Cost of Pet Cremation & Veterinary ER's in the area (Durham: how much, home)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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It's been a while (thankfully) since I've had to put a dog to sleep, but for group cremation I've paid in the $100-150 range for a 60lb dog. My Lap of Love experience was similar to MyGhost, and I think it was in the $400 range as well.
The box we have was done at a place called Faithful Friends. We too went to Magnolia for the last day. They had a nice room away from the hustle and bustle. I have no idea about the cost but remember it being extremely reasonable overall. I'd look it up but I actually but it on a different credit card that I have since canceled. $1-- something sounds right for the whole process including box.
You might be able to get a better price direct from Faithful Friends or maybe not as they may have agreements and special rates with vets.
I think you made the right call digging a grave. That is much better use of funds for other dogs.
Thanks...I wish I could have gone to Magnolia but it was the ER vet.
Everyone's information lines up, so I'm happy about that. I just didn't trust them given my previous experience where they tried to push something absurdly unnecessary, so ridiculous that when I was seen for the same thing at Rex they didn't do or recommend. (lab work, for a visit regarding a wicked cut.)
Regarding cremations, we lost a beloved pet earlier this year (adult cat, around 15 lbs) and was charged $100 by Carolina Pet Cremation. The man I engaged with was very kind and the process was much less stressful than I'd experienced elsewhere.
As part of the same sad ordeal we initially rushed our cat to Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas right off of Capital (north of 540) and after they determined there was nothing they could do to help, wouldn't even accept money for their time. I have no idea what would have happened if they thought they could help, but the fact that they declined to charge us for what time we occupied made me think I should trust them.
The truth of the matter is, veterinary costs are almost always much greater than makes sense to most of us. Our pets benefit from the advances in modern, human medicine, yet we want it to cost substantially less. I figure that if they help keep our friends healthy and vital, it's money well spent. If not, it's definitely way too much to spend. Perspective is everything.
I am so sorry. I know that was absolutely heartbreaking for you.
I lost two of my dogs earlier this year. First one to aggressive cancer, the other to pancreatitis less than 3 weeks later. I have a house call vet, thank goodness. Both of my dogs were Golden Retrievers (hence my user name here), one 75 lbs, the other 65 lbs. Total cost for euthanasia and cremation (not communal) plus the house call was $399 for each dog. That included my vet taking my dogs to the crematorium and then delivering their ashes to me when they were ready. Honestly, I was so devastated by the loss of both of them and so close together that I could not have taken them or picked their ashes up. It's taken me this long to be able talk about them without immediately crying.
I had a golden who had an aggressive cancer when she was 10. I went to VSH on Tryon Rd and will never use them again. The amount of money I spent over 3 months was insane, but I would have done anything to try and help my girl.
When I had her euthanized I took her to her regular vet to have that done. My vet handled the arrangements for cremation, it was through Faithful Friends, and my vet called me when it was time to pick up her ashes. I think the cost for euthanasia & cremation was somewhere in the $300 range. This was in 2010.
JONOV, you asked about emergency vet recommendations. I have not used the Complete Pet Care on Glenwood, but the rescue I work with does use them. They have emergency hours. I use the one in Wake Forest as my back up vet and I do like them. Their prices are very reasonable, in my opinion. I've used Zebulon Animal Hospital as my back up vet and while I really like Dr Rose, their prices are extremely high. I used both of them during the time I was fighting to save my second boy, just bloodwork, xrays and meds cost me $800 at Zebulon and then 3 days later he needed to be hospitalized for IV antibiotics and fluids (he'd spiked at 107 fever), an overnight hospitalization, all meds, 3 ultrasounds (to check his spleen and pancreas) and 2 xrays at Complete Pet Care in Wake Forest was only $800. Sadly I lost him two days later after bringing him home. However, Complete Pet Care (Dr Morrison) has earned my business as our back up vet.
Regarding cremations, we lost a beloved pet earlier this year (adult cat, around 15 lbs) and was charged $100 by Carolina Pet Cremation. The man I engaged with was very kind and the process was much less stressful than I'd experienced elsewhere.
As part of the same sad ordeal we initially rushed our cat to Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas right off of Capital (north of 540) and after they determined there was nothing they could do to help, wouldn't even accept money for their time. I have no idea what would have happened if they thought they could help, but the fact that they declined to charge us for what time we occupied made me think I should trust them.
The truth of the matter is, veterinary costs are almost always much greater than makes sense to most of us. Our pets benefit from the advances in modern, human medicine, yet we want it to cost substantially less. I figure that if they help keep our friends healthy and vital, it's money well spent. If not, it's definitely way too much to spend. Perspective is everything.
Really? I feel the costs are substantially less for what amounts to similar human work. Example, a full lab work up is $150(?)-ish where as you look at what a visit to Labcorp is prior to insurance and it's around $1,000. Simple digital x-ray for our dog was $65 plus $40 visit, my hand through insurance at Raleigh Radiology is around $800.
It's a great example of what insurance plus a lack of price competition does to our healthcare industry.
I had a golden who had an aggressive cancer when she was 10. I went to VSH on Tryon Rd and will never use them again. The amount of money I spent over 3 months was insane, but I would have done anything to try and help my girl.
When I had her euthanized I took her to her regular vet to have that done. My vet handled the arrangements for cremation, it was through Faithful Friends, and my vet called me when it was time to pick up her ashes. I think the cost for euthanasia & cremation was somewhere in the $300 range. This was in 2010.
I'm with you, regarding VSH. They offer hope in the form of insanely expensive treatments that absent emotion would never make any sense. After examining our dog following a cancer diagnosis, they framed what seemed a sensible plan where we would step through treatment one round at a time, assess progress and decide how/if to proceed. After paying a ton of money to get to that point, we were told that to be absolutely certain the plan made sense we needed an MRI. That one procedure cost $2k. The results painted a much more grim prognosis and after spending a total of $5k in just about two weeks, concluded that the humane thing to do was to put our dog to sleep.
If we had proceeded with what they suggested as the only sensible path forward following the MRI, we were looking at somewhere north of $15k and nothing even close to a guarantee that the dog would have lived.
I genuinely felt that they frame things as less practical and more hopeful, but knowing that you're about to enter a process that will generate crazy bills. If someone shows up there, they've already identified themselves as someone who is looking for a miracle and leading with their hearts, not their heads. I would never, never, never take a pet their again. If my vet can't treat the problem, we'll make the animal comfortable as long as possible and then humanely end their suffering.
If someone shows up there, they've already identified themselves as someone who is looking for a miracle and leading with their hearts, not their heads. I would never, never, never take a pet their again. If my vet can't treat the problem, we'll make the animal comfortable as long as possible and then humanely end their suffering.
That is such a good point.
Knowing what I know now, with a cancer diagnosis (hemangiosarcoma), I would not put a pet through chemo again. It doesn't cause any suffering or complications as it does in humans, but with several cancers it doesn't buy the amount of time one might hope, and the expense can be ridiculous.
Three months after her Dx, after an emergency splenectomy followed by 4 rounds of IV chemo and some oral chemotherapy, I had her euthanized, which was the fulfillment of a promise I made to her when she was a wee pup--I promised her I'd never make her hang on, ever, not allow her to suffer, and if and when the day came and she didn't feel well and there wasn't anything I could do to help her, I'd let her go. And that's what I did. She was just shy of 11 yrs old.
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