What are you supposed to do with your dog if it dies in your home?

Question

My dog is getting old, and as much as I hate to face it, one day she will die.
I have only had one dog in my life, I was wondering what do you do if the dog dies in your home?

Answer 1

bury it in your yard. Some places have laws against burying anything in the yard, BUT i look at it like this, u love ur dog right? why have him disposed of somewhere else when his home is where u are, so what others do not know will not hurt anything.

Answer 2

Yes, I know exactly what you're going through. It's a terrible thing to deal with. My friend's little dog (a papillon) ingested something that caused him to become sick. The next morning when I called over, Peter said Louis was in trouble, so I went right over. Normally, Louis barked whenever somebody approached the door, but there was silence. When I walked in, he was lying on the floor with his eyes open and he was stiff as a board. Not a day goes by when I don't think of him, several times. Louis truly was the best friend in the world and I miss him more than I can say. There's not much you can do now except to be there for your friend and to provide as much comfort as you can. I'm very sorry for the loss to your friend and to you, and I hope the coming days will bring peace. I'm attaching a link to Rainbow Bridge. You might get some comfort from it. Best wishes.

Answer 3

I'm glad you asked this question. I have asked my vet the very same question recently. Our senior beagle has congestive heart failure and does not have too much longer to live. In fact, I am sitting with him keeping vigil. I believe he will die within the next 48 hours or so. I hope I am wrong. He is just a dear heart. He comforted me when I deeply depressed and unable to get out of bed. Anyway, my vet instructed me to contact a 24-hour clinic if he dies after hours. The clinic will then instruct me on what to do from there. Of course, you can bury your pet in your yard or cemetary as others have suggested. We will have our dog cremated since we will be moving from this home in the future.

Answer 4

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. I recently loss my dog at the beginning of this month, which made my start into 2007 kind of crappy. She was literally my best friend, the most stable person in my life so to say.

She actually died in my arms in route to an emergency clinic, although I knew she pretty much died in my apartment of natural causes and taking her there was just kind of pointless.

There are several options available to pets, and the options are pretty much the same as humans. You can purchase a piece of land at a pet cemetery and coffin and bury your pet. Most vets can direct where you can go to find a pet cemetery. As for the coffin you can you purchase one online at a pet store.

I find that cremation was the best decision for my pet as to burying her. She's always with me in her urn, and since I do not know if I will be living here after I graduate I thought that was the best solution. Vets can either cremate to keep the ashes or if you decide not to then they do that also. They also provide you with a temporary urn. You can purchase urns at most pet stores.

The last option is to bury your pet in your backyard. I find that if you are going to live at your place or have roots at your place that's the best option. (Which isn't an option for humans).

Coffins are pretty pricey, they can range in the hundreds of dollars. Urns are pretty reasonable they range anywhere from 20 dollars on up. You can purchase both online at petsmart/petco/petedge. They have quite a few to choose from.

Losing a pet is very hard, no matter how much you think you are prepared. For me it really came as a shock because she was so strong and still acting like a puppy doing her little turns and begging for food on my lap. I miss her a great deal and it's really hard. Good Luck

Answer 5

I am so sorry to hear that your dog is not well. My dog passed away at home two years ago and it was terrible. I'm just glad she was in my arms and not all alone at the animal hospital. There was nothing that could be done for her, so we took her home so she could pass peacefully with us.

In our area, there are a couple of funeral homes that sell pet coffins. The one we went to was so kind and understanding. Their name was Kepner Funeral Home in Wheeling, WV. I am not sure if Pet Smart sells them, but I know I have seen them in Dog Fancy and in some catalogs, but you would have to order them in advance. I would ask your vet if they sell them. Some vets even have or know or pet cemeteries if you wouldn't be able to bury her in your yard. Cremation is always another option.

I realize that you are trying to prepare yourself for when the time comes, but try to enjoy the time you have left. It is always good to be ready, but try not to dwell on what to do with her body when she dies. Try to make her happy and comfortable. Every day is a blessing. I still cry over my dog and wish that I would have spent more time with her. She was only 11 and I thought I had more time. Don't let her know you're upset. Dogs know when you're sad. You don't want her to be sad too.

Answer 6

Start deciding now what you plan to do with the remains. Several options, you can bury her in your yard, bury her at a pet cemetary, have her cremated in a "mass cremation", or have her cremated and the remains/ashes returned to you. Sounds morbid, but I've even heard of people having their pets stuffed. My mom's always had the remains cremated/returned to her. If you go that route, check with your vet for pricing, it's not cheap. Also check around with other vets, and try calling the humane society and see if they do that. One place I lived, they offered it about 75% cheaper then anywhere else. Also, when you call around, ask what you're paying for. A few places we called wanted to charge an office visit-ok I can see that, but one place we'd never been to, actually wanted to charge a "new patient fee", when we were bringing him in to be put down....

Answer 7

I buried our dog in the garden. I went quite deep, then planted a bush on top, and bought a stone dog statue. That way she is still with me. If you are in an apartment or don't have a garden, contact your vet. They should be able to help you for a small fee.Liz

Answer 8

:-( im sorry, thats heartbreaking...i would say find some kind of box or something she will fit in and bury her in the backyard...or u could have her cremated if she's a big dog so its easier to bury...i always liked to have my pets close to me...i hope ur doggie is a trooper and u have more time with her than u think

Answer 9

bury it in the back yard maybe your dog had a favorite place to lay in your yard..maybe bury it there and plant some nice flowers over top after all the dog is like family

Answer 10

I understand your feeling. It was a bad experience for me when I discovered my dog died suddenly. Not to worry. Call up the pet undertaker. He will come & collect your dog for cremation. It is a service. I remembered I paid $300 for such service.