About Dr. Brenna Sakatch DVM, CVA, CVNN, CPEV, FFCP – Veterinarian & Owner of Snowshoe Home Vet
I grew up in Calgary and, at my preschool graduation, proudly declared that I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up. I spent much of my childhood trying to convince my parents that we needed a pet. I checked piles of animal-care books out of the library, read through budgets and supply lists from the humane society, and even brought home bugs so I could care for them as pets. When my dreams finally came true at fourteen and a puppy entered my life, I knew even more certainly that veterinary medicine was where I belonged.
I went on to earn my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Calgary. Since graduating, I have had the opportunity to work in a wide variety of veterinary settings, from emergency medicine and high-volume shelter surgery to Fear Free practice. Each experience has shaped the way I care for animals and has given me a deeper appreciation for just how much our pets mean to us.
Over the years, I found myself especially drawn to the moments when people needed a veterinarian not just to treat an animal, but to help them through something difficult. Eventually, I realized that end-of-life care was where I wanted to focus my practice.
I am certified in peaceful euthanasia through the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), and I am passionate about making a pet’s final moments as gentle, peaceful, and comfortable as possible.
My decision to provide euthanasia in the home came from my own experiences working in veterinary hospitals. Even in a Fear Free practice where we worked hard to make the veterinary experience as comfortable as possible, I kept coming back to the same thought: there is simply no place more comfortable to a pet than home.
At home, there is no car ride, no unfamiliar waiting room, and no need to spend those final moments somewhere that doesn’t feel like theirs. Instead, they can be surrounded by the people they love, curled up in their favourite bed, resting in the sunshine, or simply enjoying the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of home.
And for their people, I believe there should be room to say goodbye without feeling rushed. There should be time for one more cuddle, one more story, and however many tears are needed. My hope is that by taking away the stress of a trip to the veterinary hospital, I can make an incredibly difficult day just a little bit gentler.
That is what Snowshoe Home Vet means to me: giving pets a peaceful goodbye in the place where they feel safest, and giving their families the space to love them through it.
Outside of veterinary medicine, I live in Olds with my husband, our children and our pets. I also volunteer my time as a veterinarian with the Canadian Animal Task Force and Christian Veterinary Mission Canada.
