Friday 17 May 2013

BBC REPORT ON PET CREMATION RAISES QUESTIONS ON HOW VETS SELL PET CREMATIONS

BBC REPORT ON PET CREMATION RAISES QUESTIONS ON HOW VETS SELL PET CREMATIONS


Yesterday the programme YOU & YOURS on BBC RADIO 4 featured an article on pet cremation.  It told how a grieving pet owner was quoted a large fee for the individual cremation of her cat and, when she said she could not afford it, was not given the full picture when she was being sold an alternative cheaper "communal pet cremation service" by her vet.

Shockingly if the owner had arranged the cremation direct with the pet crematorium she would have paid only £95 for an individual pet cremation instead of the £275 quoted by her vet.  Instead she paid £88 for euthanasia and "communal cremation" without being told what it entailed.  Soon after lady contacted the crematorium in order to visit the gardens where she presumed her much loved cat's ashes had been scattered alongside other pets only to be phoned by her vet who told her that the ashes would be taken to a landfill site.

Pets and clinical waste collected and transported together

Sadly this form of basic disposal is either not described by vets or is mis-described as a more caring service in order to "spare people's feelings".  The client is often not given vital information that would help them make an informed decision as to what to do with their pet's remains.   The standard service offered by the weekly companies normally used by vets involves the pet being put into a body bag before being stored in their freezer until the routine collection takes place.  Bodies of much loved pets are then collected alongside clinical waste and transported many miles to a national operator who separates the bodies for their "ashes back" service from those for mass incineration.  The company then "processes" the bodies with no respectful handling before either taking ashes back to the vet the following week or storing them in a skip so that they can be disposed of at landfill.
Covered skip with pet ashes in destined for landfill site

With regard to the individual cremation fee that was quoted it raises concerns that vets are not complying with Consumer Protection Regulations by itemising the handling / arrangement fee they are adding separately to the cremation service cost to them.  This has led to many owners paying over the odds when arranging the service through their vet.  One dog owner was quoted almost £470 for euthanasia and individual cremation of his Great Dane by a corporate vet chain - the expected cost would be over half that through a specialist pet crematorium.

The cremation service encompasses the entire service from handling, storage and transport right through to how the pet is cremated.  It seems as though pet owners should look at arranging the cremation of their pet direct with their local pet crematorium rather than leaving them with their vet - by doing so they will probably get a much better service for a much lower price!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?


1. Should vets (and crematoria) give an accurate description of the cremation services they are offering to pet owners so they can make an informed decision?

 2. Should vets offering cremation services itemise out their bills to show any uplift in cost to the pet owner?

Useful links:

Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria www.appcc.org.uk
Pet Cremation Services information site www.petcremationservices.co.uk
Dignity Pet Crematorium www.dignitypetcrem.co.uk