The Cost of Pet Cremation
The Cost of Pet Cremation
What to expect and what goes into our pricing.
When you’re mourning the loss of a beloved animal companion or facing a pet’s terminal illness, the last thing you want is a surprise expense. Knowing the cost of pet cremation upfront allows you to plan accordingly. Understanding what goes into the cremation process and why the costs might vary from one service to the next can also help you ensure you’re getting exactly what you want and allow you to plan for your pet’s final rest.
How Much Does Pet Cremation Cost?
The cost of pet cremation varies tremendously depending on what service you choose.
The most affordable pet cremation services are usually those offered by a veterinarian’s office. Vets often have a contract in place with crematoriums that allow for a low-cost option for handling a larger volume of remains. In general, these are group cremations, where multiple animals are cremated together at one time. This cuts down on costs but means there is no way to determine which ashes belong to which animal. When you choose this option, the ashes are scattered in a pet cemetery, remembrance garden, or underground vault called an ossuary.
If you want to keep your pet’s ashes , you will need either a private or individual cremation. Individual cremation, also called “divided” or “partitioned” cremation, uses a divider to keep the bodies separated throughout the cremation process. However, because each animal’s remains are cremated at the same time, some commingling of ashes is inevitable. Due to this risk, Best Friends does not perform partitioned cremations.
A private cremation is the only way to ensure that the ashes returned to you are 100% those of your pet and no other animal’s. In a private cremation, the individual is the only one present in the chamber at the time of cremation, and the chamber is thoroughly cleaned between sessions. Because this is a more time-consuming and energy-intensive option, there are added costs associated with it. However, a private cremation provides greater peace of mind to many pet owners.
At Best Friends Pet Passings & Cremations, we offer both group and private cremations. Group cremations cost $135, which includes cremation services, scattering in our private pet ossuary, and a keepsake fur clipping that you can remember your pet by. Our private cremations start at $295, which includes your choice of a standard urn with or without a personalized engraving, a fur clipping, and an ink or sand paw print. We also offer a tribute cremation for $650, which offers the same private cremation process, urn and keepsakes, but also includes the cost of home pickup and delivery of the ashes, a cremation jewelry pendant, and a private viewing prior to cremation.
What Affects the Cost of Pet Cremation?
Cremation takes time and resources. To render a body to ash, the cremation chamber must heat up to 1400 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain that temperature for quite a while. Depending on the size of an animal, cremation could take between 45 minutes to several hours. The remaining bone fragments are then tumbled to help break them into a more powder-like consistency that can be scattered or kept in an urn.
Because larger animals take longer to cremate, some crematoriums charge more based on a pet’s weight. Best Friends chooses instead to offer cremations for one fixed rate, so you always know what to expect. There are no hidden added fees or last-minute calculations. What does create differences between our own pet cremation packages are the options you choose: private or group cremation, keepsake and urn selections, transportation and delivery, and whether or not you’d like to be present for a final viewing to say your final goodbyes to your pet in private.
At Best Friends, we believe in providing the highest quality care possible for families. That means investing in a place where people feel comfortable and comforted when they must say goodbye to one of their family members. It also means investing in our staff to ensure we provide excellent service by people who truly care.
We know that putting your pet to rest and choosing their final arrangements is a very emotional and often stressful decision, and we’re here to help provide you with peace of mind whenever possible. If you’d like to learn more about our services please reach out to our Albuquerque office at (505) 345-5615 or stop by in person at 1001 Menaul Blvd NE, Suite E Albuquerque, NM 87107.
