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Cremating Your Dog Is Less Expensive Than You Might Think

Many veterinary hospitals offer grieving fur parents cost-effective options to cremate their dog.

Jamie Bichelman - Author
By

Published Feb. 16 2024, 4:18 p.m. ET

A man with earrings and a large beard comforts a black dog with their heads pressed against one another.
Source: iStock

As dog parents, we seek to explore every option to provide our companions with the healthiest, longest lives possible, from the best dog food to keeping them safe through all seasons.

Eventually, whether due to illness, perhaps because of old age, or otherwise, the time may arise to discuss how much it costs to cremate your dog.

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Below, we explore what happens once your companion dog reaches the conclusion of their life and the options that pet parents can explore to honor them.

A woman wearing a white shirt hugs her large Tibetan mastiff dog outdoors at a park in the grass.
Source: iStock
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How much does it cost to cremate a dog?

According to MetLife Pet Insurance, when the time arrives to consider post-life options for your dog, several factors may affect the cost of cremation, including the dog's size and where the cremation will occur. However, the general range for the cost of cremation services is about $30 to $300, according to the insurance company.

Pet insurance companies typically do not cover animal cremations.

From personal experience, additional end-of-life costs add up quickly. Costs may be incurred if the family wishes to have the ashes returned in a keepsake urn. Families must also factor in a price difference depending upon whether the service is arranged through a veterinary office or a private business, as well as if a family chooses to arrange for an in-home euthanasia.

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It will generally cost more to cremate larger breeds of dogs, according to MetLife; also, businesses that offer these services in more populous cities will likely charge a higher price than those from smaller towns.

The process by which the dog is cremated will also affect the price. Usually through a tiered system, it is cheapest when a dog's remains are processed with those of other animals, in which case the ashes will not be returned.

Families can expect to pay incrementally more for individual and private cremations, which ensures the dog's remains are returned to the pet parent with the peace of mind that most, or all, of the ashes belong to your dog, per MetLife.

According to the New York-based Paws at Peace, a water-based cremation process called aquamation offers pet parents a more environmentally-conscious alternative to the traditional fire-based process.

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A sampling of service prices around the U.S. include:

A man in a black shirt hugs his black dog and presses his head against the dog's forehead.
Source: iStock
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How much does it cost to bury a dog?

According to the insurance company Choice Mutual, prices for pet burial range from $0 for an at-home burial, to upwards of $9,000 for mummification.

As a general rule, the size of a plot for your dog's burial will impact the cost, which typically ranges from $400 to $600, not including the casket, per Choice Mutual.

Additional sampling of burial prices around the U.S. include:

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