It’s not easy losing a cat or dog, especially at home. You have to handle their remains amid heightened emotions. We’re giving you a step-by-step guide on how to store your pet for cremation and what arrangements are best to make beforehand.
How Do I Store My Pet for a Cremation?
To store your pet for cremation, arrange the body in a curled position, wrap it securely using a blanket and plastic bag, and then place the remains in a freezer. If you don’t have a freezer, contact your vet or local pet cremation services right away for transportation and storage.
It’s an imaginably challenging situation when your dog or cat passes unexpectedly at home. However, you must make decisions immediately, including preserving your pet’s body until cremation.
How Do You Preserve a Pet’s Body for Cremation?
After passing, an animal’s body will begin to omit fluids, and emit a distinct odor. The warmer the temperature, the quicker the remains will start the decomposition process. For this reason, it is recommended to place you pet in cold storage.
The death of a dog or cat can be heartbreaking, leaving you overwhelmed with what to do next. These are the steps you can follow so you can properly store your pet’s body for cremation.
- Clean the body: Wear latex gloves. Clean the areas around your pet’s mouth and genitals if you notice bodily fluids or waste.
- Don’t leave the body outstretched: Rigor mortis, or the stiffening of the joints, happen within 10 minutes to three hours after an animal’s death. It’s preferable that you set the body in a curled-up position as if it’s sleeping before the onset of rigor mortis. Tuck the front and back legs tight into the body.
- Wrap the body: Get a towel, blanket, or bed sheet that is big enough to wrap your pet. It is recommended to place potty pads near the rear and mouth of your pet, even if you do not see fluids leaking.
- Secure the remains: Use a heavy-duty plastic trash bag to make the body ready for transport. Double wrap the body if you only have a thin plastic. Label the plastic with your pet’s name and other necessary information.
- Keep the body cool: Put the remains in a freezer or refrigerator until cremation or other arrangements. Another option is to place the body in a cooler or bathtub and pour ice over the body. During cooler months, you may prefer to keep your pet in a secure, cooler part of your home like a covered porch or garage. If you don’t have a freezer or cooler, contact your nearest pet cremation facility for transportation and proper handling.
How Long Can You Store a Deceased Pet in the Fridge?
When considering cremation, preserve the dead pet in the fridge for only 72 hours. While the cold temperature will slow down decomposition, it won’t necessarily stop the breaking down of organic matter. It’s also not advisable to keep a dead pet in the freezer for a long time, but freezing does significantly slow down decomposition.
Why Should I Preserve the Body of My Dead Cat or Dog?
Pets can pass at home at any time. It’s best to learn how to preserve the body of your deceased pet in a freezer while making arrangements for aftercare.
What Do I Do With the Body if My Cat or Dog Dies at Home?
When your pet passes at home, it’s vital that you reposition its body before rigor mortis sets in, cover it with a blanket and plastic, and then store it in a freezer. However, these aren’t the only things you need to do.
Assess the Situation
As strange as it may sound, make sure that your cat or dog has truly passed. Sometimes, they may be breathing shallowly and lying still. However, they may be transitioning to death already.
- Monitor your pet’s heartbeat or pulse
- Check if first aid can save your pet
- Observe if your pet is releasing bowels or urine
Contact a Veterinarian
If you feel like your pet is in much distress, you may consider in-home pet euthanasia to ensure a veterinarian can help your furry friend pass away peacefully. Our veterinary team can also arrange the cremation process for you, whether you prefer individual, communal, or aquamation.
Arrange Cremation or Burial
After checking that your pet is truly deceased, preserve the body in a freezer properly to prepare it for cremation or burial. If you’re not emotionally capable of doing it at the moment, it will help to contact your veterinarian or Paws Into Grace to handle the remains for you.
Related Questions
Who Do I Call to Pick up a Dead Dog or Cat?
You can call our office, and we can arrange a driver to transport your deceased pet from your home to our cremation facility. We understand that some pet owners find it uncomfortable or unsettling to drive their own pets to be cremated, and we want to ease that burden for you.
What Should I Do After Storing and Cremating My Pet’s Body?
After storing and cremating your pet’s body, give yourself time to grieve. You can display or share memorial items with your family members so they’ll have something to keep your pet’s memory alive. It may also help you to undergo grief support counseling to manage your emotions.
What Are Options for Cremating Pets?
There are a few different types of cremation. Here at Paws Into Grace we offer an eco-friendly water-based cremation in-house, and work with a partner to provide traditional flame base cremation. Our in-house process is also called Alkaline Hydrolysis or Aquamation. It uses temperature, water flow, and alkalinity to speed up the process of natural decomposition. Not only is this a more gentle cremation process, but it is also better for the environment.
We also offer different types of Aquamation to honor your pet the way you want.
Individual cremation: With this cremation option, you receive only your pet’s remains back, in your choice of urn, as well as a lock of fur and clay paw print.
Communal cremation: This cremation is an option if you do not want to receive your pets ashes back. This is a group cremation option where your pets’ remains will be respectfully spread at sea. You can see a picture, as well as coordinates for the location of scattering on our communal cremation page.
Whichever you choose, rest assured that we will handle your pet’s remains with honor and compassion
Conclusion
It is crucial that you prepare your pet after passing to keep them in their most natural state for as long as possible. The best way to preserve your pet is by gently wrapping them up and storing them in ambient temperature. From there, our veterinary team will handle the transportation and cremation process. We even offer private viewing memorials if you feel like you need more time to say your goodbyes to your furry friend.
