Over the rainbow bridge

Pet Farewells brings comfort and closure to pet owners, offering a dignified alternative to traditional backyard burials.

words KARL PUSCHMANN | photos CRAIG BROWN

Lyn and Gavin Shepherd.

When it comes to our pets, we don’t usually think about the end until it comes. And it wasn’t too long ago that we’d simply grab a shovel, dig a hole in the backyard and then let the kids say a few teary words. However, with shrinking properties, increased urban density, renting being much more common and people moving homes more, a pet’s eternal resting spot can often be disturbed within a few years.

“It used to be accepted as normal, but now people don’t want to bury their cat in the garden,” Gavin Shepherd says. “They want it looked after properly.”

This is something Lyn and husband Gavin pride themselves on. As owners of crematorium Pet Farewells, they’ve been providing a compassionate service to pet owners for 17 years.

When they bought their first pet crematorium in Hamilton in 2007, the existing owner considered it a “lifestyle business”. Lyn, a college teacher, and Gavin, a veterinarian, initially thought it would be a good retirement business, but both quickly saw the dormant potential.

After upgrading the machinery, which is specialist equipment that has to be imported from the States, they began picking up more business. As well as the public they were also servicing all of Hamilton’s vet clinics, the SPCA and Hamilton’s Zoo. Seeing a gap in the market they then expanded to Wellington in 2011 and followed the same playbook. It was another success. This led them to purchase an existing pet crematorium in Mount Maunganui three years ago that they could see had not reached its full potential.

They went through the 18-month process of upgrading the cremator to “the latest and greatest,” and completing the paper trail of necessary consents, and say that business is now beginning to increase.

“We do the work for 60 percent of Tauranga’s vets, the Tauranga City Council and the SPCA Tauranga,” Gavin says.

Most of their work comes via the vets who, after euthanising a pet, will talk to the owner about their options. “It’s either take it home and bury or cremation,” Gavin says. “We have a number of ways that the ashes can be returned. The cheapest option is a cardboard box but there’s another six or seven vessels that we provide to return pets.”

Usually, someone from the team will then pick up the pet, cremate it and return it to the vet a couple of days later. But people are welcome to bring their pets in themselves.

“That happens more and more. But we can't allow them into the cremation zone. It runs at 900 degrees, so it’s hot and pretty dangerous, so they can’t watch that process. It’s just not possible,” he explains. “The cremation process takes probably six hours from start to finish. It’s not like getting a pizza, ordering it and then going to the other window and picking it up.”

As well as the basic cardboard box, which Lyn says is what most people who scatter the ashes opt for, there’s a range of options, including a variety of beautiful wooden boxes that are all crafted here in New Zealand, for people who want to keep them.

“All of the products that we return the pets in are New Zealand sourced or made,” Gavin says, explaining that supporting other local businesses was something he and Lyn both considered important. “We didn't want to say the vessels that we use come from China.”

As well as the expected cats and dogs, Pet Farewells has also cremated animals as small as goldfish and mice through to chimpanzees for the Zoo and, in one instance, an ostrich.

“That’s my favourite story,” Lyn says. “An ostrich is very big when its wings are outstretched and its head’s right up high so we didn’t know whether it would fit into the cremator. When we got it, it was like a coil of rope, because it had just collapsed into a ball and the neck was sort of swivelled around and compacted down on it, so we could cremate it quite easily.

“The poor ostrich had died of an obstruction. It had been scavenging around a construction site, and eaten everything shiny, like screws, nails, bolts and nuts. At the end of the cremation, they were all there. We not only had the bones and the stones, but we could also give the owner back everything else!”

The couple say that the death of a pet is an emotional time. For them, Pet Farewells isn’t just about offering a practical solution, it’s about giving people the opportunity to say farewell to their pets in a dignified and compassionate way. “People regard a pet as part of their family,” Gavin says. “And we’re pleased to be part of it.”

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Creature comforts

Animal expert and veterinarian David McDonnell of Tauranga Vets answers your im-paw-tant questions about pet health and wellbeing.

Photo Salina Galvan

Got fleas? Should you shear your dog like a sheep in springtime? And what about wet pet food? Here’s vet David’s best advice for keeping your furry friends happy, healthy and well as the weather warms up.

Q: How often should I de-flea and worm my pet?

A: Fleas can be a problem for our pets all year round in the Bay of Plenty, as we have a relatively warm climate here and many of our pets live indoors as well, staying warm all the time. Because of this, we recommend keeping up with regular flea treatments all year round to ensure you don’t get a flea infestation in your house. Ninety-five percent of the flea population live off the animal; that is, in our environment which can include our house. Ensuring good flea control in our homes by using regular vacuuming and a flea bomb, for example, can also help prevent your pet becoming reinfected following flea treatment. There are many different flea products available these days. The most commonly used products are given orally, and some are still applied to the skin on the back of the pet’s neck. The length of time each product lasts can also vary from one to six months usually. Talk to your vet for advice on which product would be best for your pets.

Q: Should I shave my pet to keep them cool in summer?

A: In the heat of summer, it can be hard for some dogs to keep themselves cool. This is especially so for some bigger dogs with heavy coats, as well as brachycephalic breeds of dogs such as bulldogs. Unlike humans, dogs cannot sweat through their skin. They rely on panting and releasing heat through their paw pads and nose to regulate their body temperature. If they can’t cool down, they will quickly develop heatstroke. For pets with thick and long coats, shaving them can certainly help to keep them cooler in the hot summer months as well as prevent unwanted knots or mats in the fur. There is a small risk which is higher in some breeds of dog that the hair doesn’t grow back properly. Breeds at increased risk include those with long, plush coats, such as the Alaskan malamute, American Eskimo, Chow Chow, Keeshond, Pomeranian, Samoyed, and Siberian Husky, but it can occur in any breed. No one knows exactly why this occurs sometimes for some dogs. 

Q: Why does my pet only want wet food?

A: Most pets should be able to eat a completely dry or mixed wet and dry diet. If you have noticed a change in your pet’s preference to only wanting wet food, there could be some underlying health reasons for that. The most common medical reason for this would potentially be pain in the mouth from dental disease. Pets will often keep eating even with teeth that have serious disease present. The best way to check for this is to get a dental and health check done by a vet. Good dental health is pivotal to good overall health and welfare for our pets. Dental disease can cause significant pain to animals that is very hard for owners to detect until it is really severe. Your vet should complete an oral exam during your pet’s annual health check as well. 

Q: My neighbour's dog barks all day. Is this a sign of stress?

A: Barking is how dogs communicate. They can bark for many reasons including fear, territorial barking, anxiety and boredom. In these situations, it’s best to alert the owner, as they may be unaware of what their dog is doing while they’re not home. Once they’re aware, it’s something that would require a significant amount of work and training to help alleviate the dog’s underlying reason for barking. We often recommend contacting a qualified dog behaviourist or trainer to help with these kinds of situations. They are able to come to the dog’s home and help assess what it is that’s causing the dog to bark. They would then be able to work with the owner to implement some environmental adjustments or enrichment, alongside training the owner on how to train the dog to prevent the barking from occurring. 

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Pawsome advice

Animal expert and vet David McDonnell of Tauranga Vets is a wealth of knowledge on pet health and wellbeing.

We all want our four-legged companions to be happy, healthy members of the household, but knowing how to help them thrive, and understanding what’s going on between those ears, isn’t always clear. Vet David has some suggestions – from tricks for calming your feline to recognising when it’s time to visit your local vet. 

How do I keep my cat calm and safe after a move?
Moving house can be a stressful event for our furry friends. The good news is there are lots of useful aids to help make the transition into their new home as stress free as possible. I would recommend in the 2-3 weeks prior to moving house, starting them on the Royal Canin Calm diet. This food should be continued once you have moved until your cat has settled into the new environment. This special food has something called L-Tryptophan in it which helps cats to feel calm. We have had great feedback from our clients on this food. Other things you may wish to consider are keeping your cat inside the new house for the first 2-3 weeks, and using a Feliway plug-in diffuser. The Feliway diffuser releases a pheromone that cats will smell but you won’t. It helps them to feel less anxious and more relaxed in their new environment.

Does my pet need its teeth cleaned?
Good question! Yes, absolutely dental healthcare is equally important for
pets as it is for us humans. It has been scientifically proven that pets with good dental health live longer lives and 80 percent of pets have some degree of dental disease by two years of age. In the first instance, I would recommend getting your pet’s teeth checked by your vet or vet nurse and a specific dental plan created which is tailored to your individual pet’s dental needs. We offer a free dental health check with our veterinary nurses. Some animals, for example, small dogs, can require annual professional dental cleaning every year, others may only require this once or twice in their life. |The frequency of dental cleaning is influenced by many factors including breed, diet and how much dental homecare the pet owner is able to achieve. Introducing your pet to toothbrushing daily when they are young is a great way to help prevent dental disease. We also have special dental foods that are designed to
keep your pet’s teeth clean.

My cat always seems hungry, what shall I do?
Hunger in cats can be caused by a few different things. I would recommend getting its health checked by a vet and ideally a blood test too which would include checking thyroid levels. Sometimes as cats age, they can get a condition called hyperthyroidism. This causes them to feel very hungry and eat a lot, but they’ll often still lose weight despite this. The good news is, that there are lots of great treatment options available to help and even cure these cats once we get a diagnosis.

My cat keeps vomiting, what could be the problem?
Vomiting in cats can be caused by many different things ranging from problems with the gastrointestinal tract, food allergies, through to pancreatitis and other disease conditions outside of the intestines too. The best way to get to the bottom of this type of problem is to have a complete physical examination with your vet and often some other diagnostic tests are required as well depending on what the vet finds and your pet’s symptoms. Some of the diagnostic tests for causes of vomiting may include a blood test to help eliminate things outside of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as ultrasound, x-rays and sometimes diet trials. 

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