About Us

About Dr. Ryan Black, DVM

Since becoming a veterinarian in 2015, end-of-life care has been a very important aspect of how I practice medicine. Having grown up with animals in the house, watching them age, and eventually pass away, I am no stranger to the feelings that grief can cause. After I obtained my medical degree, I started working in a general practice setting. In the beginning, performing euthanasias was difficult for me because I strongly felt what the families that I was helping were feeling: grief, sadness, and loss. As time has gone by, my views of end-of-life have shifted slightly. I still feel the grief that is occurring during these times, but I have also begun to see that end-of-life care is a privilege to be able to participate in. It is a culmination and celebration of a well-loved life. To see people willing to put themselves in pain to alleviate the pain their pets are experiencing is truly beautiful. I’m excited to be working for Compassion 4 Paws to be able to provide this service to families outside of a clinical setting in the comfort of people’s homes.

I received my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University in 2015.  After graduation, I got a job in general practice at a small-animal clinic in Everett where I worked for several years. Following this period, I also worked in the emergency field including a short stint working at the referral hospital Animal Medical Center of Seattle where I managed multiple complex medical cases and worked closely with a variety of specialists to help pets and families in need. The move to focus exclusively on end-of-life care was rooted in the appreciation I received from families who were forced to make these hard decisions. At multiple junctures, families expressed relief to be given the permission to let go rather than continue to treat when treatments were failing. When I realized I was good at having these conversations and saw how much pet owners appreciated the points I brought up, I realized a calling to hospice/end-of-life care which led me to Compassion 4 Paws.

Before becoming a veterinarian, I worked as a biological scientist for the Department of Homeland Security, during which I relocated from Illinois to Washington in 2006. My husband and I both call the Northwest home though neither of us grew up in the area. Like many locals, we seize opportunities to camp, hike and ski in the beautiful landscapes around us.  We share our home with two shelter pit-mixes, two stray cats, a surrendered ball python and a tarantula named Terry.  Most of the pack travels together with some frequency; the alpha dog, Clementine, has road-tripped to 15 states west of the Great Lakes.  Our senior cat, Palouse, has even taken to the road with the pack, adventuring to places like the Redwoods and Death Valley.  At home, I enjoy tending to an extensive indoor garden of tropical and desert plants, making cold-process soap, and cooking.