With this option, the pet is cremated individually at a licensed crematory and the ashes are returned to the family. Practices differ in how the ashes come back — in a simple container, an urn or a keepsake box — and in how long the process takes, so it is worth asking the veterinary practice or crematory directly.
Your pet will be cremated alongside other beloved pets and their ashes will be scattered together by the crematory.
If you elect to bury your pet at home, make sure to check the local regulations in your area. Veterinary practices do not normally assist with burial preparations. See some tips about home burials here.
If the above choices don’t fit your family’s needs, you have another option. A traditional burial at a pet cemetery can be a very beautiful and elaborate option complete with a ceremony, casket, headstone, and grave plot. Prices typically start at $1,500 but can increase depending on the providers in your area.
Crematories are usually chosen by the veterinary practice that arranges the aftercare, and standards vary, so it is reasonable to ask which facility is used and how the pet is transported and identified through the process. Two broad methods exist — flame-based cremation and water-based (alkaline hydrolysis); the procedures differ, both are carried out respectfully, and with either the ashes can normally be returned in a container of the family’s choosing. Where ashes are returned, the two usual arrangements are private cremation, where only one animal is cremated at a time, and communal cremation, where the ashes are not returned.