Contact your veterinarian. You can bring your pet into your local veterinary clinic to ensure that he/she has died. Your vet can also make arrangements for aftercare services on your behalf.
Alternatives To Cremation & Burial
Costs are usually around $300 and go towards supporting their animal shelters.
Your veterinarian will explain the options for burial (including a pet cemetery if there are safety issues with burying your pet at home) or cremation. Alternatively, they can recommend a pet memorial service.
Call Your Veterinarian
Once you're sure your dog has passed, the next step is to call your veterinarian's office. A vet's office will take your dog's body and either dispose of it for you or store it for you before you have a cremation or burial.
It is recommended that the dead animal be covered with lime or similar material prior to being covered with soil. This will aid in decomposition and reduce the potential for odors. In areas of high groundwater, animals cannot be buried within three (3) feet of groundwater depth.
Allowing your dog to die 'naturally' at home, in a familiar environment, may be less frightening for them. However, it may be hard for you to watch. Alternatively, a great number of veterinarians offer 'home visits' to perform euthanasia which avoids the need to travel to the vet's office.
Why do humans feel such a deep loss for their pups? Because dogs are so much more than pets. As psychologist Julie Axelrod writes in a blog post, the loss of a dog is so painful because people are losing a little life that we were responsible for as well as a source of unconditional love and companionship.
Symptoms of acute grief after the loss of a pet can last from one to two months, with symptoms of grief persisting up to a full year (on average).
Why Pet Loss Hurts. “One reason why losing a pet is such a deep loss is because animals' love is so unconditional and accepting,” she said. But it's also because so many aspects of people's lives are impacted. “Every single facet of life is part of the loss,” she explained.
Signs Your Dog May Be Ready to Say Goodbye
Labored breathing. Lack of appetite. Lack of Mobility or Extreme Lethargy. Crying or intense whining.
The last few days before your dog passes you may notice: extreme weight loss, a distant look in their eyes, a lack of interest in anything, restlessness or unusual stillness, a change in the way that your dog smells, and a changed temperament.
Dogs need food and water to survive. However, if they are otherwise well, they can survive for around 5 days without food, as long as they are drinking. It's true that dogs have survived for much longer periods without food, but there is a great risk of irreversible damage to their organs and tissues, or death.
How long can you wait to bury a dog? It is a good idea to wait 2-3 hours after death before burying your pet, to be sure of their demise. Once rigor mortis has set in you can go ahead with the burial. Sometimes the burial can't take place right away.
Depth: Make sure you bury your pet deep enough that other animals and floodwaters cannot unearth them. If you have not cremated your pet, plan to bury them at least 3 feet deep. Utility lines: Call the relevant authorities to inquire about utility lines before you bury your pet.
If your pet's remains are encased in a blanket or coffin, the decomposition process will take a bit longer. But in time, your pet's body will wither down into nothing more than bone. Any of the items you buried with him (such as blankets or a favorite toy) will likely last longer than his remains will.
When your pet passes away and you choose cremation for processing their remains, the microchip will remain in their bodies throughout the process and be incinerated during the cremation.
The body will soon begin to give off a foul odor and attract insects. The hotter the temperature, the faster the rate of decomposition. Rigor mortis, the stiffening of the joints, typically begins within 10 minutes to three hours after death and can last as long as 72 hours.
How much does it cost to have a pet cremated? Pet cremation is based on your pet's weight. The average cost of pet cremation in Australia is anywhere from $325 for a pet under 10kg, to $385 for a pet over 40kg. Premium urns, boxes or memorial keepsakes are also often available, usually for an additional fee.
If your veterinary practice is arranging cremation for you then they will keep - or bring your pet's body back to, in the case of a home euthanasia, or a natural death at home - then at the veterinary practice. Your pet's body is usually picked up by the crematorium and brought to the facility in their own transport.
Regardless of which method a pet owner chooses, the purpose of pet aftercare remains the same — to give the owner the chance to say goodbye in a loving and respectful way. When it comes to deciding whether to bury or cremate a pet, there is no right or wrong decision.