What do we do after hours?
Due to the nature of our profession, plans cannot always be arranged. If your pet passes at a time when we are not available, we recommend the following:
1. If your pet is small or if you have a large pet indoors, make them comfortable and keep the room as cool as reasonably possible. If your pet is small enough and you are comfortable with the idea, you may place your pet a cooler/freezer until service can be provided. This will not affect our process in any way. Also, you may want to take this time to remove your pet’s collar, clip a lock of fur and decide if there are any mementos that you would like to send with your loved one. It is not recommended to cremated large quilts or blankets or even a large group of toys, but if you would like to send bed or blanket for your pet’s comfort until services are provided you are welcome to. Further, if you would like to send a special toy or stuffed animal with your baby, that is fine too.
2. If your veterinarian does not provide 24 hour office service, you can bring your pet to the emergency clinics.
These clinics are usually opened after hours and on holidays and are kind enough to care for / hold your pet until we can arrive.
3. Our office begins returning telephone calls at 9:45 am Monday – Friday. If you would like to leave a message after hours, you may and your call will be returned as soon as possible during office hours. Please do not try to reach us via e-mail or this web-site, it is not monitored 24/7.
4. Please note:::
We can provide service after hours, weekends and Holidays with advance notice. This service is at an additional charge of $75 after hours and weekends and $150 on Holidays. Please note, that this fee is in addition to the $50 fee for home service and the regular cremation price. This Afterhours appointment fee does not apply to servicing the emergency clinics.
CLICK HERE for a list of Holiday / After Hours Emergency Clinics
What if we had already buried our pet?
If you have buried your pet, we offer a selection of headstones and monuments.
While we do not recommend disrupting your pet’s resting place, we can, if the need occurs, cremate pets that have been exhumed from their burial. We do not exhume pets. If you chose to move your pet after burial please contact our office and make an appointment for home service at the time of the exhumation or arrange a time for you to bring him/her to our office for receiving. We recommend that as much soil as possible be removed from the remains and that they are immediately placed in a plastic bag then placed in stirophome box (ice chest) or plastic box for transportation – preferably packed in blue ice.
What is the cost of cremation?
What if I need home service?
We can schedule to receive your pet up at your home, by appointment for an additional fee of $50. (This includes returning your pet’s ashes/cremains to your home/office.)
If you would like home service, please understand that we will need access to your home, this means a place close by to park the vehicle, as well as access to and from your yard (if you pet is in the back yard). If you have a yard gate, please unlock it and make sure that there is a clear path free of plants, hoses, rakes, etc. in order that we may service your pet with dignity and allow safe access. If your pet is in your home, it is always better to have them on the first floor, close to the door that we can use to enter/exit the home.
If / When a final appointment is made with your veterinarian, it is a good idea to let us know, so that we can coordinate with your veterinarian. When you are selecting a place in or around your home to give your pet the gift of peace, please remember to consider your pet’s comfort and the care that will be provided after his/her passing. As stated above we will need to have access to your loved one and room around him/her to service them with dignity. If your pet is large, we will need to be able to manipulate a stretcher, 2′ wide x 4′ long in the area where your pet is resting. Accordingly, it is wise to select a place that is in an open area near a door on the ground level of your residence. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.
There is an additional charge ($75) for service after 4 pm on weekdays (After hour appointments should be scheduled in advance). We are closed on all major holidays, including Saturday – Tuesday of Mardi Gras and every Saturday and Sunday. (List of Closed Holidays below) We do not charge extra to receive your pet from the Eastbank Pet Emergency Clinic or the Westbank Emergency clinic after normal hours or on holidays.
We are close on these holidays: New Year’s Day, Saturday – Tuesday of Mardi Gras, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day (and the day after Thanksgiving), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve.
How will I know that Agee’s has received my pet (the correct pet) from my Veterinarian’s Office if I am not present?
When you select our service, your doctor immediately labels your loved one with a special “Hold for Care by Agee’s” bright orange label or a clinic nametag with your family name, pet’s name and date of passing and private cremation indicated on the large, orange label. When we arrive at the doctor’s office, we make certain that the name on the label and the paper work and information that we have received match. This information will provide your family name, pet’s name, breed, weight, male/female and date of passing so that we can make certain that all information coordinates with the information on your pet. Your pet is constantly labeled/ nametagged throughout his/her cremation service. At no time is your pet or his/her cremains without their label /nametag.
Do you have urns?
We offer a variety of reasonably priced custom urns. We have designed this site so that you may search for the perfect urn by selecting the category for your pet’s size or the style urn you may have in mind, i.e., ceramic, metal (bronze, silver, pewter, brass) etc. Please visit our Products Page to view our complete line.
What to expect if we want to be present for our pet’s cremation service?
We welcome you to our 4,700 square foot facility. This area includes our offices, viewing room, cremation areas, consoling areas, covered receiving area and our show room.
If you would like to be present for your pet’s cremation service, we provide a small, private room for viewing of the cremation. There is an additional $50 charge for Same Day Service. We consider “Same Day Service” to be a cremation scheduled so the owner can be present for the cremation and be able to bring his/her pet’s cremains home that same day, it does not necessarily mean the service occurs the same day as the pet’s passing.
(If you are interested in Same day service please contact our office and schedule an appointment – we cannot promise to provide this service instantaneously upon your pet’s passing, however we can hold your pet with us until a time that is convenient for you to be present.)
We are easy to find -From the Westbank Expressway, turn south on Manhattan Blvd. (Exit No. 6) Go a little more than 2 miles and turn right onto Lapalco Blvd. Once on Lapalco, you will pass Copeland’s, Helen Cox High and then you will come to a traffic light at Brooklyn Avenue (by Whitney Bank). Turn Right onto Brooklyn, then, the first stop sign you come to will be 11th Street, turn left onto 11th and the second street you will see is Washington Avenue, turn left and we are the fourth facility on the left, 2317 Washington Avenue in Harvey.
We welcome you to be present for your pet’s service or to come in and see our urns and memorials in person.
This is our private viewing room – it is available by appointment. It provides comfort and allows you to watch everything we do.
We currently have 5 crematories on site to serve your family.
We provide our service in the same equipment used for human cremations – we do not use farm animal type incinerators.
We have caskets in stock, available for viewing if you would like to make a selection they may also be selected from our “products” section of this web site.
We also have Statues and Monuments on site, or special order. Soon we will be adding these to our web so you can view in the convenience of your home.
What size urn will I need?
There is a rule of thumb that says 1 cubic inch per pound. However, just like people, there are always some variables. Ashes/cremains are derived from your pet’s bone structure. And sometimes, just like people, they do not always weigh what they should for their frame. Some are very thin, from being ill, in which case, they would produce more for their weight and some or heavy so they would have less ashes for their weight.
Other factors that affect the quantity of ashes received are, the type of equipment (crematorium and the processing equipment), the temperature of the crematorium and the length of the cremation time.
What should we expect when we receive our pet after cremation?
When you receive your pet’s urn, from your veterinarian’s office, our office here at Agee’s, or at your home, it can be a time for reflection. Take a moment with your family and share memories and decide on a resting place for his or her urn. We have found with our losses, that this helps to make your baby’s (that what our pets are, our babies) homecoming a more pleasant event. Our family takes time and prepares each pet with loving care in their urn and then places each urn in a protective bag tied with our custom ribbon so that yours are the next hands to hold your loved one. Your family will also receive a folder with grief information and your pet’s Cremation Certificate inside. If you have requested a lock of fur be saved or an ink paw print be made, then it will also be placed in this secure location.
