Pet Cremation: The Basics

by Erik Hoff

Most people, understandably, find it difficult to think about and discuss disposing of a long-time companion such as a pet of many years. In the United States, cremation is the most popular way to dispose of pet remains. This article provides fundamental information on the different types of pet cremation, the process, costs and alternatives involved with cremating a deceased pet.

What is Cremation?
Put simply, cremation is the disposal of a body by burning until most or all of the body is reduced to a fine ash or powder. There are several types of cremation available for pet owners, but they all follow the same basic process, described next. Since most pet deaths occur at vet offices from euthanasia, this article will begin the process at the vet’s office immediately after the pet has been “put to sleep”.

The Process
The vet will place the remains in a plastic bag and remove the pet to a refrigerated holding area somewhere in the back of the clinic. The remains will stay there, with any other animals euthanized at the clinic until retrieved by the crematorium. Pick up schedules vary, your vet will probably be able to tell you what the crematory pick-up schedule is in your area. If you plan to keep your pet’s ashes, be sure your vet has labeled your pet’s remains appropriately.

Once at the crematorium, what happens to your pet’s remains may differ depending on the type of cremation you’ve chosen. However, all pets are placed in a crematory chamber and subjected to approximately 1200 – 1800°F flame until reduced, mostly, to ash. It may be necessary to stop the process temporarily and adjust the remains for optimal cremation. The length of the process varies based on the size and weight of the pet, but runs between about 45mins to 3 hours. This process reduces the remains to ash with a few remaining bone fragments and any metal not removed from the pet before cremation. After the chamber and ashes have cooled, the cremated remains are swept from the chamber and collected by a crematory employee. Depending on how you’ve decided to have your pet’s remains disposed of, the remaining bone fragments may be further processed by grinding into a fine powder. Any non-biological material (such as metal) remaining will be removed and permanently disposed of by crematory personnel according to local laws.

Depending on the size, weight and bone structure of your pet, cremated pet remains weigh between one and five pounds. Most often, cremated remains are white or gray but sometimes, depending on temperature variations or non-biologic material in the cremation chamber, the remains may look red, black or a variety of colors.

The crematory often provides some sort of simple box, or even bag to hold the remains. However, there is a variety of elegant and stylish urns and other keepsakes, from the classical to the contemporary, in which to place some or all of your pet’s remains (see the caskets and urns section of this site http.link.com  for more info). Once your pet’s ashes are returned to you, the crematorium has fulfilled their responsibility and you are left to memorialize your pet in any way you decide.

Types of Pet Cremation
There are three types of pet cremation: communal, private and, individual or priority cremation.

Communal Cremation A communal pet cremation is exactly what it sounds like, your pet is cremated collectively with other animal remains. The collective remains are swept from the cremation chamber together and buried communally on-site either with other communal cremations or in a landfill. This is the least expensive option and is available to all sizes and types of pets.

Private Cremation Often available only to medium and large pets such as cats and dogs, a private pet cremation isn’t exactly what it sounds like it is. In a private pet cremation, your pet is cremated in the same cremation chamber as other pets. But, metal dividers, furnace bricks or similar fireproof barrier physically separates all the animals. All the remains are then removed from the cremation chamber individually to keep all the remains separate. This option usually costs more than a communal cremation but is often significantly less expensive than individual cremation.

Priority (individual) Cremation This is, I think, what most people think of when they turn the remains of their pet over for dignified cremation. However, this type of cremation is almost universally available only to large pets such as dogs and horses. Not all crematoria will be able to handle large pets such as horses. Priority cremation is where a single pet is placed in a single cremation chamber at a time and all remains are processed individually. Unless specified, this is usually NOT what happens to pet remains. This option is the most expensive by far and, depending on the crematorium, there may be an additional wait period before receiving your pet’s remains.

Costs of Pet Cremation
Other than the options above, many factors determine what you will have to pay to have your pet cremated.

Basic cremation costs vary considerably based on type of cremation performed, the size of the animal and local taxes, fees and regulations. Yet it can be a very cost effective option for any pet owner, running from less than $50 for communal cremation of a small pet such as a bird, rabbits or reptiles to as much as $500 in some areas for priority cremation of a large dog.

There may be other additional costs and options. Some crematoria charge “pick-up” fees, which your vet will probably pass on to you. Some areas have hazardous disposal or other biological hazard fees associated with cremating a pet. Some crematoria allow pet owners to view private and individual cremations for an additional fee.

There are so many different types and styles of urns, boxes and other keepsakes for your pet’s remains that I won’t try to list them here, please see (faithful friends section on urns and memorials)  for an excellent selection of the highest quality pet memorial products.
In the event of a pet’s death, it can be very difficult to weed through all the chaos to make a clear decision on what’s best for you and your pet. I hope this article has provided you with some good information to help you make your way through this difficult period. The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement is an informative site to visit for more details on caring for your pet’s remains. http://www.aplb.org/services/aftercare.html