Foster Animal Hospital Charge for euthanasia and cremation...but no ashes Concord North Carolina
I had taken in a stray kitten that became sick for no apparent reason, so I took him to Foster Animal Hospital. The doctor said he could give him some medicine to see if he got better or run alot of expensive tests to see what could be wrong. He had no guarantee that the test would reveal anything so I opted for the medicine.He perked up for a couple of days, then got sick again. I myself was sick, so I had someone take him up there for me and leave him until the doctor could see him.
The doctor called a couple of hours later and said that he would be better off being put down. Of course, this broke my heart and among the sobs, I made that terrible decision to have him put down. They had agreed to let me pay for part of the services and hold a check for the remainder until my next payday. Then they asked me if I wanted to pick the body up and I said no, then they asked me if I wanted him cremated and pick up the ashes, again I said no.
A couple of weeks later I got a phone call that the check (the one they were going to hold) had been returned by the bank. I made the amount of the check good for them, then they sent me a bill for cremation, which I didn't request. They also sent a bill that does not itemize any services, just an amount. I have requested an itemized statement, but never received one.
I have sent letters to Dr. Tom Foster and Dr. Steven Foster, but have not gotten a response. Why should I pay for something I didn't receive?
If these people are in the business of caring for animals, they need to show more compassion for the owners, I hate to think how they treat the animals when the owners aren't around!
My daughter wants to be a vet when she grows up and I hope this has taught her that compassion is a vital part of being a vet - not just to make money!
Cowgirlup
Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Ppatty
Houston,Texas,
U.S.A.
Get a copy of the invoice
#2Consumer Comment
Fri, June 27, 2008
I'm very sorry that your kitten died, but you are going to be responsible for the disposal of the kitten's body. Someone at the vet's office should have explained to you that it's against the law for the vet to simply throw out the body with the trash. The vet paid a company to dispose of the body and he is passing the cost on to you.
Generally speaking, animal disposal companies offer three cremation options: cremation without ashes returned, cremation with ashes scattered, and cremation with ashes returned (and an extra charge if you want an urn). The cost is based on type of service requested and the weight of the animal.
If you didn't want to pay for disposal, your only other option was to pick up the dead cat and dispose of him yourself.