If you are reading this, you may have just lost your pet, and your heart is breaking. First, we are so sorry. Whatever you are feeling right now, shock, numbness, tears that will not stop, it is okay, and it makes sense. You loved them. This page is here to gently walk you through what to do next, one calm step at a time. There is nothing you have to get perfectly right, and you do not have to do any of it alone.
The short answer: When your pet dies, take a moment to be with them, then keep their body cool and gently wrapped while you decide between cremation and burial. Contact your vet or a local pet cremation provider, who can answer your questions and arrange transport. You do not need to rush a single decision in the first few minutes.
What do you do when your pet dies?
When a pet dies, the first steps are to give yourself a moment, care for their body by keeping it cool and gently wrapped, and then choose between cremation and burial by contacting your vet or a pet cremation provider. That is the whole of it, and the rest is just detail.
Right now, you do not need a plan for the whole week. You only need the next small step. If you are sitting with your pet, you can simply stay there for a while. Hold them, talk to them, let the tears come. The practical things can wait a little. When you feel ready to move, the sections below take it slowly, in the order most people need them.
What do you do first when your pet dies at home?
If your pet dies at home, gently wrap them in a soft blanket or towel, place them on a waterproof surface in a cool, quiet spot, and contact your vet or a pet cremation service. At room temperature you generally have a few hours to make arrangements, and longer if you keep the body cool.
A few gentle, practical notes for these first hours. It is normal for the body to release some fluids after death, so placing a towel underneath helps. Within a few hours the body will begin to stiffen (this is called rigor mortis), so if you would like to position your pet in a restful, curled pose, it is easiest to do so early. You can close their eyes if it brings you comfort, and many people like to lay them on their favorite bed or blanket.
For a cat or a small dog, the body is light and easy to move and keep cool. For a larger dog, you do not have to lift them on your own, ask a family member for help, or ask the cremation provider about pickup so you are not managing it by yourself. Knowing what to do with a dead dog or what to do with a dead cat really does come down to the same calm sequence: keep them cool, make one phone call, and let someone experienced guide you from there.
What if your pet died at the vet or was euthanized?
If your pet died or was euthanized at the vet, the clinic can usually store the body and arrange cremation or burial for you, often through a cremation provider they already work with. You can also choose to take your pet home for a private burial where local law allows.
This is, in many ways, the simpler path, because the clinic handles the logistics while you focus on grieving. They will ask whether you would like communal or private cremation, whether you want the ashes returned, and whether you have a provider in mind. If your pet was euthanized at the vet, our companion guide on what to expect after pet euthanasia walks through those next steps in more detail, from receiving the ashes to the days that follow.
What happens to a pet's body after death?
After death, a pet's body gradually cools and stiffens over the first several hours, which is why decisions about cremation or burial are usually made within a day or two. Keeping the body cool slows these natural changes and gives you more time, so there is no need to rush.
We know this is a hard thing to read about the animal you love, so we will keep it brief and gentle. Your pet feels nothing now, and they are at peace. Cooling simply means resting them somewhere cool, a cool room, a garage in winter, or refrigeration for a smaller pet, or letting your vet or cremation provider hold them. None of this changes who they were or the love you shared. It is just a way to give yourself the time you need to make a calm, unhurried choice.
What are your options after a pet dies?
After a pet dies, your main options are cremation (private or communal), burial (at home or in a pet cemetery), and memorialization such as keeping the ashes, scattering them, or creating a keepsake. Most pet owners in the United States choose cremation. Here are the paths, laid out plainly so you can see them all in one place.
- Cremation. The most common choice, and often the most flexible. In a private cremation your pet is cremated individually and the ashes are returned to you, while in a communal cremation several pets are cremated together and the ashes are not returned. You can compare trusted providers near you in our pet cremation directory, and if you are curious about the process itself, here is what happens during cremation.
- Home burial. A meaningful, low cost option, but it is regulated in many places. Before you dig, check the rules in our guide to pet burial laws and your state's pet burial and cremation regulations, so you can do it safely and legally.
- Pet cemetery. A permanent, dedicated place to visit and remember, with the burial handled for you. Many cremation providers and pet cemeteries work together, so a single call can cover both.
- Scattering. If you choose cremation, scattering the ashes somewhere that mattered to your pet can be a gentle goodbye. Our pet ash scattering guide covers the meaningful (and the legal) details.
- Memorialization. However you lay your pet to rest, you can keep their memory close, through an urn, a piece of jewelry, a garden stone, and more. Browse pet memorial ideas when you are ready, or create a free online memorial on Still Here in a few minutes, light a candle, write their story, and share it with everyone who loved them.
How do you decide what is right for you?
Choosing between cremation and burial comes down to a few simple things: cost, whether you want to keep your pet's ashes, your local burial laws, and what feels right for your family. There is no wrong answer here, only the one that brings you peace.
It can help to ask yourself a couple of quiet questions. Do you want something of them to keep, ashes you can hold, scatter, or turn into a keepsake? Then cremation is likely your path. Do you have land you own and plan to stay on, and is home burial allowed where you live? Then burial may feel right. If cost is a worry, know that communal cremation is usually the most affordable option, and that some clinics and charities offer assistance. Our cremation cost calculator can give you a realistic figure for your area, and our guide to private versus communal cremation explains the difference in plain terms. Take the time you need. The decision does not have to be made today.
How do you cope after losing a pet?
Grief after losing a pet is real, valid, and often comes in waves, and being gentle with yourself is the most important thing you can do right now. Lean on people who understand, keep to small routines, and consider a ritual or memorial to honor your pet when you feel ready.
The hours and days ahead may feel strange and heavy, and that is normal. Our article on coping with the loss of a pet offers compassionate guidance for the road ahead, and the first week without your pet describes what many people experience so you feel less alone in it. If there are children in your home, helping children through pet loss can guide those tender conversations, and if you have other animals, you may notice them grieving too, when other pets grieve explains what to watch for.
When you are ready, and only then, making your pet a small place to be remembered can be a comfort. A free online memorial lets you light a candle, write down a memory, and invite others to do the same. There is no timeline for any of this. Your pet was loved, deeply, and that love is still yours to keep.