Disposal of DOA animals?

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

dinkyd — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:17:41 GMT

The way i look at it is at least by being in the same bag they will have company.At my last practice we used to put hamsters and small birds etc in with a friend.

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Kim Buckley — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:16:01 GMT

When it comes to one of my dogs needing to be cremated I think I'm going to have to drive them to the crematorium. This is because of how the people who collect the bodies treat them. I happened to see our body man collecting them one night and he was just throwing them from the freezer to his van! There was this horrible banging noise as they hit the concrete. That is a hell of a lot worse than putting multiple animals in a crem bag if you ask me.

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Vicky RVN — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:42:57 GMT

Yes they are going for routine crem (which i dislike, my piggy was priv crem). But as a nurse i could not bring myself to put animals into together to get frozen together as people have described...it just doesn't bear thinking of, they re animals who should be treated with respect, dead or alive, regardless of how the owner cared for them. Sorry but this is a topic i feel strongly about, and always try to handle bodies as carefully as i can, and try to lay them in the bags nicely if i can (not possible with the big ones, but i manage with smaller ones).

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Kim Buckley — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:32:28 GMT

[quote user="Vicky C"]

I think the idea of peoples pets all being shoved into a bag together just to cut costs is disgusting I would HATE the thought of it happening to my beloved pets, the thought of them going into a bag is bad enough, when my Smudge died over a weekend when i was at work and my dad brought her into me, i could not bring myself to put her in the bag so had to leave her for the night nurse to come in and put her in for me

[/quote]

Ah yes but you love your pets enough to have them microchipped. Not being horrible but at the end of the day if they are going for general cremation then they are all going to be cremated together anyway so I don't really see how putting more than one animal in a bag is a bad thing.

I couldn't put my pet in a bag either! Had to put my friends dog in one and i didn't like that at all. All my small furrys get buried in the garden. Rapidly running out of room!

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Vicky RVN — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:47:05 GMT

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Dippy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:42:41 GMT

Thanks again everyone for your replies. we now have a new policy in place so all seems to be sorted!

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Sal the 1st — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:49:29 GMT

yup I remember the bad old days of no bags and freezers all too well - having to sluice down with lysol in the body shop were fluids had run out of the drum and having to spray bodies with lysol to help keep down the smell and keep on top of the flies until the knacker man or the council collected (bodies either went to knackers or the local tip.) Such a lovely job it was - hopefully nobody is still doing this.

Some people do need to see the body even after a prolonged period to help them achieve 'closure' but agree once they have been in the freezer is prob not the best time for a viewing

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Kim Buckley — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:27:16 GMT

[quote user="Steph Phillips"]

[quote user="Rachel Jayne"]

I remember once stock-piling animals in one big routine bag, a golden retriever, cat & hamster, then I think it was the golden retriever they wanted back, so had to crack off a cat from it's armpit & a hamster from it's ear before letting the owner come thru to see it!!!!

[/quote]

Ewwwwww!!! dont you just love it!! haha

[/quote]

I don't know why so many people insist on seeing their dead animals after a stint in the freezer. Surely it would be nicer to remember them alive and kicking and not frozen and disfigured! Maybe people need closure but still!

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Steph Phillips — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:57:34 GMT

[quote user="Rachel Jayne"]

[/quote]

Ewwwwww!!! dont you just love it!! haha

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Frith — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:16:12 GMT

[quote user="sal the 1st"]body man was in on the conversation - he made the following comment 'dont even think of it girls the contents of the bags are checked' [/quote]

I once heard that a practice got caught out stitching a cat inside the body of a GSD that had been exlaped. This was in the days before bags and freezers (ewww, that's right no bags or freezers) The cat fell out of the dog at the crem.

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Rachel Jayne — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:47:57 GMT

We do not charge clients, they go in a red bag in the freezer with the find details on them for a week or so, then get put into a routine creamation bag with stray written on & go to the crem for free.

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Fiona Leathers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:25:51 GMT

We don't charge the public but we do get charged by the pet crem evem if we write stray across the bag, so I guess the option is to stick a couple of pounds onto everyone else's crem fees and over time that would cover any strays you get in!

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Steph Phillips — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:48:35 GMT

Def shouldn't charge the public!!

Like another post - we also right 'STRAY' in big, bold letters on the bag, and WE DO NOT get charged for it. . (sorry for the capitols, just wanted to stress it )

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

BengalcatRVN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:59:16 GMT

I don't think I could charge the public. And if the council collect, are the animals checked for a chip?! I don't know what the cost of cremation is these days but surely, unless your unlucky and getting more than 1 stray a month the cost could be absorbed? I haven't had any handed to me for 2 months *touch wood*

As for checking the bags...nasty! I just think of some of the poor animals in the bag Hope the pay is worth the dirty work.....

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Sal the 1st — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:50:38 GMT

one place I worked there was a group of nurses having a discussion about bumping off the boss (I think it was light hearted - well I hope it was!) ,discussion was taking place in the garage/body shop and our body man was in on the conversation - he made the following comment 'dont even think of it girls the contents of the bags are checked' - but did agree with the girls the boss was an absolute B

It makes you wonder who gets the delightful job of checking?

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Katie Tallett RVN MBVNA — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:53:13 GMT

[quote user="Princess Ophelia Hermione MacBeth"]Of course, I am sure there are no bosses out there that would just slip the cat into a bag along with a recently PTS'd GSD, etc....[/quote]

maybe not but i know a nurse who would!!

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Hannah25uk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:20:09 GMT

Our strays are put "on hold" for 7 days then if no owner comes forward they are sent for crem with stray written on bag, our crem company do not charge as for strays or wildlife. Also with wildlife we tend to keep the bag open in the freezer till there is a reasonable amount then send them (of course they are free to dispose of for us anyway) but maybe its something you could do and save the cost of bags as well

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Kim Buckley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:09:03 GMT

We keep all our dead strays for a month and then put them all in one bag and send them off for cremation. We absorb the costs. Wouldn't dream of charging whoever bought it in! If money is a real option then why not just put them in with another general animal?

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Dippy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:07:07 GMT

Thanks guys, your comments are pretty much the opinion of the nurses BUT at the same time in defence of my boss, obviously there is a cost to us. Re the comment about the crem doing "strays" foc, I have no idea whether or not this has been looked into but I can certainly ask the question!

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Vicky RVN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:06:57 GMT

[quote user="Kathryn Welsh"]We tend to write 'stray' on the bag and you tend to find your crem company won't charge you as it just goes in with other animals so no extra to them![/quote]

Our crem company said to me a while back that he hadn't charged us for a couple of small bodies that were for crem (things like pigeons, hamsters etc), so if your company do this yet if you've charged the owner for crem (obv not for the wildlife!) then you are making money there, it's swings and roundabouts.

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Louise B — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:03:46 GMT

I personally just think the practice should just accept the cost as a goodwill gesture. Of course, I am sure there are no bosses out there that would just slip the cat into a bag along with a recently PTS'd GSD, etc....

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Vicky RVN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:03:25 GMT

There is no way we would charge the member of the public for being good enough to bring a dead cat in for disposal. Like you said, it would make them want to just put it back. At the end of the day, how many really get brought into the practice? And how much mark up is put on the cost of crem? The fact that clients are paying the mark up on crem should more than cover the cost of the odd stray disposal. I found an RTA cat dead on my way to work the other day, it did have a chip so we contacted owner to tell them the sad news We gave them their crem/burial options, they opted for routine crem. If there had been no owner phoned my boss wouldn't have charged me for the crem!

Don't want this to come across as if i'm having a go at you, because it's not you choice so sorry if it reads that way.

Re: Disposal of DOA animals?

Kathryn Welsh — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:01:38 GMT

We tend to write 'stray' on the bag and you tend to find your crem company won't charge you as it just goes in with other animals so no extra to them! But defo not right to charge memeber of the public. You will also find that the council are very unreliable on collecting bodies!!