Question about our elderly dog

sparkiemalarkie

Hello,
We have a Jack Russell who's now 13 years old. She's now slowing down a bit and, although well, has made me think about her passing.
What do we do with her remains if she passes at home? We live in London with a relatively small garden.
Hopefully she will thrive for years to come.
tia
sx
Ps just thought....equally, what do we do if she passes at the vets

Silvertabby

I know it's hard to think about, but it deciding what to do now will make things easier when the time does come.

If it helps, we had our feline fur babes cremated (your vet should be able to organise that for you) and spread their ashes in the garden that they both loved.  

Marmaduke123

We've always had our cats cremated. We've never wanted the ashes returned although I know many people do, and scatter them in the garden or keep in an urn. Our neighbours cat died suddenly last year, and they buried her in the garden.

Your choice. If when the time comes your dog dies at home your vet will be able to help you with regard to cremation. 

MovingForwards

Vets have a crematorium they use, some people will use them, others will leave it up to the vet and not do anything.

Some people do a home burial. Some scatter the ashes after a cremation.

I always opted for my own choice of crematorium. Like a human cemetery with headstones, place of remembrance, with plaques, place to scatter ashes. Horses, dogs, cats, rodents, you name it they catered for it. There was even a beautiful garden and a funeral home type interior, no rushing to pick what I wanted.

My furbabies have all been cremated and their ashes are in urns, suited their personality. I plan on doing the same with everyone one I have, then when it's my time we can all blow away together.

SaintJudy

You're doing a sensible thing to think about this now because you never know if and when this can happen. I've been through this twice with my cats, the first time I took my boy to the vet to let him go, but I didn't want to use the cremation service the vet provided and chose to take him myself to a pet crematorium called Dignity in Hampshire, and then I brought him home in a carved wooden cat casket. The second time I woke up and my elderly girl cat was having a seizure (she was in the end stages of kidney failure). It was so early in the morning my usual vet wasn't yet open and I had make the mistake of not researching where my vets out of hours service was, so this caused much upset and panicking as I drove her to a place I'd never been to before. I again opted to take her to Dignity myself and brought her home in a carved wooden casket.

Some people have no issues getting the cremation service done via the vet but I didn't want to do this, as I have been at the vet before when the crem service came to pick up the deceased pets and I saw them thrown into the back of a van with very little regard or care. I wasn't going to let that happen to my cats so I took them myself, waiting until the process was completed and then brought them back myself. That way I was also reassured that the ashes I got back were my pet.

elsien

You also have the option of having your pet cremated with others (cheaper but no ashes to return) or individually.

 Mine came back in a little wooden box which is still sitting there while I decide what on earth I'm going to do with her. It helped having her back at the time however I'm not sure I want her ashes sitting on the side permanently but I can't stick her in a cupboard out of the way either. Will probably scatter them at some point. 
Vets also have the contacts to arrange collection if your pet dies at home. Or you can contact a service directly. 

sheramber

If you elect to get the ashes back you can bury them in a plant pot and plant a suitable plant on top.
If you know what you want to do before hand it saves much stress making a decision at the time. 
If your pet dies at home you can take the body to your vet to deal with or direct to your choice of crematorium.
if you do not want the ashes back then your pet will cremated with other animals.
If your pet is getting PTS the vet will discuss with  you what you want to happen.
If you use use the vet you will pay the vet. Be prepared to pay in advance of you are not a regular client of your vet.

ladyholly

We have the ashes from 2 dogs that have died and they will go with us when we go. My daughter is aware of which dog goes with each of us (there will be at least another 3 before then.)

GBNI

It's not a nice thing to think of. I had my girl PTS at the vets and then paid extra to get a private cremation carried out. This means all of the ashes I got are just hers. Her ashes were returned quickly and have sat on my front windowsill ever since. The vet also gave me a rose plant when I collected her which has been planted in my parents garden and continues to thrive, 4 years later.

SaintJudy

I have my cats wooden caskets on a shelf on the bookcase

KxMx

When my cat was PTS at the vets I had her cremated through them and ashes returned to me, didn't have a choice really as no car.
When the ashes came back they were in the urn I had chosen and with a certificate to say she had been cremated alone.
I kept them for some months before scattering in the garden where she was the most happy.
I kept a small amount in a keepsake locket and that lives with the (free) memory bottle from Vets containing her fur. I have also kept the empty urn which is engraved.