Maybe you’ve come home after work to see that your pet is no longer breathing or you just woke up this morning to find that your beloved pet isn’t greeting you. You’re confused, sad, and panicked. You don’t know what to do or where to turn. The following tips will help you get through this time.
Contact Your Vet
The first call you should make is to your vet. He or she will be able to let you know what you should do with your pet right now.
If the vet is not open right now, and you do not feel comfortable turning to an emergency veterinary office, you may want to consider one of these options.
Keep Your Pet Cold
You should wrap your pet in a blanket and place him or her in the freezer or fridge. This will preserve the body until you are able to make it to the vet.
If you do not have a freezer or fridge large enough for your pet, place his or her body on a cement or concrete floor. Do not wrap him or her up in a blanket in this case because you will warm the body up with it. Cement or concrete will draw heat from the body to help preserve it for a little while.
In cases where there is no fridge or freezer large enough and there is no cement or concrete floor available, you can place your pet in a plastic bag and store him or her in a cool area of your home such as a basement or bathroom. Another option is to keep the body cool with bags of ice.
Start Thinking About Individual Cremation, Communal Cremation or Burial
Many pet owners decide to cremate their pet because they want to either hold on to the ashes or they want to scatter them around his or her favorite place. If you decide to keep the ashes in an urn, you probably want to choose individual cremation. This means your pet will be the only one cremated when the process is done. If you want to scatter your pet’s ashes or save money, you may want to decide on a communal cremation. With a communal one, more than one pet is cremated and then the ashes are divided up among the owners.
If cremation doesn’t sound like something you are interested in, burial is another option. Different counties have their own laws about burying animals on your property, so check with your local government to find out what you can and cannot do. You can also find a pet cemetery and have your furry friend buried there. They are just like human cemeteries and you have a memorial there to visit your beloved pet whenever you would like to.
Our Deepest Sympathies During this Difficult Time
We just want to take a moment to give you our condolences concerning the passing of your pet. We know that you are heartbroken and this may seem like a nightmare to you. The reason we are in the business of pet urns is because we care about you and your pet. Please let us know if there is any way that we can help you.