Pet end-of-life arrangements: vet discussions, body handover and licence notification

Before you start

If the animal may still be alive or the situation is uncertain, contact a vet for professional confirmation rather than treating it as a body yourself. For serious illness, ask the vet about care options, expected outcomes and costs, and agree who can make decisions. After death, owners can ask about private arrangements or use FEHD's published dead-animal handling route. These have different outcomes, so clarify whether a chosen service involves cremation, individual handling or return of ashes before agreeing and paying.

What to do, step by step

1. Record care wishes, a reachable family decision-maker and a budget with the vet. Where euthanasia is being considered, seek veterinary assessment and an explanation of options. Do not seek methods to perform it yourself. Ask what happens immediately afterwards and which arrangements the clinic can coordinate.
2. For a private service, request written details of handling, total charges, collection, whether cremation is individual and any ashes-return arrangements. Identify the animal clearly and retain handover records. A package name alone does not establish the method or what will be returned to the family.
3. Under FEHD's published route, place the body in a plastic bag clearly marked as a dead animal and hand it to staff at a public refuse collection point. FEHD sends it to landfill. This is not individual pet cremation or an ashes-return service, so make an informed choice before handover.
4. For a deceased dog, follow AFCD's written notification requirements on the dog-licensing page or the designated reply slip on the renewal reminder. Separately notify the relevant chip registry, insurer and recurring-service providers. Save dates and confirmations instead of assuming cancellation with one organisation updates all other records.

Costs, timing, and things to check

AFCD's written death notification involves owner and dog identification; submit it through the official channel rather than posting identity-document copies online. For a cat, contact the actual registration platform. Its record is not cancelled through a dog-licence procedure simply because both animals have microchips.

Retain necessary medical records, receipts and agreements for insurance or service settlement rather than deleting everything immediately. Seek support from trusted people or suitable services if grief affects daily life. Clear records help the family manage decisions and later questions without having to reconstruct each conversation.

A practical example

A family wishing to keep ashes confirms whether the private service uses individual cremation, its identification process and collection arrangements before handover. One family member separately follows AFCD's death-notification checklist for the dog licence, retaining receipts and confirmation.