The circle of life happens to everyone and everything that walks this planet. At some point, you’ll come across animals that have reached the end of their life.
Maybe your pet has passed away and you now need to find a proper way to bury him or her.
Perhaps your dog caught a rabbit or a squirrel and ended their life before they could safely reach beyond the fence.
Whatever the case may be, you need to learn the ways of dead pet disposal. Turns out, proper disposal depends on the type of animal. Here are several ways you can safely and responsibly dispose of an animal’s dead body.
Table of Contents
Have a Conversation with Your Family
Losing a pet can be a very detrimental time for everyone in the family. The pet may have meant more or less to someone than they meant to you.
Because of that, you’ll want to be considerate of their feelings and how they are handling the passing of the pet.
One thing that you need to consider is that everyone may have different opinions on how they want the pet disposed of. Some may not care as much and opt for throwing it away while others will want to properly bury it.
That’s why it’s helpful to sit everyone down and have a chat about it. See how they’d prefer to dispose of the body and if there’s any methods they’re completely against.
On the flip side of that, some may want to be present when you dispose of the body, while others won’t want to watch it.
While it can be a really taboo subject to talk about while everyone is already sad, it’s essential in order to respect everyone’s feelings.
People mourn in very different ways. Take the time to talk to your family through the three options below and see if one registers better than the rest.
Flushing the Animal
For obvious reasons, there are only certain pets that you should consider flushing down the toilet. Be sure the fish you’re flushing is small enough to not put extra strain on your toilet.
Some may have a debate about doing this method since it puts risk on the water supply. For instance, what if your fish died of a disease you were unaware of? Now that’s in the piping.
That argument depends completely on the person. If you fall to the side of being uncomfortable with it, then maybe burying the animal (see below) is a better route.
Send Giggles the fish off the right way with a proper burial to give your child peace of mind. Placing him in a small box or a biodegradable bag and burying him will help everyone move on.
Just make sure that you’re following your state and county’s regulations on burying an animal before doing so in your backyard.
Burying the Animal
If your pet has been with you for the past 10 or so years, it may seem unfair or disrespectful to pay tribute any other way than a proper burial.
It could be the only sense of closure that you and your kids get as you turn the page on this next phase of life. However, there are some things you need to look out for.
As was previously mentioned above, your local government has rules for burying something in the ground. Research those and abide by them to avoid being fined.
Typically you should try and dig at least 4 feet down and bury them in biodegradable products (for small animals like fish or guinea pigs).
Be sure to watch out for anything that may be buried beneath such as power lines, wiring, and pipes as well.
You may not get peace of mind with burying the animal unless you find a way to mark where you buried it. Try planting a flower or getting a little tombstone for the family to help design as a way of showing respect.
The most important thing to remember is doing this quickly. Not doing so can lead to unwanted pests in or around the house. If that’s already an ongoing issue, contact emergency pest patrol immediately.
Using the Trash
Maybe you’re the type of person that can’t justify holding an entire funeral for one of the 50 fish that you have in your aquarium. You need more practical ways to dispose of the body.
If so, then throwing away a small animal in the garbage is an option that you have at your disposal… you just need to take precautions.
For the safety of humankind’s health, you have an obligation to inform the trash collector of the dead animal they’re touching.
Place your animal in a trash bag and label it something along the lines of “dead (insert animal here)”. Their company may have a certain routine for getting rid of animal carcasses.
You may be wondering but what if the animal dies several days before trash is collected?. If you can stomach it, keep the bag frozen until pickup day.
If that seems a little too hardcore for you, then take it to the nearest dumpsite and rid yourself of it prior to the trashman coming around next week.
Choose the Dead Pet Disposal Method That’s Best for You
This may very well be one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do, but unfortunately, dead pet disposal is a part of life.
Be sure to choose the best method for your family so that everyone receives the closure that they need.
Don’t forget to check out our other articles pertaining to topics like this one and others just like it.
