What to do when your pet dies
Overcoming the challenges of a loss
The loss of a family pet is an overwhelming situation, especially if unexpected. In addition to the pain and grief, there is the need to make decisions regarding what to do with your pet's body. We have come up with the following to help you with what to expect during this process and the decisions you have to make during this difficult time.
If your pet dies unexpectedly at home
First and foremost you want to make sure your pet is as comfortable as possible. If possible, move them to a cool and spacious room and make them comfortable in their bed or by using blankets. For some time after a pet passes away you may still see some movement in the form of twitches caused by nerve spasms or air escaping from their body. This is completely normal. What is also likely, is bodily fluids leaking from the body from the usual places. For this reason, try to wear gloves and place an old towel or blanket underneath them to limit the mess. It is important to thoroughly clean where they have laid as bacteria that could be harmful to yourselves, any children and other pets are likely to accumulate.If your pet was put to sleep in the veterinary clinic
Many veterinary clinics use national companies to provide cremation services, it is important to ask as, although we work alongside many veterinary practices, some may not use your local pet crematorium as many people presume. We always work directly with families, we will call you to keep you informed of what we are doing, this provides comfort and reassurance during such a difficult time. We are able to collect from any surgery and you are always free to use the service you prefer, regardless of the clinic’s “normal” provider.Cremation
There are a few types of cremation available. Private Individual Cremations are what we offer here at the Pet Cemetery. This is where pets are cremated entirely by themselves, after which their ashes are recovered, prepared and made available to the family. Our cremation service is usually completed the same day or by early the next day. Many crematoria will take at least a week or so to return ashes or they will make additional charges to have everything completed more promptly. They also tend to return ashes to your veterinary surgery for them to be collected from there instead of returning them to you. It is often preferable to use a Crematorium you can speak to directly to check timescales. Here at Pet Funeral Services we never like to leave ashes with anybody other than the family which is why we prefer to bring them back home to you. Other Crematoriums also offer a "communal cremation" where multiple pets are cremated together, making it impossible to retrieve the ashes of only one pet. This option usually means no ashes are returned and they are treated as veterinary disposal and get cremated with the vets medical waste.Pet Burial
The other option you have is a Pet Burial. Formal burial within the Pet Cemetery is for families who would like a permanent resting place for their pet. We have over 500 pets laid to rest within our Cemetery with the first one being Rani who came to us in 1990. A Pet Burial mirrors a human burial where pets are laid to rest in a dedicated family plot, in a fully dressed and lined burial casket with a graveside service of farewell. Afterwards a memorial headstone is erected to complete the plot. These services are more costly than others due to the preparation required and for the deed of assignment to the burial plot. A burial will also take several days to prepare, but for some families it is the only suitable option. More information about our Pet Burials can be found here. It is also completely legal to bury the body of a pet in the garden of the home where they lived. It is important that the grave is deep enough to ensure wild animals can not disturb the body. We recommend around 2’(60cm) to be a safe minimum. Simple Home Burial caskets can be purchased online or fully dressed and lined burial coffins are available from us here at Pet Funeral Services.
Private and individual cremation is the only way to make sure you'll retrieve only your pet's ashes
Some families are buried with their pet's remains in our pet cemetery
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long does it take to cremate a pet?
The time it takes to complete a cremation depends mostly on physical size, from 40 minutes for a small pet or a bird to around 3 hours for a Labrador. There is always some time for the chamber to reach the optimum temperature and also for the remains to cool down and be prepared afterwards. The most important thing is that there is only one pet in the chamber at any time. At our cemetery in Holywell we try to complete a Private Cremation the same day or by early the next day, as the day progresses. We do not make any additional charges for a same day service as some crematoria do, but do insist that each cremation is done completely individually and “takes as long as it takes”.
How much does a cremation for a pet cost?
Costs vary depending on which crematorium you choose, your pets size or weight, transportation arrangements and what the ashes are returned in. Here at the Pet Cemetery we include, as part of our Private Individual Cremation, a woven bamboo scatter pouch or wooden casket with engraved nameplate for the ashes to come home in. Our current prices are as follows:! These values are estimates and your quote may vary depending on the actual size of your dog!
Please call us to confirm your quote and transportation arrangements
- Tiny pets (guinea pig/bird) : £90+vat
- Rabbit: £150.00+vat
- Cat : £185.00+vat
- Small Dog (Toy dog) : £215.00+vat
- Medium Dog (Terrier) : £225.00+vat
- Large Dog (Springer) : £235.00+vat
- Extra Large (German Shepherd): £245.00+vat
- Giant Dog (St. Bernard) : £260.00+vat
- Horse (14-16HH) : £995.00+vat
Special issues to consider
- Children might need some special attention when dealing with bereavement, we have developed some material to help families which you can find on our ‘Support’ page.
- Pet bereavement support is now widely available around the country. We recommend our partner Dawn Murray, but there are many groups and helplines available where you and your family can find help. Find out more about Dawn and her work here
- Pre-payment plans are available here at the Pet Cemetery. We offer this option to help families plan ahead and make it financially easier when the time comes to say good bye to their beloved pet.
