Losing a furry friend can be incredibly difficult, and it’s important to handle their passing in a way that’s not harmful to the environment or public health. But what happens if our pet dog passes away at the veterinary home? So many questions, but fear not, we’ve got the answers!
Typically, vets will inform the owner of their dog’s passing and offer disposal services for their beloved pet, either at the vet’s office or elsewhere. If you prefer to cremate your dog’s body yourself, you can take it from the vet.
With the owner’s consent, some vets may provide the body to local universities with veterinary and medical programs. And of course, you can choose to bury or cremate your furry friend’s body as you wish, giving them the respect and love they deserve.
But what about the nitty-gritty details? Do vets simply throw away dead animals? And if the vet arranges the cremation, can you receive your dog’s ashes? Let’s dive in and explore how veterinarians handle the passing of our beloved furry friends.
What do vets do with dead dogs?
Like us, it is a painful moment for the vet when the dog under his treatment dies.
But as the veterinarian, he has the responsibility of disposing of the dog’s dead body thereafter. Let’s see how veterinarians react to these dead bodies of dogs.
1. Inform the owner.
Veterinarians must inform the owner or family of the dog if he passes away. Usually, vets do so and ask the family if they want the pet to be buried or cremated by themselves.
If the owners say they do, the veterinarian gives the pet to the family, who has already been sterilized, bathed, had their eyes glued shut, and been wrapped in a blanket and placed in a box.
2. Cremate the dead body alongside other animals’ bodies.
Sometimes the owners won’t take the deceased body of their pet dog back for reasons like lack of space to bury him. In that case, the vet has to take responsibility.
If there are not too many air pollution rules in the area and if the veterinary office might have an incinerator on-site, they will cremate the carcasses in groups for their ease.
If the owner desires, they can obtain random ashes from the crematorium in that case. Some veterinarians charge more to cremate only four animals at a time, one in each corner with separations between them, so they can tell which ashes are most likely your pet’s.
3. If needed, cremate the dead body individually.
If the owner needs it, he can arrange the cremation of his deceased pet individually. Cremation of a single animal at a time is the most expensive option, as the remains are solely your pet’s.
Although the manner in which they are returned differs, all of our private cremains are returned in extremely nice finished wood boxes as a mark of our pet.
4. Buries the deceased body of the pet.
Some veterinarians choose to bury dead pets’ bodies with the owner’s consent if it is not taken by them.
Owners may be able to choose between an individual gravesite and a group gravesite in some cemeteries, and the pet would be buried alongside other pets in a group site.
A grave, mausoleum, or crypt may be an option as well if we need to bury our pet’s body individually.
5. Handover the duties to a pet cremation institute.
Some institutions provide crematory services for animals. If the owner needs an animal autopsy, he can obtain that service too.
They also return the ashes after cremation as cremation under vets. If veterinarian does not have their own incinerator, they usually hire a pet cremation institute.
6. Donate the body to a nearby university with veterinary or medical programs.
If you don’t want your pet’s body to be buried or cremated (or acquainted), you might want to consider donating it to a university or veterinary school.
If the owner agrees, the deceased body of the dog is donated to a local university or a college with a vet/medical department by the veterinarian.
Donating your departed pet to vet research can aid in the training of future animal caregivers.
Suggested Reading: Can a vet keep your pet?
Do vets throw away dead animals?
Initially, I want to mention that we cannot throw away dead animal bodies as it is legally prohibited. No! Veterinarians do not throw away dead animal bodies.
Like the dog’s owners, the vet officer who treated the animal also became very sympathetic when the dog passed away. No one wants to dispose of animal bodies in such an unwanted manner.
But some vets who own abandoned wetlands will make deep ruts using a vehicle like a tractor and place the bodies in the ruts and cover them with a thin layer of the earth using a shovel.
But that is after informing the owner. Or else, they arrange a cremation or burial for the deceased animal or donate the body to a medical institute with the owners’ consent.
Dead pets are treated respectfully, and their funeral arrangements are made in a respectful manner.
What do vets do with dog ashes?
The process of cremation of dead pets is done in two different ways. That is communal cremation and individual cremation.
People choose cremation rather than burial to keep the ashes of their loved pets, as it allows people to feel as if their dogs are still nearby.
Many dog owners choose communal cremation as individual cremations are expensive. It means the body is usually cremated alongside the bodies of other animals by the veterinarian. Or else, individual cremation can collect the pet’s ashes identically.
Unless the owner requests it, veterinarians do not collect the ashes of the remains after the cremation. They store those ashes in an urn or a similar container with a name tag until the owner takes them.
Can you really get your dog’s ashes back?
Yes, really, we can have our dog’s ashes identically after an individual cremation. But most people obtain random ashes from the crematorium as per their desire because they choose mass or communal cremation, which is low cost.
Some veterinarians charge more to cremate only four animals at a time, which are detached from one another. So they can give the ashes, most likely separated, to the owners who require the ashes of the deceased dog.
But if you need a separate special cremation for your pet dog, the remaining ashes are solely your pet’s.
If someone wanted cremation ashes, the veterinarian would pour the dog’s fireplace ashes in a blender and mix until the ash was very fine, then shrink-wrap the ashes and write the proper name on the bag.
Do veterinarians allow owners to take the deceased pet?
Owners are able to take the body of their deceased pet. As soon as the veterinarian informs the owner about the death of their dog, the owner can carry away the corpse.
Rather than cremate it by himself, it is easier for the veterinarian to hand over the dead body of the pet dog to the owners.
Most pet lovers arrange a mini cremation ceremony by themselves with family members as a gesture of gratitude to their lovely pet.
A suitable cremation ceremony for the pet can aid in the healing process and give owners time to say their final goodbyes.
That is really a relief for veterinarians too. It’s not uncommon for pet owners to choose to bury their pets after they’ve been cremated.
They may bury their loved ones in the yard, perhaps under a tree or near a seat. Alternatively, they may erect a modest gravestone or tombstone to commemorate their pet’s ashes…
Things to be aware of.
So far, we have discussed what vets do with dead animal bodies. Do they return the ashes after a cremation? Can we obtain exactly the ashes of our pet?
Do they allow us to take the dead body of the pet dog with us? So many things related to when our pet passed away at the vet’s place.
But there can be things we should be aware of and want to give more attention to when talking about this. Here, let’s discuss what those things are.
- If your pet dog was in a severe condition when taken to the veterinary clinic, keep in continuous contact with the vet. It will help you clarify the condition of the dog.
- Consider whether you are going to bury the deceased body, bury it by yourself, or handover the responsibility to the vet as soon as possible.
- Be sure not to choose individual cremation if you don’t want exactly the pet’s ashes, as it is a little messy and costs a lot.
- If you choose to take the dead body of your pet home from the vet’s place, don’t take much time to do so. Because the vet will have to keep the corpse in the freezer for a longer period of time.
- If you got any doubt about how your pet has passed away, you can do a post mortem under the authority of the relevant officer.
- If the vet requests a consent letter from you to donate the body of your pet to a nearby university, provide that consent letter without any hesitation after a suitable inquiry.
- When you bring the dead body of your pet dog, make sure to bury or cremate it properly without causing any nuisance to your neighbors.
Conclusion.
Usually, veterinarians choose to bury or cremate the dead bodies of pet dogs with the consent of their owners. Usually, cremation is more common than burial.
If our veterinary clinic arranges everything for the cremation of our pet, they will keep it. The crematory will normally pick up our pet’s body and carry it to the facility in their own vehicle.
The pet’s ashes are returned to us after the cremation is completed if we need them. So now we are aware of what vets do with the dead bodies of our pets after they pass away and of the process of obtaining the remaining ashes after the cremation of the dead body.
When it comes to getting your pet cremated, you may not know what to expect. However, caring personnel will guarantee that the procedure is followed correctly from the beginning to end. So, I hope this article has clarified some issues related to this matter for you, and I look forward to seeing you in the next article like this one!
