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Who to call to pick up pets that have passed away?

Who to call to pick up pets that have passed away?

Old Jan 1, 2009, 2:49 am
  #16  
 
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Well, the good news is that the cat may be fine and this is all much ado about nothing.

I have a calico that has lived for at least 18 years, I think it might actualy be 19. She has her teeth, she has her sight, and she's actually smaller then every other adult cat I've seen in my life - and she still leaps around like she was meant to lie in trees in some tropical climate.

She's going to outlive us all. She outlived the dog, several hamsters, the other dog, three other cats, and even an iguana.
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Old Jan 1, 2009, 3:26 am
  #17  
 
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Personally I've never seen the logic in burying a dog or cat in my own backyard. I certainly wouldn't want the next owners of the house to have a little surprise when they decide to go plant some flowers and such... I'd call the vet and get it set up for when it's time.

HTSC
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Old Jan 1, 2009, 2:27 pm
  #18  
 
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It's actually illegal in my municipality to bury a pet in the yard.

Then there's snow and frozen ground if your pet happens to die in the winter.

My cat died at home late at night and I didn't want to call a service at that hour (I knew she was ill and older, but wasn't expecting it to happen quite when it did and also hadn't decided exactly what I wanted to do). I took her into the vet the next morning and they made some recommendations and called the service for me.

I can see why a cat sitter might not want to, though.

ALadyNCal: I hope you have much more happy time with your spry older kitty.

Originally Posted by kipper
I wouldn't consider burying my dog here, I'd prefer not to have to do it myself, and besides, what if we sell the place?


That's part of my problem with burying an animal in the yard--if you sell the place, do you dig up the animal, or do you tell the new owners?
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Old Jan 1, 2009, 2:39 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by Georgia Peach
Your vet can probably recommend someone
Well, so much for that idea We took our younger cat in for a check up last week and I remembered that I still needed this info. So I explained my question to the woman who is always at the front desk. Her reply? "Maybe the humane society " Her tone indicated that she really didn't know the specific answer. I was fairly surprised. I will call the Humane Society...they should have more info.

As an aside, when I told the Vet our older cat is now 19, he said they have cats come in that are 22! I was very surprised.
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Old Jan 3, 2009, 9:04 pm
  #20  
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The vets that I have dealt with in my area have cremation services that they send the pet to and the parents have the option of having them returned to them.

My suggestion if there is concern the Cat (or any pet) will pass on or they will be a medical issue while you travel is to set up a contingency plan. I recommend to my clients to leave a written note authorizing the neighbor/pet sitter to bring the pet to the vet in case of emergency or if the pet dies.

I also suggest leaving a copy of the note with the local vet saying this person is in charge of making critical decisions. Of course remind the pet sitter or neighbor that they MUST call you FIRST if something happens and take it from there.

OT: In my five plus years as a Cat sitter I have only two major emergencies - One Cat stopped eating (mad the owner left) and another the Cat had blood in teh stool. Both Cats are still happy and healthy today and near teh two decade mark!
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Old Jan 3, 2009, 9:40 pm
  #21  
 
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KNRG.. Glad to hear that....


And...Ummm.. without getting too mucky... I'd just suggest that when one buries a pet in the yard... without of course the "packaging" and treatments applied to dead people... it doesn't actually take THAT long for "nature to take its course"...

You'd have to sell the house pretty quickly to run into the "next occupant" digging-up-anything-recognisable problem methinks...

Of course climate and soil type play a pretty major role there too I'd imagine.... Neither are what you'd call preservative down here!
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Old Jan 14, 2009, 7:54 pm
  #22  
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Many veterinarians do have such information - but a look in the Yellow Pages can be of help too. If you have a veterinary teaching hospital, check with them.

Bed aware many offerings include mass disposal / cremation, or individual disposal / cremation. And a local shelter or veterinary office has ways of disposing of animal remains that often involve being picked up by a service that essentially renders the remains to make various kinds of oils. If it maters to you, and it is a very individual decision, be sure to be clear in your instructions.

A veterinary teaching hospital may be interested in a dead pet for necropsy and teaching purposes, and will follow instructions for disposition of the remains. We have had several of our dogs given over for necropsy - to the University of California at Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital - and they have served to teach vet students, and in at least a couple of cases provided information on rare diseases. Our last rescued Rhodesian Ridgeback was treated at the VMTH, but succumbed quickly to what turned out to be a rare incidence of highly invasive carcinoma - the treating oncology vet is writing a paper on this rarely observed form of the disease and it wil hopefully help other pet owners.

For those who mourn their deceased pet (and grief for any kind of loss is highly individual and IMO there is no "right" or "wrong" way to grieve,) some veterinary teaching hospitals also have pet loss hotlines to call and speak with someone who can console and help. Maybe you do not need any help - but maybe someone you know does.

UC Davis - VMTH Pet Loss Resources: Link

(530) 752-4200 pet loss hotline staffed by University of California-Davis veterinary students; Toll free tel (800) 565-1526
Hours: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday
Note: Summer/holiday hours may vary

Listing of nationwide pet loss hotlines: link
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Old Feb 17, 2009, 12:51 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by trooper
I sure didn't grow up on a farm... but when I came home one day and found that the family cat (of 18+ years) had died (apparently) peacefully in a shady spot out front of the house..

I got the shovel out and went digging...

Seemed logical to me.... and when the cat belonging to the elderly lady next door died (a cat I had "sat" many times)... I performed the same service for her....

Very sad to lose the much loved family pet of course.. but I don't see the big deal about taking care of it after it dies... Part of the responsibility I'd say...

If one lives in a city apartment I can see the problem..... that's a tough one!
I'm sure a quick google search will yield good suggestions!
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Old Feb 17, 2009, 1:36 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by tylerdurden4543
I'm sure a quick google search will yield good suggestions!
Um, it didn't. That was in my first post "I started searching online and can't find anything" and why I started the thread...
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Old Feb 17, 2009, 3:58 pm
  #25  
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I would think a quick call to your vet or the local SPCA/Shelter would quickly lead to someone to solve the problem.
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Old Feb 17, 2009, 4:01 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by wharvey
I would think a quick call to your vet or the local SPCA/Shelter would quickly lead to someone to solve the problem.
No, it doesn't really.... My vet looked confused & thought 'maybe' call the SPCA.
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Old Feb 18, 2009, 9:06 am
  #27  
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WOW... amazing... or perhaps someone needs a new vet.

I tested it this morning..... called my vet.... got the number of two companies who could help.

Called the shelter where we adopted our last cat... they gave us a number as well.... they even offered to come out and take care of the "problem".

I even asked at our local PetSmart this morning.... and they gave me a sheet with all types of companies... including two who would handle this issue.

Guess it all depends on how helpful your local vet or shelter wants to be.

Originally Posted by ALadyNCal
No, it doesn't really.... My vet looked confused & thought 'maybe' call the SPCA.
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Old Feb 18, 2009, 12:06 pm
  #28  
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It all depends on the situation. Recently one of my clients called me in a panic that one of her beloved Cats died whiel she and the husband were out at work. She was very emotional and didn't know what to do.

I told her it's probably best to bring the Cat to her Vet. She was in a state that she could not pick up the Cat without breaking down. I asked her if she wanted me to take care of the Cat and she agreed.

I also asked if she wanted the vet to keep the Cat or have it creamated. She wanted the ashes so I brought the Cat to t he vet and within two weeks went back to get the ashes.

IMO... for me a Cat or Dog is like a member of the family and I just can't have them carted away. If you can bury them in a yard that's fine (that's what I did iwth my first Cat Cleo who went back to the original owner.)

One suggestion for those who have Pet sitters is to make provisions in the event the Cat or Dog dies while you, the owner, are away. I have not had a Cat pass under my care yet but I know of other pet sitters who had this experience. They warn me if I'm in the business enough it's going to happen.

I had Yaz cremated when he died two years ago this month. The vet said the remains could be put in a "cemetary" or I could keep them. I insisted on keeping them (and will do the same for my Eddie which I hope is NOT for a long time.) They are my family.
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Old Feb 19, 2009, 4:56 pm
  #29  
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Even if your vet's receptionist doesn't know the answer

I am surprised your vet doesn't have a procedure for what to do if a pet dies at home. Here in SF we can set up with Pet's Rest to pick up a pet , but in our case we would have our vet handle the whole situation.

Just as an aside, we stopped traveling when our oldest cat became so ill that it was just a matter of a month or two. Before that, when she was merely chronically ill, we had set up several contingencies for what to do if any of our cats became seriously ill while we were gone.
- our cat sitter had authority to take any of the cats into treatment to the regular vet OR a specific emergency vet service if in her judgment they needed care
- if one of the cats became so ill that the decision needed to be made to pet her down, one of our good friends is always on call to be part of that decision and be with the cat when she is put down. We love our catsitter but we want someone who loves us as well to be able to transmit that love if one of our cats dies.
- if a cat needs to be put down while we are traveling, our vet does house calls for that purpose. After bringing one cat years ago to the vet when it was time we will NEVER do that again. Even tho our current vet is very sensitive and lets you go in he back immediately when you arrive, we want our cats to be able to pass on at home.

Extreme? maybe But we are cat people
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Old Feb 20, 2009, 7:16 am
  #30  
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I have done a little housekeeping and have removed several posts that I consider to be off topic. Kindly stick to the OP's issue and nothing more.

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