Dr. Margaret (Maggie) MacDonald was born in Dallas, Texas. Caring for and loving animals comes naturally to her; as her father was also a veterinarian. His house call practice took him to the homes of his clients with little Maggie in tow. She remembers from about 3 years on, going to “work” with her Papa. He never hesitated putting her to “work”, even having her hold tight to surgical instruments during surgery!  At home there was always a wide variety of animals to love and care for as well, from the traditional dogs and cats to squirrels, donkeys, and the occasional injured armadillo.

As a young college graduate she spent time as a hiking guide in Alaska, but then returned home to prepare for the job she loved. She graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. After graduation, she moved off to explore New England and began her career in private practice.

In 2008, Dr. Maggie was practicing in Boston and her sweet, elderly dog and companion of 15 years, Sam, was suffering. She wanted his passing to be comfortable, peaceful and with family. She realized that she was lucky. She could offer this to her pet, but what about other pet owners who loved their pets as much as she loved Sam, but could not provide this final gift?  It was in that moment, that she realized that she could provide the gift of a loving passing for a beloved pet to other owners, and so she began to offer in-home euthanasia.

After too many long, cold winters away from her family, Dr. Maggie returned to her home state of Texas in 2010, settling in Austin. Since returning, she has worked as a surgeon for local non-profits and shelters and offered in-home euthanasia in her spare time. In 2015, Dr. Maggie formed her own business that is for the exclusive purpose of providing pet owners the option of in-home euthanasia.

Professional Associations

Dr. Maggie was honored with the Award of Excellence in Recognition of Outstanding Veterinary Service by the Morris Animal Foundation.

Dr. Maggie is featured in the children’s book, ‘Yesterday Was Weird’, a story about in-home euthanasia told from the pet’s point of view.

Meet Dr. Kimberly

Dr. Maggie and Dr. Kimberly share the same philosophy; that every pet parent should be given the opportunity to bring a loving passing to their beloved pet when the time is right. Therefore it was a natural choice for Dr. Maggie to reach out to Dr. Kimberly when she decided to bring aboard a contract veterinarian.

In her native Tennessee, Dr. Kimberly owned her own veterinary hospital, where some of her most rewarding experiences were visiting animals in the comfort of their homes on house and farm calls. Dr. Kimberly moved to the Austin area nine years ago with her Texan husband Steven and continued to practice high quality veterinarian medicine earning her the respect of her peers. She and Dr. Maggie met through their animal shelter work in the area.

In addition to her contract work for Compassionate Pet Vet, Dr. Kimberly is extremely active in the veterinary and animal shelter communities in the area. She is a requested conference speaker and surgical lab instructor. She is also involved in the Austin Veterinary Medical Reserve Corp, focusing on disaster response emergency animal sheltering.

Professional Associations

“I am so happy that Dr. Kimberly Bodner is now available to help meet the needs of my clients and patients.  Her compassion and experience enables her to provide quality assistance to you regarding end-of-life pet care.  You and your pet are in wonderful hands with Dr. Kimberly.”   -Dr. Maggie

Meet Glynis

When it became necessary to bring additional help to Dr. Maggie’s team, she was very conscious of the importance of the role of Care Coordinator. It was essential that this person would be an animal lover, compassionate, empathetic, and someone who absolutely understood what a difficult decision was being made by our clients. After much thought there was only one possible answer, a person that she had known all her life: her sister.

Glynis (pronounced Glennis) MacDonald Schultz joined the Compassionate Pet Vet team in January 2018 as the Care Coordinator. Glynis is the voice that greets you when you are in need of our services. She will listen to your concerns, explain our services, and convey your wishes/concerns to Dr. Maggie and/or Dr. Kimberly. She is the voice on the other side of the phone/text that is there for you when Dr. Maggie and Dr. Kimberly are on appointments. She is committed to making this difficult time as smooth as possible for you and your loved one.

“I could not be happier than to have my sister join our team to ensure that our commitment to you to provide dignity in your beloved friend’s final moments are met. Glynis is a loving and compassionate person, and I know she will be a wonderful addition to our team.”   -Dr. Maggie