hi my dog suki died 2 weeks ago and we just received her remains yesterday. the problem i have is i do not trust this doctor. we had her cremated and i had my wife call him today since can be a lot meaner on the phone than me, and she asked for the name and number of the crematorium he used. he was very rude to her and said he would not give her that information. she continued to talk to him about getting the number and he said no and go ahead and sue me. i dont believe i received my animal back or that she was even really cremated. i live near the pittsburgh area and if anyone is able to help me with some info i would appreciate it. i really dont trust this doctor but i had no choice at the last minute she was dying and he was the only place open and close to my house.

First liet me say that I am sorry for your loss. I am sure that it's been very hard for you and your family.

What would make you feel that your pet was not properly returned to you?

I work for a company that actually does pet cremations and we do have a relationship with vets in our area, but also do private cremations. Our "vet" clients handle all of the details with their clients and we are merely a sub-contractor (so to speak). We never know the client or the pet (in most cases) if we go thru the vets and the vets generally don't disclose who does their cremations. It's not because we're being secretive, shadey, or trying to hide anything, it's just the nature of the business and a very sensitive one at that. It's a very emotional time and doubt can seep into our thoughts when we are sad and distrought, but I honestly feel that this vet returned your pet to you. These feelings are quite normal, really and many people have asked us how they know they are getting their pet back and not someone elses or just "generic" cremains. I can't really *prove* the ashes are that of any one's pet, but I can honestly tell some one that every pet is handled with the utmost care, respect, and dignity that it deserves and each and every cremation is done individually.

If you feel very strongly that your pet was not returned to you, you could always look up pet crematories in your area and call around to see which vets use which services. I don't know if they would disclose this information or not, but if it would help to ease your mind, then it's worth a try. I know that we keep a record of every cremation we do, with the name, address, and phone number of each pet (and owner) even if it's a vet client.