What to do when your pet dies at home

If your pet dies at home, nothing has to happen in the next few minutes. Make sure they have died, lay the body on a towel somewhere cool, and call your vet or a pet cremation service to arrange what happens next. You have time to sit with them first.

What to do if your pet dies at home, in order

1. Check for breathing and a heartbeat. If you are not sure, call a vet now.
2. Put a towel or pad under the body and move it somewhere cool.
3. Call your vet, an emergency clinic or a pet cremation service.
4. Choose cremation, aquamation or burial. If you cannot decide yet, ask whether the body can be held for a day or two.
5. Deal with the paperwork later in the week.

How to be sure your pet has died

A pet that has died is not breathing and has no heartbeat. Watch the chest and belly for a few minutes, because a very sick animal can breathe slowly and shallowly with long gaps. Feel for a heartbeat with a flat hand on the left side of the chest, just behind the front leg.

Other signs: the eyes are usually open and do not blink when you touch the eyelid, the pupils are wide, the gums are pale or gray, and the body is limp. Over the next few hours the body cools and begins to stiffen.

Shortly after death, muscles may twitch, there may be what looks like a deep breath or gasp, the bladder and bowels may empty, and fluid may come from the mouth or nose. These are reflexes. They are not signs of pain or awareness.

If you are not sure your pet has died

Treat it as an emergency. Call your vet or the nearest emergency clinic straight away, say what you are seeing, and follow their instructions. Do not wait until you are certain.

A pet that is unconscious, cold, or breathing only now and then may still be alive. They may need urgent care, or they may be in the last stage of dying, which is described in our guides to the signs a dog is dying and the signs a cat is dying.

If your pet is alive and suffering, a vet can relieve it. Euthanasia is only ever performed by a veterinarian. Never try to end a pet's life yourself, and do not give human painkillers or sedatives, which can seriously harm or kill pets.

Who to call

• Your regular vet. Call them first, even if they were not treating your pet. Most clinics will receive the body, arrange cremation, and hold the body in cold storage while you decide.
• An emergency or after-hours clinic. At night or on a weekend, many emergency clinics will accept a pet that has died at home. Phone ahead to confirm and ask about the fee.
• A pet cremation or aquamation service. You can arrange aftercare directly. Many collect from your home, some outside office hours.
• If you cannot move the body. Ask the clinic or cremation service about home collection.

On the call, ask what it will cost, when they can take your pet, and whether ashes are returned. Our guide to pet cremation costs and options explains the usual choices.

Handling and positioning the body

1. Wear gloves if you have them and wash your hands afterwards. If your pet may have died from an infectious disease or a poison, ask the vet before you handle the body.
2. Slide a towel, absorbent pad or plastic sheet under the body, especially the back end and the head.
3. Before the body stiffens, tuck the legs in toward the belly, as if your pet were curled up asleep. This makes the body easier to carry and wrap.
4. Wrap the body in a blanket or sheet. If you are waiting for collection or driving to a clinic, put the wrapped body in a heavy plastic bag to contain fluids.
5. For a large dog, get a second person and carry the body on a blanket held like a stretcher.

The eyes often will not stay closed, which is normal. If you want to keep the collar or a clipping of fur, take it now.

How long can you keep the body at home?

Not long without cooling. The body starts to change within hours, and faster in warm weather, so aim to have your pet collected or buried the same day or within about a day.

• Use the coolest place you have, such as a tiled or concrete floor, away from sun and heating.
• Put ice packs or bags of ice, wrapped in towels, around the body.
• Keep the body covered and out of reach of other animals and insects.

If you need longer, a vet clinic or cremation service can usually provide cold storage. If you want to know why your pet died, ask your vet about a post-mortem examination (a necropsy) before you choose aftercare, and before you freeze the body, because freezing can limit what the examination shows.

Should other pets see the body?

It is fine to let your other pets see and sniff the body for a few minutes if they want to. Nobody knows how much animals understand about death, but some owners find their other pets search less afterwards. Skip it if the vet suspects an infectious disease or poisoning.

Surviving pets may be quiet, clingy or off their food for a while. If one stops eating, or the changes go on, call your vet.

Is it better to cremate or bury a pet?

Neither is better. It depends on whether you own land and plan to stay there, what your local rules allow, your budget, and whether you want something to keep.

If you have not heard of the third option, see how aquamation works for pets.

How to bury a dog or cat at home

First check that it is allowed. Rules differ by country, state, county and city. Some places ban home burial, and others set conditions such as a minimum depth or a distance from water and property lines. Check your city or county website, or call the local animal services office.

If you rent, you need the landlord's permission, and a homeowners association may have its own rules. Do not bury a pet in a park or on other public land.

Where burial is allowed, these are the general safe-practice points:

• Choose the spot carefully. Keep well away from wells, streams, ponds, drains and ground that floods, and away from vegetable beds.
• Have buried utilities located before you dig. In the US, calling 811 before you dig gets underground lines marked.
• Dig deep enough that animals cannot dig the body up. Commonly cited guidance is at least two to three feet of soil on top of the body, and more for a large dog. Local rules may set their own minimum.
• Use a wrapping that breaks down. A cotton sheet, a towel, or a cardboard or wooden box. Remove any plastic.
• Cover and mark the grave. Firm the soil down and put a heavy stone or paving slab on top to discourage digging.
• Take extra care if your pet was euthanized. The euthanasia drug stays in the body and can kill wildlife or other pets that dig up and eat the remains. Tell your vet beforehand that you plan a home burial, bury promptly and deeply, and choose cremation if you cannot.

People who rent, expect to move, or cannot dig a deep enough grave often choose cremation and bury or scatter the ashes instead.

Paperwork to deal with later

• Vet clinic. Tell them, so reminders stop and the record is closed.
• Microchip registry. Report your pet as deceased.
• License. Notify the city or county if your pet was licensed.
• Pet insurance. Tell the insurer, cancel the policy, and ask whether any final costs are covered.
• Prescriptions and subscriptions. Cancel automatic refills and food deliveries. Ask your vet or pharmacist how to dispose of leftover medication, and do not give it to another pet.

Looking after yourself

Finding that a pet has died at home is a shock, even when they were old or ill. If you keep wondering what you missed, ask your vet. They can often explain what is likely to have happened.

Eat something, tell someone, and leave decisions about bowls and beds for another day. Our guide to coping with the loss of a pet covers the days and weeks that follow. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, contact a crisis line or emergency services; in the US, call or text 988.

This article is general educational information, not veterinary or legal advice. If there is any doubt about whether your pet has died, contact a veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately. Laws on pet burial and the handling of remains vary by location, so check the rules where you live, and make aftercare decisions with your veterinarian.