How pet cremation works in Canada

There is usually no need to rush. Keep your pet somewhere cool and settled, on a towel or blanket, while you decide what you want. If your pet died at home, a vet or aftercare provider can talk you through keeping them comfortable until collection or drop-off.

Many families arrange cremation through their veterinary clinic, which works with a crematorium. You can also contact a pet crematorium or aftercare provider directly. Either way, this is when you choose communal or private cremation, and whether you want ashes returned.

Your pet is either dropped off at the facility or collected. Some providers offer home or clinic pickup, often for a fee based on distance; others are drop-off only. If your pet died at a clinic, the clinic usually holds them until the crematorium collects.

When your pet arrives, the provider records their details. For a private cremation, providers use their own system to keep your pet identified through the process. The exact method varies between providers, so it is fair to ask how they do it.

In flame cremation, high heat reduces the body to bone fragments over a few hours. In a private cremation, one pet is cremated at a time. In a communal cremation, several pets are cremated together. Aquamation (water-based) achieves a similar result using warm water and alkali instead of flame, where a provider offers it.

After cooling, the remaining bone fragments are processed into the fine, sand-like ashes most people picture. For a private cremation, these are your pet's ashes only. For a communal cremation, ashes are usually scattered by the provider or laid to rest together, and are typically not returned.

With a private cremation, ashes are returned to you, either collected from the provider or sent on, in a basic container or an urn you choose. Turnaround commonly runs from a couple of days to about two weeks. With a communal cremation, there is nothing to return, and the provider handles the resting place.

Many families mark the moment with an urn, a paw print, a lock of fur, a piece of ashes jewellery or a scattering. Some of these are arranged with the provider at the time; others you can plan later, in your own time.