The family were left “absolutely heartbroken” after being told the vets had “lost” the XL Bully’s body and after being handed the ashes of the beloved pooch now doubt whether it’s even their dog’s ashes
A family have told of their sheer heartbreak when their three-year-old pup’s body was “lost” while in the care of a vet before being cremated.
Brooke Stewart, 18, described the shocking moment as a “nightmare” when on Sunday, June 30, she took their family dog Mhia to VetsNow in Glasgow after she had struggled with the effects of kidney disease. It was soon agreed the XL Bully would be put down. After the family agreed to have the family pooch put down, Brooke sat with Mhia during the process on a Sunday evening, saying it was “absolutely heartbreaking”.
The next day, Brooke, from Motherwell, Scotland, went back to the vets to make arrangements for Mhia’s body, with the family arranging a cremation with another local vet. When she told the vets, Brooke was informed that her dog’s body was ready to be picked up.
However, when she arrived at the vets to collect Mhia, Brooke, who is also pregnant, said how she was taken into a side room where she was devastatingly told by staff that the body had in fact been “lost”. Speaking to Glasgow Live, she said: “I’m absolutely devastated, I’ve just lost my best friend and now wondering what the hell has happened. I went in on the Monday morning to make arrangements, after visiting another vets I informed VetsNow that I would be taking Mhia’s body for cremation who said that’s ‘absolutely fine, she’s here’.
“When I got there I was taken into a room to be told ‘unfortunately we’ve lost your dog’s body'”.
A shocked Brooke said she couldn’t comprehend how Mhia could have been misplaced after having discussed arrangements with staff moments prior. She continued: “How could they not know where my dog was? They said to me that they believed Mhia was picked up by their cremation service, meaning she had been cremated already without my knowledge.”
Brooke then claims that staff offered her a memorial stone as compensation, which she described as a “slap in the face”. The 18-year-old decided to call CPC Cares who provide pet funeral arrangements for VetsNow – who had cremated Mhia before Brooke could get to the Livingston base. The family were given Mhia’s ashes however, are now “questioning whether it’s even her” as they didn’t get to see her body beforehand.
The family dog was Brooke’s little brother’s “best friend” and has been described as their “absolute everything”. Brooke says she is “disgusted” and feels her family has been treated with “no respect”.
When contacted by Glasgow Live VetsNow confirmed the incident was down to “honest miscommunication” and have since offered Brooke a refund. However, the soon-to-be mum is now warning others following her “painful experience”.
The Mirror contacted VetsNow and CPC Cares for a commment.
