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.
It's not easy and can even give off an unpleasant smell.
Needless to say, this isn't always easy. On top of this, if the remains is only buried superficially, it will give off an unpleasant odour in the air as the body decomposes.
Contact Your Veterinarian
Alternatively, if it is during the middle of the night or a holiday, you can try to contact a 24 hour emergency office (if one exists nearby). They may also have a way of getting you in touch with someone who can pick up your pet's body (like a pet crematory or mobile vet service).
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.
A decomposing pet can cause bacterial contamination in the soil it touches. That contamination then seeps into the groundwater, which can spread it to other areas. If other humans or animals come into contact with the contaminated soil or water, they could become seriously ill.
You can choose to bury your pet at your property. This can be a meaningful and meditative process for home owners able to do so. You can also contact your local council's waste facility about possible disposal options at their site.
It takes an average of 6 months to 18 years for a buried dog to decompose fully. If a dog is exposed and not buried, it will decompose much more quickly. The speed at which a dog decomposes depends on how deep you buried him, the climate, and if his body is enclosed or exposed.
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.
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. They might also know of resources like a pet crematory or a mobile vet service.
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 deep should the hole be? The rule of thumb is to have at least 3 feet of dirt covering the top of the body. For a large dog, a 4 foot deep hole should suffice. Too shallow a grave will allow animals to dig up the remains.
An adequate depth is three to five feet. This is deep enough to prevent other animals investigating the area. Sprinkle about 1 cup of lime powder (calcium hydroxide) at the bottom of the hole and about 1 cup on top.
Specific Burial Guidelines:
The site where the animal is to be buried must be excavated to a depth that is large enough to contain the dead animal, as well as allow for a cover depth of 2-3 feet. Additionally, the burial site must be in an area that will not allow for feral or wild animals to dig up the buried animal.
This is simply a preference of the family and there's no right or wrong choice. Over ninety percent of pets are cremated and less than ten percent are buried. This cremation rate is significantly higher than the cremation rate of people - about half of people are cremated.
You do not need permission to bury domestic pets. You can bury small domestic pet animals such as a dog or a cat on your own land, for example in your back garden. There are no minimum good practice groundwater protection requirements.
So unless a corpse is embalmed (which, these days, they often are), a dog can tell where its owner is buried, which explains why they sometimes wait by graves for such long periods.
“Dogs don't necessarily know that another dog in their life has died, but they know that individual is missing,” says Dr. Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and author of the 2018 book Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do.
Burying deep enough – the optimal depth to bury a deceased pet is between 3 to 5 feet. This allows for microbes to reduce the body while being deep enough to prevent most wildlife from reaching it. Additional cover like stone slabs are always helpful.
Many dogs will continue to breathe and have muscle movements after their heart has stopped.
Further, under the conditions of the study (dogs lying undisturbed in cool dry air), body temperature declined to ambient temperature by 24–48 hours after death.
Some dogs will know their time is approaching and will look to their people for comfort. Saying goodbye to your dog with love and grace means staying with your dog during these final hours, and reassuring them with gentle stroking and a soft voice.
Yes, some pets peacefully fall asleep and pass naturally on their own, but as in humans, such a peaceful death is rare.