Meet Our Veterinary Experts
At CodaPet, our articles are written by experienced veterinarians who specialize in end-of-life care for pets. Dr. Bethany and Dr. Karen, our co-founders, bring their deep knowledge and compassion to every piece, ensuring you receive trusted guidance during difficult times. Explore their insights and expertise as they help you navigate this important journey with care and understanding.
If you'd like to learn more, please email info@codapet.com.
Dr. Pam Cohen
Applied Social Scientist / Behavioral Researcher / Social Impact Strategist / ForbesWomen
Pam Cohen is a behavioral research scientist with expertise in predictive analytics. She combines qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to create measurement systems and analyze data on workplace sentiment and engagement, family friendly policies, corporate reputation, and social responsibility, linking those and other relevantintangibles to key performance outcomes. Her teaching and research is focused on applications of behavioral economics and social psychology.
Codapet
CodaPet is dedicated to honoring that bond by celebrating the lives of the pets we cherish and providing resources, support, and love as they approach the end of their lives. We want to help them pass away peacefully, surrounded by the love and care they deserve.
Dr. Gary Hsia
Co-Founder, Codapet
Dr. Gary graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. After graduation, he moved west. Dr. Gary spent a year at a mixed animal practice in Oregon before moving to Fresno where he worked at All Creatures Veterinary Clinic from 2011-2021.
Cara Gordon
DVM
Dr. Cara Gordon is a dedicated veterinarian who proudly hails from the state of Oklahoma. She pursued her education at the esteemed Oklahoma State University, where she completed both her undergraduate degree and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Although she has also spent time in Texas and California, Dr. Gordon now considers Oklahoma her home, where she is committed to providing compassionate care to the beloved animal companions of the area. Dr. Gordon's passion for animals has been a lifelong journey that began at a very young age. Her deep love and curiosity for the animal kingdom led her to pursue a veterinary degree, and she is determined to use her knowledge to benefit the well-being of our furry friends. Dr. Gordon's goal is to offer the best possible care to pets, ensuring their health and happiness. Outside of her veterinary profession, Dr. Gordon finds solace in reconnecting with the great outdoors, indulging in horseback riding, and spending quality time with her loved ones. The sweet pup pictured was her best friend and loyal companion, her beloved beagle named Enzo who passed in 2024. With her commitment to compassionate care and her strong connection to Oklahoma, Dr. Cara Gordon is a trusted and caring veterinarian dedicated to the well-being of pets in her community.
Dr. Bethany Hsia
Co-Founder, Codapet
Dr. Bethany Hsia has been practicing veterinary medicine since 2010. Dr. Bethany graduated from University of Illinois' College of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. Prior to her graduate degree, Dr. Bethany studied at San Francisco State University earning her Bachelor of Science in Biology and a double minor in Chemistry and in Speech and Communications. Throughout her 13 year career in the veterinary field, Dr. Bethany has worked in private practice, shelter medicine and in the veterinary department of a local college. She now devotes her time, skills, and passion to helping pets and their families through in-home euthanasia. Dr. Bethany provided her first in-home euthanasia for an elderly dog in 2011 and truly believes it is one of the best options for end of life pet care. This is what drives her to make in-home euthanasia available to every pet parent who desires it. She strongly believes a peaceful passing is the last gift we give our pets and that it's a gift best given at home. Even as a child, Bethany sought to calm and comfort animals, keeping many common childhood pets and occasionally tending injured wildlife. Her interest in medicine and design of the immune system was sparked during an undergraduate course titled "Disease!" In her spare time Dr. Bethany enjoys writing and is an active author on the CodaPet resource page, writing about pet euthanasia, pet loss, dog and cat end of life care. She also likes reading, running but most of all spending time with her young family. In addition, she spends time with her hobby ranch which boasts 1 dog, 1 turtle, 2 snacks, 4 cats, 5 goats, and 20+ chickens, a salt-water tank and a foster pup with a broken leg…who will likely “foster fail” and become a permanent addition to the family.
Erica Messer
Pet Loss Educator | Creator of Award-Winning Sympathy Gifts | Author | International Speaker | Podcaster | Featured on ABC7 & QVC
Erica is a certified pet bereavement specialist and coach. She leads a free monthly virtual support group and is an in-demand international speaker. With clinical musical training, Erica helps people navigate their grief through the healing power of music. Her artistic talents also shine through hand-painted pet portraits, showcasing her love for animals and dedication to capturing their spirits on canvas. Erica has thoughtfully created the entire line of Wolfie’s Wish healing products. She also wrote and illustrated “Tails Of Spirit Pets” and “Tails of Spirit Cats” books and most recently released “Maybe I’m Normal: 10 Things I Wish I Knew About Pet Loss”
Dr. Karen Whala
Co-Founder, Codapet | Founder, Peaceful Passing
Dr. Karen Whala founded Peaceful Passing in 2018 after receiving advanced training in the ‘art’ of in-home euthanasia through the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy and is certified Fear Free and has received AAHA Accredited End-of-Life Certification. Dr. Karen believes she has found her purpose and loves learning about how to offer a better experience for pets and pet owners as well as networking with veterinarians who also share a love of this growing field. She annually attends and volunteers at the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC) conference which helps end-of-life veterinarians that are dedicated to advancing the field of end-of-life animal care. After experiencing the clear benefit as a veterinarian in offering in-home euthanasia to grateful pet owners Dr. Karen’s passion for helping veterinarians offer this service led her to co-found CodaPet – A Peaceful Passing At Home, in order to expand nationally. Dr. Karen graduated from the University of California, Davis with both her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and Management degree in 1998 and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2006. She began her career practicing veterinary medicine as an ambulatory mixed animal practitioner working with both large animals, small animals and small exotics. She later began working at a full service small animal AAHA certified clinic for 5 years alongside veterinary specialists such as dentists, surgeons and behaviorists. In 2012, after losing her beloved dog Skeeter unexpectedly, she left private practice and decided to work in public health as a USDA veterinarian. Dr. Karen also has a secondary professional interest in veterinary public health and has a Masters in Public Health from the University of Iowa School of Public Health and is Board Certified in Veterinary Preventive Medicine. In her spare time, she loves international travel, backpacking, volunteering at her local church and grocery shopping. After assisting thousands of families navigate the difficult decisions involving euthanasia, she feels blessed to have this opportunity to increase awareness of IHE as an option for pet owners as well as give this gift of economic empowerment, time flexibility and professional fulfillment to fellow veterinarians.
Veterinarians that honor the bond with your pet
Hear from pet parents like you
Overall service rating from over 3216+ reviews
Our beloved Frida just turned 20 years old this year. We knew she had several health problems, and that the time would come when we would have to say goodbye. Frida hated going to the vet, and got very stressed in the car. For this reason, we desperately wanted her to die peacefully at home. We had hoped that one day she would simply go to sleep and not wake up. But instead, she began to have a flare up with a chronic illness that made her incredibly sick and in pain. Last Wednesday, after hours and with our normal vet on medical leave (unavailable) we made a call for help to Coda Pet - at home pet euthanasia. Dr. Amy Roberts left right away. She was so kind and patient. Frida was so dehydrated, weak, and almost non-responsive already, but Dr. Roberts understood that we did not want her to hurt any longer. She didn't rush us, and even allowed our other pets time to say goodbye to their furbling. We will forever be grateful for the willingness to come quickly, and at night, to help our Frida cross over at peace, in our laps, by the fireplace, in our home. No amount of time is ever enough to be with our beloved babies, but at least we got to help her cross peacefully at home and with the help of a caring and patient vet. Thank you, CodaPet, and thank you Dr. Roberts.
Dr. Cara was very understanding, knowledgeable and helped us say our hardest goodbye to our best friend 💕😭 She explained everything before/during the process and was very patient with any questions we had. We are forever grateful for her and her service which allowed him to pass in peace and comfort of his own home ❤️ Thank you!
There are no words that can be said about how amazing Doctor Banks was in helping us through a very difficult decision. She was patient , kind and gentle. I have had my cat Token since I was 19 and 35 now have never had to put an animal to rest, having Christie there was honestly a blessing. Token, our cat, also was very comfortable and I truly believe it was the calming energy of Christie. Token was ready and we feel very blessed to have had Christie as our emotional support through the hard choices we had to make. Thank you again 100 times over. Your a saint & I know Token felt the same.
She was a very caring and competent Vet. I was very impressed how well she was able to help my not so nice cat go over the Rainbow Bridge. I would not want to have her job. She was so kind and she sent me a lovely card afterwards that I will keep forever. I recommend her highly. I COULD NOT HAVE NOT GOTTEN THROUGH IT WITHOUT HER GENTLENESS AND KINDNESS.
A few sentences of the experiences of the CodaPet services would be completely out of context and not give a true representation of what we were feeling. Our dog loved to give boops, steal shoes when he cam inside, take walks, protect and defend us from attacking dogs, and suck his dinner down faster than a speeding SR-71 Blackbird. Then he got cancer that metastasized to his lungs , and we tried to keep him happy to enjoy all those things. We did radiation, chemo, and drug cocktails to kept him alive and happy for months after the diagnosis, months longer than he had originally been expected to live. The pain got worse, we tried another round of radiation, which worked for a few weeks, but then he got fussy over food. We would change to other tasty things for him to eat, which worked at first for a few days, then would work only for one meal, then he wouldn't eat. Because the cancer was in his leg he would hobble outside, clearly in pain, but kept his head up, laying on the grass, watching the world go by, still being a dog. He got so thin. One never knows the best time to do the euthanasia. If too soon, one feels they're depriving the dog of being a dog and enjoying life. Too late and the dog is just miserable and can't really be a dog any more. We may have had one or two more days before our boopy-boy couldn't be a dog any more, but there was no point in dragging out his agony any more. This was no longer about what we wanted, it had to be about what was best for him. Dr. Lisa from CodaPet was empathetic, caring, and knew how to make everyone comfortable, including the dog. He barked at the stranger in the house, always wanting to protect us, even if he couldn't even stand up. She showed us how to keep him calm and rest and not be aware when she gave him the sedative. He finally relaxed, the pain washing away, finally at peace at home on his own bed before she gave him the final injections. Dr. Lisa wrapped him in a blanket and we carried him to her car and we put him in the back, with some nice flowers arranged almost like it was in a funeral home. She gave us each a hug, acknowledging her job was not easy, and we pushed the button to close the tailgate, giving us our last view of our Boopy-boy, asleep, finally out of pain, leaving us with memories of a great doggie life and finally the end of a long struggle to keep him as happy as we could.
Dr.Phillips was the Angel that came to our home. Without her kindness and caring this experience would have been so heartbreaking for us. She is indeed an Angel that all animals need at this time in their life. Thank you from our hearts and Bookers
Supporting You Every Step of the Way
Here are our frequently asked questions to help you feel fully informed and at ease.