Planning Your Pet’s End-of-Life Body Care
Although no pet owner wants to think about life without their pet, eventually, a decision must be made about what to do for your pet’s end-of-life care. In many cases, such as with chronic health problems or terminal conditions, you can plan ahead to help alleviate the stress, anxiety, and worry when the time comes. In other cases, death can occur unexpectedly, and deciding what to do with your pet’s remains can be abrupt and challenging.
However, knowing what options you have can help ease your mind and make the situation less stressful. Here are the four most common ways to care for your pet’s remains.
1) Communal Cremation — Communal cremation or group pet cremation is an option for pet owners who do not wish to keep their pet’s ashes. With this method, your pet is cremated at a crematorium along with other pets, and then their ashes are typically spread on permanently designated farmland in the Fraser Valley.
2) Private Cremation — Many pet owners choose to receive their pet’s ashes after cremation. At the crematorium, your pet is cremated on their own in a private chamber and the ashes are returned to you in a decorative urn afterwards. Once you receive your pet’s ashes, you can place them in a special area of your home or spread them at your pet’s favourite spot.
3) Home Burial — Burial of pets that have been humanely euthanized by your veterinarian is not advised. The medication used for euthanasia is potentially fatal to wildlife and harmful to the environment. The medication can take several years to become benign once your pet is buried. Cremation deactivates the harmful medication immediately. If you wish to bury your pet, it is your responsibility to check with your local municipality for up-to-date regulations on burial for euthanized pets. Please ensure that you follow these regulations. Pets can only be buried on private property that you own or have permission to use. If you are interested in arranging for the burial of your pet, please let us know in advance.
If you have questions about the ways your pet’s remains can be cared for, contact our team for more information.