Please Help -- What do I do with the body ?

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littlelaughie

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
10
Location
Encino, CA
I just came home from work to find my seven-year-old chinchilla dead. I am devastated and I don't know what to do. I vaguely remember if I want a necropsy, I put the body in a Ziploc in the freezer? And if I don't want a necropsy? Please help, I am freaking out and trying to stay calm.
 
I'm very sorry for your loss.

I have been told not to freeze a body for necropsy but instead to place the body in a paper bag inside a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator until it can be done. The tissues start breaking down soon after death though so the body must be cooled soon after death to slow decomposition and it is best to have the body necropsied as soon as possible (hopefully under 24 hours). Freezing often causes cells to burst and can affect the integrity of the tissues.

If you don't want a necropsy, you can bury him or you can store the body in the freezer until you can get it to a vet that does cremation.
 
I'm so very sorry. Probably the best thing to do is to wrap him in a pillowcase or something, then a ziplock, then chill him until tomm. to give you time to figure out what you want to do and where you want his resting place.
 
Thanks for the swift responses : o)
It took me a good 30 minutes to wrap him and put him in the freezer...this furball has been with me through so much...this is ridiculously painful...
 
If you want a necropsy you do not want the body frozen as it changes the tissue composition. For best results you need to get a necropsy done within 24 hrs.

If you don't want a necropsy you can bury or cremate. If you don't have a yard you, I have heard of people burying them in large pots with plants. Not sure how that works as far as decomposition ( smell ) if it's a house plant though.

Just for a note in case anyone ever wonders what happens when the vet "takes care" of your pet that has passed, many get put in the dumpsters, others get sent to a rendering plant.

I'm sorry for your loss, losing a pet is hard.
 
Riven said:
Just for a note in case anyone ever wonders what happens when the vet "takes care" of your pet that has passed, many get put in the dumpsters, others get sent to a rendering plant.
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In California it's illegal to dispose of the bodies in the garbage. It's also illegal to bury an animal in your backyard because it's considered a biohazard. The vets here will send your pet off for a group cremation and charge you for it. This means the animal goes into the big freezer in the back and the animal gets picked up and cremated with a whole mess of other animals. It's cheap for the companies and the vets charge a lot less for it. If you're worried about what will happen with the pet's body, ASK for group cremation.

That said, I've talked to several vets and the above is mostly correct. For BEST results you should put the body in a bag and place it in the refrigerator, then take it to your vet within 24 to 48hrs. All of them have told me that if getting there in 24 to 48hrs is not possible, put the body in the freezer. You will still get results, because most vets should be able to tell damage done by the freezer versus actual tissue problems.
 
All of the vets that I have talked to send the animals to a crematorium. But then ultimately, who knows what they do with the ashes afterwards. Our local humane society has the animals cremated as well.

I would recommend a necropsy. That way you won't be guess and wondering what happend down the road.

I have burried several chins in flower pots before (mostly rescues), if you do it properly (enough dirst) they don't smell. 5 gallon planter works best for adults. I generally get a smaller bag of miracle gro (it's about $4-$5). Fill the planter up about 1/3 up. Place chinny inside, fill pot up the rest of the way. I traditionally plant a "Bleeding Heart" (Dicentra Spectabilis) plant with chins that have passed on.

Bleeding hearts are usually red, pink, and white, or a variation there of. Their bloomages (about 1" to 1 1/2") are shaped like a heart with a whitish "tear drop" coming out. They flower from May to August, require partial shade, and are perfect for flower pots because they like the water but for it to be well-drained.

If you want to cremate. you can have private cremation you can get your chins ashes back. Either put them in a flower pot, an urn, or they have stuffed Teddy Bear remembrance "urns" their is a vile that they put the ashes in and it goes inside the stuffed teddy bear. They also have cremation certificates.
 

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~*=Phoenix=*~ said:
All of the vets that I have talked to send the animals to a crematorium. But then ultimately, who knows what they do with the ashes afterwards. Our local humane society has the animals cremated as well.

I would recommend a necropsy. That way you won't be guess and wondering what happend down the road.

I have burried several chins in flower pots before (mostly rescues), if you do it properly (enough dirst) they don't smell. 5 gallon planter works best for adults. I generally get a smaller bag of miracle gro (it's about $4-$5). Fill the planter up about 1/3 up. Place chinny inside, fill pot up the rest of the way. I traditionally plant a "Bleeding Heart" (Dicentra Spectabilis) plant with chins that have passed on.

Bleeding hearts are usually red, pink, and white, or a variation there of. Their bloomages (about 1" to 1 1/2") are shaped like a heart with a whitish "tear drop" coming out. They flower from May to August, require partial shade, and are perfect for flower pots because they like the water but for it to be well-drained.

If you want to cremate. you can have private cremation you can get your chins ashes back. Either put them in a flower pot, an urn, or they have stuffed Teddy Bear remembrance "urns" their is a vile that they put the ashes in and it goes inside the stuffed teddy bear. They also have cremation certificates.
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Very thughful and beautiful idea. I would like to know more about your ideas/products. I bury them under a big tree. It's always very very sad to bury their beautiful bodies. My heart is with u.
 
RDZCRanch said:
In California it's illegal to dispose of the bodies in the garbage. It's also illegal to bury an animal in your backyard because it's considered a biohazard. The vets here will send your pet off for a group cremation and charge you for it. This means the animal goes into the big freezer in the back and the animal gets picked up and cremated with a whole mess of other animals. It's cheap for the companies and the vets charge a lot less for it. If you're worried about what will happen with the pet's body, ASK for group cremation.
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Wait...you mean they get picked up together or they're cremated together, as in the ashes I'm getting back are not entirely my furball's?

About two years ago, I had to put this one's (Bob) son down (Bob was unintentionally bred four years ago). I don't remember details, but I had him cremated for $45 I think from a company that contracts with the vet I guess. I got his ashes back in a bag inside of a tube inside of a nice box. Today, I called the vet's office and I am going to drop off the body in the morning to have the same cremation. I am not sure about doing a necropsy as I'm pretty sure I know what it was, but I am going to discuss it with the vet in the AM.
 
RDZCRanch said:
If you're worried about what will happen with the pet's body, ASK for group cremation.
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Vets should also be offering private cremation. I know the vet I was at took our PTS's to the back freezer and every Tuesday a cremation company would pick up the animals. We had each animal clearly labeled and we would ask the owner if they wanted group cremation where they would not to get the ashes back or private cremation where they would get the ashes back of just their pet. And the Tuesday of the following week they would come back for more pickups and also drop off the ashes of the privately cremated pets.
 
Cremation will vary on your vet. Some do group, some do individual, etc. Usually the later only upon request and is pricier because they run the crematory for one animal, instead of many.

As Tab said laws vary state to state, and clinic to clinic on how they are treated.
 
Brittney said:
Vets should also be offering private cremation. I know the vet I was at took our PTS's to the back freezer and every Tuesday a cremation company would pick up the animals. We had each animal clearly labeled and we would ask the owner if they wanted group cremation where they would not to get the ashes back or private cremation where they would get the ashes back of just their pet. And the Tuesday of the following week they would come back for more pickups and also drop off the ashes of the privately cremated pets.
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Ah now I remember. I was asked if I wanted to group cremation, which was cheap if not free, or private.
 
Yes, you can also get private cremation. I was addressing having your vet "take care" of the body. Generally when they do that, you don't receive ashes or a body back.

Private cremation is where your animal is cremated separately from any other animals so that the ashes can be collected and given back to the owner. Group cremation is where you do NOT get the ashes back. The animals are cremated in groups so you obviously wouldn't be able to sort your animal's ashes out of the pile. Group cremation is cheaper, because they use one burn cycle for a larger number of animals, so you pay a portion of the cost of that burn instead of the whole thing for one animal. Private is also more costly because you're paying them to collect the ashes, the container, and the shipping and handling to get those ashes back to you.
 
I have private cremation done, ashes returned in a nice engraved wood box with their name on it, it costs 170.00.
 
My dog was the first animal I had cremated, and to me it was a bit overwhelming at the time. I went directly to the cremation place instead of through my vet. So it may be different through a vet. Prices vary from area to area. A private chin cremation here would be about $60.

Communal - your pet is cremated with other pets. Some places will ask if you want a small bit of the cremains, but most will not. And you don't really know if you are getting any ashes from your pet. It's the cheapest. I wouldn't suggest it, I've known too many people that went through severe guilt of not getting back their pets ashes.

Private - Your pet is cremated by itself. You will have the option of getting back a portion of the ashes or all of the ashes.

Witness/Viewing Cremation - This is what I did with my dog. They put them in the machine, and generally give you the option of closing the door, turning on the machine, being their when they sweep out the machine and ect. It's really hard to find a place that does this, we drove almost 2 hours to get to the place that did them. We had the waiting room to ourself, and they allowed us to bring in our two kitties for company. You don't really see the cremation itself, but you can usually see the machines. But you can make sure your animal is treated with respect, etc.
 
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Interesting. I have never had a pet cremated. I have had one necropsy done and have two chins I would like pelted to keep their pelts as memories. Luckily I live near the state lab so I can get necropsies done for a good price. However, one negative is you don't get the body back from the lab so once you decide to do a necropsy they dispose of the body.
 
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