Your Pet Was Euthanised at the Vet: What Happens Next

The decision you may have missed

In the room, most people are asked about aftercare in a single hurried sentence, or not at all. The default at many practices is communal disposal, with no ashes returned. If nobody explicitly asked you which you wanted, phone the practice today and check. Once the cremation has happened it cannot be undone.

If you want the ashes back

Say individual, and ask them to note it on the file. Ask when their crematorium collection is — many practices only have one or two a week, and that timing is usually why ashes take longer than families expect. You can also arrange an individual cremation directly with a crematorium rather than through the practice.

The lock of fur

Ask the practice whether they took one, and if the body has not yet gone, ask them to take one now. Most will do it without hesitation. It is the single most commonly regretted omission and the only one that becomes impossible with time.

The days afterwards

Cancel any repeat prescription and any upcoming appointment so the reminders stop arriving. Update the microchip registry. Neither takes long and both spare you an ambush in a fortnight when you are less braced for it.