Freeze-Dried Pets: Honoring Beloved Cats & Dogs After They Pass

Our love for our pets is so strong that when pets pass away many humans grieve deeply. The length of grieving will vary drastically depending on the person but many people are just devastated when their beloved pet dies. Cats and dogs in particular form very strong bonds with us; they become part of our family so it’s no wonder that we are truly sad when they pass away. In order to deal with the grief, many people have funerals for their pets in order to say good-bye in a more official way. Many pet owners choose to cremate their pets and keep their ashes in an urn. Some pet lovers may even choose to have their pets preserved though taxidermy or other processes. In this way even though their pets have passed, they can still look at them and remember the good times.

Many people find this process creepy and would never consider such a thing. Despite this common perspective, pet taxidermy or preserving a pet’s remains is becoming more and more popular and there are several methods to do it. Without getting too graphic, conventional taxidermy normally involves removing the outer hide of an animal or pet and attaching it to some type of mold or model. This is similar to how fish or deer are preserved as trophies by hunters. When this is done to your pet however, it does not look exactly like your whole pet’s body used to. The focus is really on the upper body.

Another alternative to conventional taxidermy is freeze-drying. Freeze drying is also gaining in popularity and basically involves removing the moisture from a body via a vacuum process. This is not at all an overnight procedure and normally takes a few months. Once the moisture is completely removed from your pet’s body, it will not decay further and looks very real. For this reason freeze drying is more popular than conventional taxidermy. It is also considerably cheaper than conventional taxidermy because the process is faster and takes less work.

If you are interested in preserving your pet in this way, you should ask for a referral from your veterinarian or someone you know/trust. The skill level of the people doing this type of work varies widely and because this is not a cheap process, you want a referral of some kind. It’s best to see examples of past work in order to make sure this process is for you. You should also think about this while your pet is still alive so that you are not overwhelmed with ‘what to do’ decisions immediately after your pet passes away. If you do decide that you want to do this you must be prepared to freeze your pet within 6-8 hours of death. Your vet can also normally assist you in this regard.