Vets handle pet ashes by offering owners choices: taking them home for burial/keepsakes, arranging private cremation for return, or communal cremation where ashes are scattered respectfully, often in a memorial garden; if owners don't decide, the vet arranges dignified disposal, usually via cremation or incineration, with care and compassion.
Owners can choose to place the ashes in urns, bury them or scatter them at sea.
If you opt for individual cremation, you'll get your pet's ashes back. For individual cremation, your pet will be separate from other pets during the entire process. With communal cremation, your pet will be cremated with others and you will not receive those ashes back.
Private Aquamation/Cremation
When the vets are done with euthanizing your pet, you can ask them for a private aquamation or cremation. If your pet dies at home, you can take your pet to a vet clinic or call for pickup services. In private aquamation/cremation, the pet's body is aquamated/cremated individually.
If an animal is euthanased by your local vet, the vet will usually organise its disposal. Animals that have been euthanased by veterinary euthanasia drugs need to be disposed of by either burying or incineration.
As the solution is injected, the animal loses consciousness and within minutes the heart and lungs stop functioning. Since the pet is not conscious, they do not feel anything. Most times, the animal passes away so smoothly, that it is difficult to tell until the veterinarian listens for absence of a heartbeat.
While some DNA may remain in cremated ashes, the intense heat of the cremation process typically destroys most genetic material. As a result, the amount of DNA present in cremated remains is minimal and may not be suitable for genetic testing or analysis.
Dogs are also capable of distinguishing distinct scents, even ones that are quite identical. Dogs have such keen senses of smell that they are able to identify the scent of burned human remains. Trained canines can detect the unique scent of human cremains, even in a completely destroyed house.
It's important to note that there are no explicit verses addressing cremation or the keeping of ashes.
After your pet is deceased, they will go into a dedicated cooler until the cremation company picks them up. There, they will undergo either private or communal cremation. Private cremation means your pet is cremated alone. This gives you the option to have your pet's ashes returned to you.
Prohibited areas
Local parks and on sports fields where people gather to picnic, exercise and relax. Waterways and oceans, as dispersing ashes in waterways is considered culturally inappropriate for Māori. Private property (unless the owner gives their permission).
🐶💛 Dogs can actually tell by scent alone. As your smell drifts away throughout the day, they learn its rhythm, how long it takes to fade and when it should return. By the time you're on your way, they're waiting by the door, sensing you even before you arrive.
How do they do this? It's biological. All animals have circadian rhythms - physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle, responding to light and darkness in the environment. They may also be affected by factors like temperature and social cues.
No, unfortunately because of how quickly the euthanasia solution works, it cannot be reveresed once given. Can dog euthanasia be performed without sedation? Yes, dog euthanasia can be performed without sedation. However, in most cases, sedation makes the process smoother and more peaceful.
Are dogs scared when they are euthanized? Dogs don't understand the concept of euthanasia, so they aren't afraid. However, some pets may experience mild anxiety due to an unfamiliar environment or sensing emotions from their owners.
Can Dogs Sense Their Own Death? While dogs may not comprehend the concept of death in a human sense, many show an instinctive awareness that something is changing. As their bodies weaken, dogs often adjust their behaviour—seeking more time with their humans or, in some cases, choosing solitude.
What NOT to Say to Someone Who is Grieving the Loss of a Pet
In some cases, you may need to give your dog water through a squirt bottle or oral syringe, but be sure to only squirt a small amount at a time. Be sure to use a clean bottle that never had any chemicals in it. Dehydration is a common dog behaviour before death.