Saying Good-Bye To Your Pet

Just as it is when we lose a human family member, when a pet dies we’re often unprepared for making arrangements.

Not so long ago, the loss of a pet meant a hurried funeral in the back yard where the animal might be remembered by a pile of rocks or a shrub. The pet industry has options for when a pet passes away.

You can find full service funerals for your pets, as well as grief counseling. You can also find cemeteries for pets that provide a respectfully maintained resting site.

Although many veterinarians’ offices have offered cremation for their deceased patients through independent services for years, some of the companies that began by providing those services have shifted their focus to dealing directly with pet owners.

These services may be available only in larger metropolitan areas, but they have expanded to include many of the same options that are available for people, including pre-planning. In many ways, the scenarios are like those for people, except there is no need to have your pet pronounced dead by a veterinarian. Many services will collect the pet at your home or the vet’s office when they pass away, and you can make arrangements for cremation, immediate burial or a graveside memorial service. Some also post your pet’s name on their website, along with links to memorial pages or tributes.

You can still find stuff online about it, even if there isn’t an area near you that specializes in pets. Several sites offer options in sizes and materials for pet caskets from biodegradable for about $100 to those trimmed much like a human casket with exterior handles and satin lining selling for nearly $800 for the largest size.

If you plan to bury your animal yourself, you should pre-plan a casket early.

Without specialized services, most pet owners can still take advantage of cremation through their veterinarian and memorialize their pet with an engraved urn or marker. There is also a digital photo urn available for about $300, which allows a pet owner to display photos of the pet inside a wooden frame on a box containing the pet’s ashes.

The pet memorial industry has grown to accommodate today’s sophisticated pet owners, allowing them to create tributes to their beloved pets in practically any way they can imagine, to help comfort them during this sad time.

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