Plan for the end. Enjoy the now.Make planning simple with our end-of-life planning tool.
Fact checked by Alan Smith, RD
Elaine Hinzey is a registered dietitian, writer, and fact-checker with nearly two decades of experience in educating clients and other healthcare professionals.
Learn about our editorial process
Anyone whoâs experienced the death of a beloved dog knows how heartbreaking it is when you have to say goodbye, and decide what to do with your cherished dogâs remains.
Making end-of-life plans for your dog can be emotional, and while its tough to think about, the more information you have now will ease the burden when itâs time to make hard decisions.
Learn how to decide between dog cremation or burial, along with important details like dog cremation price and process.Â
How much is it to keep your dogâs ashes?
The return of your dogâs cremated ashes is usually included in the price of the cremation, although some crematoriums may charge separate shipping fees. You may choose to keep your dogâs ashes in an urn, box, made into jewelry, or embedded in their favorite toy â each option has a separate cost.
What Do I Do With The Body?
It’s important to deal with your dog’s body right away. Decomposition starts immediately after death, so you can’t wait on this. It’s not a pretty process, and the hotter the temperature, the quicker the body will decompose. While immensely difficult, this is a way to honor your beloved dog and to keep yourself and those around you safe.
Next, the body must be removed or properly stored in refrigeration until burial or cremation. A 24-hour vet’s office can help with this, or some pet crematories work 24/7 and could pick up the body right away. If you have someone come to pick up the body, make sure you tell them it’s the body of a large or extra-large dog.
Cremating your dog allows you many ways to honor and remember your beloved pet. It’s also typically less expensive than burial, though you can also bury part or all of your pets ashes if you wish.
The Living Urn offers many beautiful and meaningful urns. Their most popular pet urn is their BioUrn, which plants a young tree with the remains of your dog. The tree uses the ashes from cremation as nourishment and turns your dog into a beautiful tree. They also offer bamboo pet urns that can be engraved with an of your dog. These beautiful urns can be displayed in the home allowing you to keep a piece of your wonderful dog with you, or used to scatter or bury your beloved pets ashes.
Will a vet dispose of my dead dog?
Losing a dog is never easy, and losing a dog at home can be especially challenging. You’re likely full of emotion, and now there is a body to handle. And, your beloved large or extra-large dog likely posed some challenges in life, but now his or her large body may pose some special challenges in death. People who own dogs like Great Danes and Mastiffs may have a more difficult time handling the body when their dog dies.
Take a deep breath. Your dog still needs you, even though they’ve passed on. Now you need to double-check that your dog has passed. Feel for a heartbeat or a pulse, and if you think your dog might still be alive, you can try to start CPR or take them to a 24-hour animal hospital.
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.
Now that you’ve assessed your dog’s state and called the vet’s office, what next? Call someone for help. You’ll need emotional support, as well as physical help for moving the body if you’re taking it to a vet’s office or crematorium. Choose someone calm and compassionate, as well as physically strong, to support you while you handle your pet’s body. If you feel unable to handle your pet’s body yourself, ask someone you trust to take over.
Now you’re ready to take your dog’s body to the vet’s office for storage, or to the pet crematorium, or to wait for someone to come and pick up your dog.
If you can’t reach your vet or pet crematorium because it’s after hours, you may need to store the body in your garage or basement. If you’re waiting more than a few hours, you might want to wrap your dog’s body in more plastic bags to prevent mess and odor.