processes similar to those she’s practiced for a decade at Associated Veterinary Medical Center in Walla Walla.

Giving a family time to say goodbye comes after a sedative is given to the animal. Once sleep sets in, a second injection stops heart and brain activity.

There can be unexpected moments — some pets take heavy breaths as they die, or shake their heads from side to side — and Wicks is there to talk clients through whatever those are, she said.

Most people choose cremation for their pet, and many want the cremains returned. Some want to bury an animal on private property. Laws around that vary by city, county and state, Wicks said, and she makes sure her clients are informed of which rules fit their location.

Cremation is safer than burial because of the medications used, however — should the body get exposed, other animals and birds of prey can be harmed by those drugs, she said.

Disposal in whatever form is a personal decision and people might be surprised at their final choice, Wicks has found.

“We had a dog for 15 years and I didn’t know until I got the ashes back that I wasn’t going to spread them,” she said.

Instead, her pup’s urn sits in a place of importance in the home Wicks shares with husband, Josh Wicks, and their two children.

She works exclusively with a pet crematory in The Dalles because of the “extremely good care” the owners give.

“The care these folks take is out of sight. This is all they do,” Wicks said.

Custom care

Fees for Embrace Veterinary Services is higher than in a clinical setting; the average for small animals is $375.

“I am very upfront about that, I have it on my website page. You have to remember it takes time to go to someone’s house, time to process the remains. The whole process is longer.”

This branch of her practice took extra certification and education, plus Wicks recently attended a national conference on the topic.

It was there, in October, when Wicks confided to a veterinary school classmate that she worried this area was too small to support her dream. The friend replied her own service area was just 20,000 people and she was able to offer this care full time.

That gave Wicks the green light to move forward, she said.

She’s grateful people here have many options for euthanasia, including other veterinarians who share her compassion and desire to make sure animals and their owners suffer as little as possible.

In pursuing last month’s opening, Wicks said she has asked herself “why” more than once.

“I always go back to the reason I am so passionate about this — I really care about pets and their people. Death can be such a beautiful, peaceful experience and it can embrace everyone’s differences. Those last moments are so important.”

To learn more go to embracevetww.com.