giraffez

Wow thats fantastic! I mean how great she is doing!! Thanks for letting me know.

Thanks for that, that’s good to know. I guess not all vets will do the same thing but good to know a rough estimate of the costs ahead. It’s not small given all the medical bills at the moment. So all adds up. But whatever will give him comfort and the best of care I will do, at any cost. No, I really appreciate all the advice and experiences you guys have so generously shared with me. Things I didn’t think off or even thought were options. Really grateful for that. thanks so much @Snook

Interesting you mention this as I was only looking last week. They are predominantly from the states, there are some beautiful ones. But there doesn’t seem to be a market here in australia for that as when I filtered by ship from australia, hardly any came up. Im probably just being too picky, an urn is an urn. It could be the circumstance of needing to select one making it all less appealing. But you guys are right, there aren’t many pet cremation services around and of those that do it, their vessels and urns are pretty similar.

Perhaps you are right. I don’t have an issue with using the vets cremation service. All I really need is it to be an individual cremation and I think this is pretty much standard nowadays. I don’t need them to have empathy (although it would be nice) as I don’t think I will need to deal with them much, I just need them to make sure my baby is returned safely and done properly. The other element is costs, if it turns out to be a few hundred dollars mark up via the vet, then that’s a deal breaker. I haven’t enquired yet so I’m only guessing. But the main reason is I don’t want to have to decide again and go through the whole ordeal of where he will eventually reside. I’ll like to do it once and do it properly. I can see myself become even more distressed needing to handle his ashes a second time.

Thank you everyone again for the great advice. In my last post, I asked whether it was common to arrange yourself because I wasn't sure whether the vet expects you to use their service. I have seen the one my vet offers and the choices are very limited with the urns, really just a handful to choose from and nothing that I really like. I've googled a number of companies and none of them seem to offer a "supply your own urn" option, which seems to imply i would have to choose one of their vessels or scatter boxes which becomes expensive when you need to pay for things twice.

I have a question, is it common for people to arrange this themselves and not use the one from the vet?

@Loving my Oldies thanks for that, they look good! Thank you for checking in @Snook. My baby is going well but his nose bleeds are a bit unpredictable. For over two weeks he has been normal but then all of a sudden last week he started to bleed again which freaked me out a bit because I thought it may be the end but he managed to bounce back and now he is back to normal again. The bleeding has stopped and we are again in the “safe” zone.... for now anyway. To be honest, this post euthanasia thing is really stressing me out a little (despite the good advices that you and others have provide). You are right that I may not need to decide now and should be spending that time with him instead but I don’t want to leave this unresolved for him while he is still here with me. I haven’t found anything or a company that I really like.

Ah okay, I actually don’t know. I was googling some of these companies and they had scatter boxes that looked exactly like the eco urn in your photo (and they cost about the same as an urn as @jemappellementioned). I didn’t think they would have any features that would allow pouring out the ashes because the container is a cylinder so you just open the lid and pour (at least that’s what I had in my mind ). Having said that some scatter boxes I saw were actually square boxes.

Thanks for that. The eco urn looks like a scatter box. Isn’t it really the same thing?

That doesn’t sound too good. What did the ashes come in if they didn’t even care to provide a scatter box? I think when they are a monopoly, the service and personal touch isn’t a priority for them.

Do you mean they are no good? If so, I’m going to avoid them if I can. I tried to google some and most of them seem very commercial, I don’t get the feeling of care.

If i opt for the scatter option, it will be in my back yard where he feels the safest and spends a lot of time especially in the mornings where he just sits and sunbathes. I just worry my other boy will sniff and ingest it. I could scatter it in a fenced off area but my boy never goes into that area so defeats the purpose. Which company did you use @jemappelleand would you recommend them?

Thanks. No I was just worried they are conscious but won't be able to move their legs (or any part of their body) as though they are paralysed. That would break my heart. But I think that's not the case and you have described it well. @Powerlegs seeing you are also in NSW, do you mind telling me which company you used? I'm putting a list together to go through and decide, i've added the one @Loving my Oldies and @Teebs recommended as well (thanks for that!)

thank you everyone, I’m very grateful for all the tips and experiences that you have all generously shared. Can you tell me a bit more about this. I was of the impression it’s part of the procedure (unless it can’t be done like in @Snook’s case with Justice.). When they are sedated they are just calm right and still conscious, they still can willingly move their legs too? what’s the pros and cons of sedation? How does this work. Do you call them afterwards and they come pick it up from your vet? I’m also worried that doing this way the vet would mind because im not using their supplier. I don’t know what it’s called but do all vets have the facility to store the body in a freezer room before it can be collected? Or does it have to be collected on the same day?

I don’t know how you went through this 17 times! I don’t know that I can ever do this again, it’s too painful.

Thank you both so much for the detail replies. It makes it so much clearer. I’m sorry for the loss you had to go through with yours. @Loving my Oldies the urns are beautiful! Thanks for sharing. @Snookim not so sure myself whether I want an urn to display. I think it will make me really sad when I look at it and remind me he is gone. I don’t like the idea of a group cremation so I’m probably going to pick the individual one where I can get his ashes back. Do you mind telling me what you ended up doing with his ashes? Burying in our backyard seem like a good option but then I’m thinking what happens when I move house. The last thing I want is someone doing renovations and unknowingly dig it up. So I’m not sure that’s what I want to do either.

My boy as some of you know has a nose tumor and I know it’s only a matter of time I will have to take him to the vet one last time. I want to be ready with whatever has to follow to give him a good resting place because I know I’m going to be broken into pieces on the day and won’t be able to handle any decisions. I’m balling my eyes out just thinking about this day. im hoping someone can share the process. I’m not sure what happens at the vet, do I leave him there after the procedure or do I have to arrange for cremation before hand? How long can I stay? The vet probably won’t kick me out or rush me but Im mindful they have a business to run and I don’t want to be a nuisance taking up their consultation room. what options do I have to store him in? Can I buy my own urn or is my option restricted to whatever that cremation company offers. Is cremation the only way to go? I read somewhere that pet cremations are done in bulk so that the ashes you get back aren’t necessarily all your pet, is that true? How much should I be setting aside for this day?

thanks everyone, i had my script filled today and i can't believe how much of a markup SASH charges. I previously had panadol dispensed at the hospital and was change about $28, at the chemist it's $8! Its a bit offputting how much of a markup is placed on such common medication. I know they have a business to run but at these prices it feels that they try to suck as much out of you while your pet is sick and you really have no alternative at that moment. I rather they make their doctor's consult fees higher (not that its already not high enough) but for things like panadol, I felt a bit dissapointed that it was so much. I was even more dissapointed today when i got my meds dispensed and realised how bigger of a gap it is for not so common household meds. I was charged about $8 a tablet at SASH while the one I got today at the chemist was 40cent per tablet. So $160 for 20 tablets while chemist charged $8. Even if i add on a prescription fee it's not that much!

Does the vet charge for the script?

Right thanks. Does the vet have an issue writing you a prescription seeing they also stock the meds?

Has anyone had to buy medication for your pet at the chemist with a script provided by the vet? How does it work because pet won’t be under Medicare

Itchiness, reviews online seem to suggest it’s very effective treating itch. Plus a few weeks ago, his body had small spots of scabs appear. Once it falls off, it reappears again. I took him to the vet but my vet said we should pause the treatment for his itch because he was going through something with his nose which was more severe and the medication to treat the itch would contradict with scoping procedure. It must have been a steroid I believe. Effective but short lived.

I used to use the aloveen conditioner but didn’t find it moisturing enough and so the vet told me to use qv which was better. And then I found coconut oil which was even more moisturising and has anti oxidants so I started using those instead

It’s really strange, he stopped itching since yesterday. Like zero scratch. But on Sunday after the bath it was a bit concerning how itchy he became.

I brought a bottle of Maleseb after seeing great reviews with itching and washed my dog with it on Sunday. I made sure I rinsed him thoroughly. After the bath, I noticed him scratching even more than usual. To the point he was scratching every couple of seconds. He was clearly irritated and had dandruff appear. I rubbed him with coconut oil and then later QV and also gave him an antihistamine for some relief. It didn't really do much for him that night, but he went to sleep unbothered so I just let him be and assess whether I needed to take him in to a vet the next day. Lo and behold the next day, I noticed the itching has lessened and as time went on, it progressively got better, to the point I didn't even see him scratch once today. Before the bath he was still scratching occasionally. I'm just thinking whether this is normal for Maleseb in that it gets worst before it gets better? Antihistamine usually doesn't rid the itching for him nor do the topical creams. Or was this an allergic reaction with Maleseb - but that doesn't explain why he is suddenly better.