Preparing for your Pet's Passing

It can be a very confusing and distressing time when your pet passes away or you are told your pet may need to be put to sleep. To make a quick decision about your beloved companion, weighing up their quality of life and how you feel, is difficult to say the least. This can often lead to decisions about what happens to your pet after it has passed, feeling rushed. Choices of cremation or burial, location, urn or no urn - it can all happen in a blur. Sadly, families can be left feeling regret that they didn’t choose what was right for them as they weren’t aware of the options available to them.

Take the time you need

The main thing to note is that it doesn’t have to be a quick decision. Many veterinary practices allow clients to use their freezers to store their pet’s remains for a few days. This gives families time to think about how they would like to say goodbye to their pet, if they would like a pet funeral and a chance to get preparations in place.

Burial or cremation?

The best place to start when planning how to say goodbye to your pet is to consider whether burial or cremation is right for you. There are pros and cons to both, so the right decision will differ from owner to owner.

Burial is a greener send-off and can feel cathartic to go through the process of burial. Considerations on where you’d like your pet buried will need to be made. Owners can choose between home burial in their garden or pet cemetery burial. Just make sure to look into regulations of home pet burials.

Cremation is a simpler option for owners, as crematoriums will collect your pet’s remains from your veterinary practice or home and return your pet’s ashes to you if chosen.

Tributes for your pet

When looking into pet burial, owners will need to think about how they would like to bury their pet. Many choose to use a pet coffin as it creates a gentleness, and replicates funerals we have for humans. This can be of comfort to many pet owners to provide a tribute. There are a variety of types, shapes and sizes of pet coffins, so owners can choose what is right for them and their pet. These can be used in both home burial and pet cemeteries.

With cremation, and your pet’s ashes are returned to you, there are many pet ashes caskets and tributes available. There are eco-friendly options, urns which can be beautifully displayed in the home and others which are suitable for burial. With so many options, owners can find something personal and fitting for their family. If you plan to scatter your pet’s ashes, there are also items to aid with this such as biodegradable ash scattering tubes or ash scattering pouches.

However, tributes don’t just have to be a pet casket or an urn. Pet keepsake items can also be used for remembrance of a much-loved pet, and are wide ranging. From jewellery to inscribed photo frames and memorial boxes, there are plenty of ways to pay tribute to your pet.

There are many decisions to make once your pet passes, but with preparation and knowledge, the process can seem much less daunting and confusing. It’s important to find the options which suit you and your family best.