One Health

Hi everyone,

When we speak about access to veterinary care, are there parts of the logistics after a family pet is euthanized that create stress for your team? For example, coordinating for family pet's cremation, communicating with families whose pet passed, or handling the cremains of a family's pet.

Best,

Stacey

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Stacey Evans
General Counsel
Animal Health Company and Animal Health Nonprofit
ME
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Since we most often with those experiencing homelessness, our barriers most often revolve around cost. These individuals have/had such a strong bond with their pets that individual cremation and some sort of tangible container (often jewelry to wear, but sometimes urns) is very important to them. Those extra costs can be challenging, and requires crowdsourcing to meet that need.

Vickie

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Vickie Ramirez
Program Manager
University of Washington, One Health Clinic
WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-08-2026 07:07 PM
From: Stacey Evans
Subject: Impact of Pet Aftercare on Your Team

Hi everyone,

When we speak about access to veterinary care, are there parts of the logistics after a family pet is euthanized that create stress for your team? For example, coordinating for family pet's cremation, communicating with families whose pet passed, or handling the cremains of a family's pet.

Best,

Stacey

------------------------------
Stacey Evans
General Counsel
Animal Health Company and Animal Health Nonprofit
ME
------------------------------

I do a lot of Access to Care work.  While most euthanasia cases go fine, I think we face a little more stress because often this is the first time we are seeing the pet, so it is a longer conversation with the owners at times.  Other times it is evident the pet likely was allowed to continue on too long, but that is a harder things to gauge when we don't really have any case knowledge.  Most people that we do help with crossing over their pets are incredibly appreciative for the help we give.  They often also remark how no other vet would see them for this, which is certainly understandable if they do not have an established relationship with one.  The cost of having it done, I think, sometimes puts people off to seeking out a vet for it, or causes things to go on too long because they are saving up to have it done. I don't charge anything for euthanasia and we basically charge what the crematory service charges us for cremation, with just a very slight upcharge to cover staff time and effort in preparing the body and all.  The whole cost thing is a conversation that is basically a topic and debate unto itself. 

I do think that in the Access to Care realm I do we will see more behavior related euthanasia of aggressive dogs.  Often these dogs do not have established vet care and are a real danger to other animals or their owners, so we will do them.  These, I think, are a little more stress on us. Of course, the safety element is there, but the element of consoling an owner who often feels they have failed the dog comes into it as well. 

The only other stress I personally have with it at times is dealing with a few days or a week where we get a lot of those requests and wanting to be able to ensure I can get them all in to prevent further suffering of the pet.  It also weighs on me emotionally if it is a week of a lot of them, as it likely would anyone. 

That may be more info than you were looking for, or not exactly what you were looking for, but hope it helps.  Let me know if you have any other questions or follow ups. 

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Bryan Langlois
Medical Director
Spay/Neuter Save Network
PA
"Greatness is a title never to be self imposed"
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-08-2026 07:07 PM
From: Stacey Evans
Subject: Impact of Pet Aftercare on Your Team

Hi everyone,

When we speak about access to veterinary care, are there parts of the logistics after a family pet is euthanized that create stress for your team? For example, coordinating for family pet's cremation, communicating with families whose pet passed, or handling the cremains of a family's pet.

Best,

Stacey

------------------------------
Stacey Evans
General Counsel
Animal Health Company and Animal Health Nonprofit
ME
------------------------------

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Vickie and Bryan.

It seems like the cost of private cremation and memorial items are significant challenges for pet parents with limited means.

Staff time preparing a pet's body for cremation, time consoling pet parents after euthanasia of a pet with aggressive behavior, and the emotional toll of team members not being able to immediately alleviate pet suffering, seem to pose additional challenges.

Regarding cost of pet cremation and memorial items, which costs feel the most burdensome for your clients?

Also, can you share more about which parts of preparing a pet's body for cremation take the most time or feel the most emotionally taxing? 

Thanks.

Best,

Stacey

------------------------------
Stacey Evans
General Counsel of an Animal Health Company and Board Co-Chair of Veterinary Nonprofit
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-09-2026 12:52 PM
From: Bryan Langlois
Subject: Impact of Pet Aftercare on Your Team

I do a lot of Access to Care work.  While most euthanasia cases go fine, I think we face a little more stress because often this is the first time we are seeing the pet, so it is a longer conversation with the owners at times.  Other times it is evident the pet likely was allowed to continue on too long, but that is a harder things to gauge when we don't really have any case knowledge.  Most people that we do help with crossing over their pets are incredibly appreciative for the help we give.  They often also remark how no other vet would see them for this, which is certainly understandable if they do not have an established relationship with one.  The cost of having it done, I think, sometimes puts people off to seeking out a vet for it, or causes things to go on too long because they are saving up to have it done. I don't charge anything for euthanasia and we basically charge what the crematory service charges us for cremation, with just a very slight upcharge to cover staff time and effort in preparing the body and all.  The whole cost thing is a conversation that is basically a topic and debate unto itself. 

I do think that in the Access to Care realm I do we will see more behavior related euthanasia of aggressive dogs.  Often these dogs do not have established vet care and are a real danger to other animals or their owners, so we will do them.  These, I think, are a little more stress on us. Of course, the safety element is there, but the element of consoling an owner who often feels they have failed the dog comes into it as well. 

The only other stress I personally have with it at times is dealing with a few days or a week where we get a lot of those requests and wanting to be able to ensure I can get them all in to prevent further suffering of the pet.  It also weighs on me emotionally if it is a week of a lot of them, as it likely would anyone. 

That may be more info than you were looking for, or not exactly what you were looking for, but hope it helps.  Let me know if you have any other questions or follow ups. 

------------------------------
Bryan Langlois
Medical Director
Spay/Neuter Save Network
PA
"Greatness is a title never to be self imposed"

Original Message:
Sent: 01-08-2026 07:07 PM
From: Stacey Evans
Subject: Impact of Pet Aftercare on Your Team

Hi everyone,

When we speak about access to veterinary care, are there parts of the logistics after a family pet is euthanized that create stress for your team? For example, coordinating for family pet's cremation, communicating with families whose pet passed, or handling the cremains of a family's pet.

Best,

Stacey

------------------------------
Stacey Evans
General Counsel
Animal Health Company and Animal Health Nonprofit
ME
------------------------------