# Vet disposing of the body



## whisper1662 (Feb 7, 2008)

Just wondering if anyone knows how vets handle the bodies of pets that have been put to sleep. We are going to have to put our cocker down this week end and my dh wants to have the vet take care of the body, he is afraid that our other dogs would dig her up if we bury her in our yard. But I want to know what they do with the bodies.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

Our vet has a large freezer in back of the building. Once per week a crematory service comes to pick up the bodies. They are cremated. Clients have the choice of letting the crematory dispose of the ashes (cheapest) or getting the ashes of their animal returned (most expensive since they cremate your animal separately so that you only get your animal's ashes returned).


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## pittsabowawa (Jul 26, 2009)

this is very morbid but I do know a little. 
1 They won't (DOGS) dig it up if you bury him/her deep enough.. i'd say at least 4 feet. You can also cover the grave in rocks to be careful.
Are you talking about having the vet dispose of the body or take it for cremation? I imagine that the dog would be cremated either way but I'm not sure.

Im so sorry your losing your dog. If you can afford it I would have her cremated. But thats just me. I like having the ashes so I can choose to hold on to them or spread them somewhere. I still have my very first dog Dusty's ashes. He went to live at my sisters house when I was still little but I always wished we had kept him.

Some people like burial, some cremation, and I guess others just leave the body with the vet. Its all your preference.


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

I've buried and didn't care for it as other critters DID try to dig the dog up. But if I have a dog that dies here, I guess that's my only alternative for the ones that I don't want to get privately cremated. 

Select very special dogs get privately cremated and come back here, other than that if I have a dog that is put down at the vets I just let the vet handle the remains for a group cremation.


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## FlamingoFan (May 8, 2009)

So sorry you're going to be losing your dog! We had to say goodbye to our Sadie back in April. My husband I were both hysterical over the loss. Had never had to do this before....didn't know what to do. We opted for the cremation....and to get her ashes back.

The most expensive way....but due to the emotions involved we went with it.


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## hbowen87 (Aug 4, 2009)

I'm so sorry for you  It's never easy to decide what to do.

When we had to put a cat down when I was little my mom asked what happened to the body if we let them dispose of it because we had nowhere to bury her and getting the ashes back was expensive and we couldn't afford it at the time. They told us that all the animals put down that week were cremated together and then the ashes were buried. I was a little kid and calmed my mom down by telling her it was ok because at least Diana would have friends wherever she went. 

You could do that or like someone else said just bury deep enough. Or if it's still a concern get her cremated and keep the ashes or bury them instead. 

Again, so sorry to hear this. It's so hard, I'm sending you my best wishes through this hard time. *hugs*


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## chul3l3ies1126 (Aug 13, 2007)

So sorry you are going through this  

I have about 8 dogs buried in my back yard... all are at the very back of our property and at each time we had other dogs present for the burial. Only 1 is buried close to the house, under her favorite tree (she was my first true Heart Dog). We've never had problems with our dogs trying to dig up the body. (We live out in the country, I dont know if there is a limit of the sort in city limits. My personal pets: 3 died of old age, 2 died of Cancer, Fosters: the others died of complications with diseases that they had before they came to us. All passed through Euthanasia. All were rescued strays and very close to my heart.)

My vet does the same as others and offers to take care of the body with mass cremation. 

For the dogs that I have now, when the time comes... Bingo, Jodie and Jade will be buried in our backyard, they will be staying here when I move out of the house. Callahan and Guera will be going with me, they will also be the first dogs I ever have cremated. They are my heart babies. 

Stay strong through your tough time hun... hope all the best for you <3 (((Hugs)))
Nessa


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## GSDGAL (May 27, 2009)

I used to work at a large veterinary hospital...it's not very sentimental. The council comes and picks up the bodies every afternoon and puts them ina mass grave at the city dump...it's true

I don't know how they do it in america


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## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

Im very sorry to hear of your loss. When I worked for the vet all the pets were put in the freezer until the cremation company came and you had the option to get your ashes or have your pet be part of the group cremation. In the US they do not dump pets in a mass grave.


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## 3212 (Feb 4, 2007)

At my clinic we do exactly as briteday does. 

Some places do have rules on burying animals. This is a bit morbid, but when euthanasia is concerned you do have to worry about your departed friend being dug up by your own animals and wild ones because the drug used in euthanasia can remain in the deceased animal. We recommend people bury animals 6 feet under or more.

I have had a dog dig up small animals we buried in the yard and it was very disturbing...I'd feel a lot worse if it was a more beloved pet that was dug up....


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## whisper1662 (Feb 7, 2008)

Thanks for all the responses. It is very hard having to make the decision to put her to sleep. She is a cocker and I have had her for 15 years. She has cancer and is in pain and I just can't let her go on hurting. I think that I am going to bring her home and bury her. I have a flower bed of canna lillies at the back of my yard and I have fencing in front of it to keep the dogs away, so I think that we will bury her there. I remember years ago when my moms poodle died, my dad bury her in the yard and then planted some rose bushes around her grave, those rose bushes were the prettiest bushes we had in the yard.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

hi 
sorry you are going through this 
i work at my local shelter and we offer privite creamations give you shelter a call they might also do it 
jamie


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## BobSD (Feb 1, 2008)

Just my opinion, but the highest respect you can show for your dog, especially if that dog ment that much to you, is to take the time and the inconvenience to dig a grave and bury. And maybe have a marker there and plant your favorite flowers there, every year. To just drop the dog off at the vet and walk away, I could never do, my dogs ment too much to me........

I feel you made the right choice, your dog will always be with you....


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## Adustgerm (Jul 29, 2009)

BobSD said:


> Just my opinion, but the highest respect you can show for your dog, especially if that dog ment that much to you, is to take the time and the inconvenience to dig a grave and bury. And maybe have a marker there and plant your favorite flowers there, every year. To just drop the dog off at the vet and walk away, I could never do, my dogs ment too much to me........
> 
> I feel you made the right choice, your dog will always be with you....


I agree. I couldn't drop the dog off and walk away. That would be like dropping granny off at the crematorium and never coming back. Although digging a hole for one of my saint bernards would be a back breaking experience. I would be better off going to rent a backhoe to dig a hole.


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## canteloupe (Apr 30, 2009)

MoosMom said:


> Im very sorry to hear of your loss. When I worked for the vet all the pets were put in the freezer until the cremation company came and you had the option to get your ashes or have your pet be part of the group cremation. In the US they do not dump pets in a mass grave.


I'm pretty sure animal shelters send euthanized animals to the dump. If people leave their euthanized pets at the vet, why would the vet pay for them to be cremated at her/his own expense? Cremation, even group cremation, is more expensive than taking them to a dump.

I've always had my cats and dogs cremated, and the ashes returned to me. When I was younger we buried my other smaller pets in the yard.

I also think it's possible that the bodies are disposed of the same way as medical waste is disposed of. I know that one vet office in the city that I went to had a weekly pick-up of the medical waste and euthanized bodies, because I saw it happening once ... 
I think the truck then takes the stuff to a "special" dump where the waste is treated before being dumped.


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## DuckyNDogs (May 20, 2009)

Soooo sorry you are having to do this, its a hard, awful thing. We lost our beloved FCR in June and our home hasn't been the same since. We had him privately cremated and had his ashes returned to us. It was expensive but totally worth it. Now he rests on a shelf near the foot of our bed, near where he loved to lay for the years we had him. If you can at all afford this, I would recommend it.

Had we not chosen this route, he would have been held in a freezer until the crematorium came to pick him up, and then he would have had a group cremation. That is how most of the vets around here handle these things.


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