What to Do When Your Pet Dies at Home: A Calm, Step-by-Step Guide

If you are reading this because your pet has just died at home, I am so sorry. You may be in shock, and you may be wondering what you are supposed to do. This guide is meant to be read slowly, one step at a time. You do not need to do everything at once.

The most important thing first: there is no emergency now. Whatever happens in the next hour, you have time to breathe, to say goodbye, and to make decisions without rushing.

Step 1: Take a moment

Sit with your pet if you want to. Touch them, talk to them, cry. If there are other people in the home, let them come in and say goodbye too. Nothing in this guide needs to happen before you are ready.

Step 2: Make sure your pet has died

If you are not sure, call your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary clinic right away, even if it is late at night. They can tell you what to check and, if your pet might still be alive, how to get help quickly. Do not wait if there is any doubt.

If your pet has clearly died, your next steps can be calmer.

Step 3: Call your veterinarian (or an emergency clinic)

Your regular veterinary office, or the nearest emergency clinic if it is after hours, can usually help you with:

• What to do with your pet's body in the next hours.
• Aftercare options, such as cremation (private or communal) or burial, and where to arrange them.
• Pick-up or drop-off.
• Questions about why your pet died, if you want to talk it through.

Many clinics have staff who handle these calls gently and often. If you are not sure whom to call, an emergency clinic or a local pet cremation service can usually point you in the right direction. If you rent or live in an apartment, you may also need to contact the property manager.

Step 4: Care for your pet's body

There are a few things people commonly do in the first hours. These are general and widely used practices, and your veterinarian can tailor them to your pet:

• Place your pet on a towel or blanket, on a flat surface in a cool room, on their side. Folding the legs gently in a natural position is easier soon after death.
• Expect some changes. After death, muscles relax, and the body may release fluids. A towel or absorbent pad underneath helps. The body will also stiffen over the first hours, and later soften again. These are normal and you do not need to be alarmed.
• Keep the body cool. A cool room, away from heaters and sunlight, is best. If you need to hold your pet for a day or so before aftercare, your veterinarian or cremation provider can advise you on the safest way to do it.
• Wrap them gently, if you wish, in a blanket or sheet. Some people include a favorite toy or a note.
• Keep gloves handy if you need to handle them, and wash your hands afterward.

If your pet was on any medication or had an illness that could spread, ask your veterinarian whether there are special precautions.

Step 5: Think about other pets and children

Other animals in the home may want to sniff or sit with the body. Many people find that allowing a surviving pet to see the body can help them understand something has changed, though this is a personal choice. Keep the experience calm and supervised, and move the body to a quiet room afterward.

Children should be told honestly and gently what has happened. Our guide on how to explain pet loss to a child offers age-by-age wording.

Step 6: Decide on aftercare when you are ready

You do not have to decide immediately, but you will likely need to make a choice within a day or so, depending on circumstances. The main options are:

• Cremation. Private cremation returns your pet's own ashes; communal cremation does not return ashes. Our guide on what to do with pet ashes covers the choices that follow.
• Burial at home or in a pet cemetery. Rules vary widely, so please read our guide to burying a pet at home before digging.
• Veterinary disposal. Some clinics will handle remains for you. Ask what that involves and what it costs.

For help deciding, see cremation or burial for a pet: how to choose.

Step 7: Keep a keepsake, if you want one

Before your pet leaves, you may want a few things that you cannot get later:

• A paw print (in ink, clay or on paper). Your veterinarian's office or cremation provider can often do one, or help you with a kit.
• A small clipping of fur.
• Photographs.
• Their collar, tag or favorite toy.

You do not have to do any of this. If you are not sure, take a photo and decide later what to keep.

Step 8: Tell the people who need to know

Let your veterinarian's office know so that reminders for appointments and vaccines stop. If your pet was microchipped or licensed, you may want to update the registry and cancel any pet insurance, but there is no rush, and those tasks can wait for weeks.

Tell people close to you, too. You do not need to explain more than you want to. "My dog died this morning. I am not up to talking much, but I wanted you to know" is plenty.

Step 9: Look after yourself

Drink some water. Eat something small. If you can, ask someone to be with you or to take on a task: making calls, picking up supplies, walking another dog. If you are alone, it is okay to sit with the quiet. For more on what grief can look like in the days ahead, see our guides on coping after losing a dog and losing a cat.

What if it is the middle of the night?

Cool the room, wrap your pet gently, and wait until morning if you wish. Emergency veterinary clinics are open at night in many areas and can offer guidance by phone. You do not have to do anything else until you are ready. Some people find it comforting to keep a quiet vigil.

What if I cannot afford aftercare?

This is more common than people say. Call your veterinarian, local animal shelter or municipal animal services and explain your situation; there may be lower-cost options, including communal cremation or municipal collection. Do not feel ashamed to ask.

What can wait

Almost everything else. You can decide about a memorial, a keepsake, scattering ashes or planting something in your own time. Our pet memorial ideas at home is there when you are ready, and not before.

One last note

You do not need to do any of this perfectly. If you are standing in the kitchen at two in the morning with no idea what is next, that is a normal place to be. Take one step, then another, and let people help.