Question:
Our beloved 14-year-old female Newfoundland dog Candy died of bloat in 2001, and we had her cremated about a week later. The company that prepared the cremation returned Candy's ashes in an urn that I lovingly keep on my nightstand by my bed.
However, I don't take much comfort in having Candy's ashes because I have no confidence that they are her remains. If we can't be certain that a deceased human's ashes are authentic, how can we be certain about the ashes of a beloved pet?
We trust you and your opinions. Do you have confidence that pet-cremation services faithfully return the ashes of our beloved pet, rather than the combined ashes of many cremated pets?
R.D.P., Hendersonville, NC Jan 17, 2010
Answer:
The government does not regulate the pet-cremation industry, so you can never be certain that only your deceased animal's ashes were returned to you. Even if they were, as we know from the regulatory chaos of the human- and pet-food industries, the only real assurance is based on trust. You might also try to witness (or have a friend visit the pet crematorium) and determine whether pets are cremated individually.
Individual cremation may cost more because the oven has to be cleaned and put through an entire cycle for just one animal, rather than several.
Verbal and written contract assurances of individual cremation should suffice. I am sure that those who would cheat pet owners by giving them a pile of ashes from several animals cremated together will suffer greatly in this life or the next.
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