What options do I have for my pet’s aftercare?

PET AFTERCARE

What is aftercare? After your pet has passed away the process of physically looking after the body and handling the remains is termed aftercare. Being able to honor your loved one and memorialize them is an important part of the grieving process.

As anyone who has owned a pet knows, they can truly be one of life’s greatest companions. Our pets are part of the family and they share their love and loyalty in ways we could never have imagined. 

Once your pet is no longer able to enjoy a good quality of life - it may be necessary to make one of the most difficult decisions of your life. Your veterinarian will be able to offer support in this regard along with information about euthanasia. You can have your beloved pet cremated with the ashes returned to you or buried in a pet cemetery.

In Ontario, it is NOT against the law to bury your pet in your backyard if you own the property as long as it is covered by at least 2 - 4 feet of soil, and is placed at a sufficient distance from any water supply. However, it is best to check with your Municipality first to ensure there is no local bylaw prohibiting the burial.

In Quebec, IT IS illegal to bury your pet in your backyard for environmental and public health reasons. However, there are exceptions if the animal is being buried on a farm.

Here are a few local businesses who specialize in Pet After Care Options such as pet funerals, memorial products, pet loss support lines/groups, books, and counsellors who specialize in pet bereavement:

• Ottawa Humane Society - Virtual Pet Loss Support Group - https://ottawahumane.ca/your-pet/pet-loss-support-groups/

• Ontario SPCA - Pet Loss Support Group - https://ontariospca.ca/pet-loss-support-group/

• Gateway Pet Memorial Services, Ottawa - https://www.gatewaypetmemorial.com/

• Paws at Rest Pet Funeral Home, North Gower/Ottawa - https://pawsatrest.ca/

• Lindenlea Mobile Veterinary Services, Ottawa and Gatineau - https://www.veterinaryathomeeuthanasia.ca/

• Claire Place Veterinary Hospice, Manotick - https://www.hospicevet.com/

• Eternal Companions, Ottawa and Montreal - https://compagnonseternels.ca/en/services-rates/

• Pet Friends, Vaudreuil-Dorion - https://www.noscopains.ca/

• List of Pet Cemeteries in Ontario: https://www.furevermemorials.com/pet-cemeteries/pet-cemeteries-in-ontario-canada/

PET MEMORIAL

Doing something special to preserve the memory of your beloved companion can be very therapeutic. The important thing is to do something from your heart that will help you remember your pet and process your grief.

1. Create a Pet Photo Album

One great way to remember your pet is with an album full of photos of the good times you shared. From the time they were a kitten or a puppy til the day they passed on, you probably have many photos to reminisce with.

• You can use physical photos and customize each page of the album, or make a digital album to look at.

• There are many good, easy-to-use digital photo frames available nowadays. You could upload your pet pictures to one of these frames and display it somewhere in your home as a constant reminder of all the loving moments you experienced with your pet.

• Another option is to upload your pictures to an album on your social media account. Then, friends and family can remember your pet as well and comment with any special memories they may have.

Maggie & her best friend : Pet Photography by Unleash Pet Photography

Maggie was my husband’s best friend, his trusty adventure buddy. Whether camping in the woods, going for car rides, or just chilling on the sofa, she was always happiest by his side.

I'm grateful we had a session with them before we learned about her cancer. Maggie's passing hit my two children hard. They grew up with her, and they miss her every day. But when they walk by her picture, I see them smile and remember all the fun times they shared with her.

That's why I started offering End-of-Life Sessions for my clients. A pet photography session at this stage is so important. It helps capture precious memories with your beloved pet, creating keepsakes to cherish forever. These photos honour the love and joy your pet brought into your life. Plus, the session can bring closure and healing during a tough time. It's a beautiful way to express your love and gratitude for your furry friend while preserving their legacy. And the photos can be used to create lasting memorials, like albums or framed prints, keeping their memory alive for years to come.

Custom Paintings: Melissa and Shawn from White Dog Pet Portraits

2. Commissioning a painting

Getting a painted portrait of your pet done is a wonderful idea as a pet memorial as it captures the unique personality and essence of your beloved companion in a timeless and artistic way.

3. Get a Tattoo in Memory of Your Pet

If you’re the type that would rather carry a memory around with you for all to see, you could get a tattoo portrait of your pet.

Instead of (or in addition to) a portrait, you could opt for a tattoo of the name of your pet, a paw print, or a special quote that will remind you of your pet.

No matter what you choose, a tattoo is definitely one of the most dedicated ways you can remember your beloved pet.

custom tattoo: The Beauty Philosophy 

4. Create a 3D Tribute to Your Pet

A shadow box or 3D collage is another way you can memorialize your pet that has passed. If you still have items that belonged to your pet, such as a leash, collar, tags, etc., you can arrange them in a shadow box as a nice display in honor of your pet.

You can also get your kids involved and have them help you make a 3D collage. This can include paintings or drawings of your pet and his or her favourite things, plus anything 3-dimensional you might want to put on there, such as old chew toys, special blankets, bandanas, food bowls, and more.

Spending time with your family while you create these tributes will help you all to celebrate your pet’s life in a meaningful way.

Pinterest DIY 3D tribute

5. Create a Pet Memorial Garden

If you prefer to express your creativity outdoors, consider establishing a memorial garden to ensure your pet is always remembered. Memorial gardens can vary in size, allowing you to customize them to your preference.

You can plant flowers, plants, or trees in your own yard, or you may choose to purchase space in a local park to plant a tree in honor of your pet. Each time you see these plants or trees, you'll be reminded of the joyful moments shared with your beloved companion.

In our household, we've dedicated a section of our vegetable garden for our pets' memorial stones, which were crafted by my children. However, you also have the option to commission a custom tombstone or opt for a traditional burial service at a pet cemetery.

6. Go for a Walk/Hike

Take the whole family and go on a walk or hike in honour of your pet. You could take a walk on a familiar path that your dog loved to go on, or hike somewhere that you think he or she would have enjoyed. Even if your thoughts are with a beloved indoor-only cat, you could also go on a walk outside in an area your pet may have gazed upon from their favourite perch.

7. Donate or Volunteer in Your Pet’s Name

There are many local rescue groups and charities that would love to honour your pet by assisting other animals in need. Donations can be monetary, but many rescue organizations also accept donations of dog and cat food, old towels and blankets, etc.

You could also donate your time and volunteer to support your favourite animal charity with anything they might need. In addition to working with animals, many organizations need other types of help, such as administrative work, publicity for the charity or local events, and more.

PET SYMPATHY

Sending a friend who has lost a pet a sympathy gift can provide comfort during a difficult time. Here are some ideas:

• Personalized Pet Memorial: Create or purchase a customized memorial item such as a photo frame, engraved plaque, or ornament with their pet's name and a heartfelt message.

• Memorial Jewelry: Gift them a piece of jewelry, like a necklace or bracelet, featuring their pet's name or a paw print charm to keep their beloved pet close to their heart.

• Memory Book: Put together a scrapbook or memory book filled with photos, anecdotes, and memories of their pet. This can serve as a cherished keepsake to honor their furry friend.

• Comfort Items: Provide items that offer comfort, such as a cozy blanket, scented candle, or relaxation gift set to help ease their grief and provide a sense of warmth and solace.

• Plant or Tree: Give them a potted plant or tree to plant in memory of their pet. Watching it grow and flourish can serve as a living tribute to their beloved companion.

• Sympathy Card: Send a heartfelt sympathy card with a personal message expressing your condolences and offering support during this difficult time.

• Pet Loss Book or Resource: Offer a book or resource on pet loss and coping with grief to provide comfort and guidance as they navigate their emotions.

• Donation in Their Pet's Name: Make a donation to a pet-related charity or organization in their pet's name as a meaningful way to honor their memory and make a positive impact.

• Comfort Food Basket: Put together a basket of comforting snacks, tea, or coffee to provide nourishment and a moment of respite during their grieving process.

• Virtual Hug: Sometimes, the simple act of reaching out with a phone call, video chat, or heartfelt message to let them know you're thinking of them can provide immense comfort and support.

  Remember to choose a gift that reflects your friend's personality and preferences, and most importantly, let them know that you're there for them during this challenging time.

Custom Card from Seeded Memories located in Ottawa

Eco-Friendly Cat Owner

How to be an eco-friendly cat owner

If you are worried about our planet’s health, you can feel reassured by the fact that even small changes have a significant impact.

This is especially true for cat owners. In 2022, according to a nationwide survey, there were estimated to be approximately 8.5 million cats in Canadian households. That is an average of 1.8 cats per household. Imagine if each one of those households made one or two earth-friendly changes to their pet care routine. By making the switch to eco-friendly cat ownership, you can start doing your part to help Earth heal and avoid unnecessary pollution.

Caring for a pet is a rewarding experience that doesn't have to cost the earth.

So, whether you’re seasoned in the art of caring for furry companions, or you’re taking the first steps to becoming a pet owner, here are some tips to help you minimize your pet’s environmental pawprint.

Reduce Use of Cat-Related Plastic

Plastic pollution has become one of our most pressing environmental concerns. Plastic requires production of petrochemicals that take an estimated 400 years to break down.

Here are ways cat parents can limit plastic use:

• Buying cat food and litter in bulk can be friendly to your wallet and the planet. Also, bring reusable storage containers to refill if possible.

• Choose non-plastic toys. Instead, look for toys made from recycled or sustainable materials like bamboo or hemp. Consider paying a little bit more for well-made toys that last longer.

• Repurpose cardboard boxes, tin foil, fabric rags, and other disposable materials into cat toys. Challenge your kids or yourself by making one of these DIY cat toys.

• Buy ceramic or metal food and water dishes instead of hard plastic.

• Check out online cat forums or second-hand stores when looking for cat toys, beds, or climbing structures. Reuse and recycle to avoid buying new.

Use of Parasiticides

There is a growing concern about the potential harm that parasiticides used on pets for fleas, ticks and worms is causing to our environment. More research needs to be done, but there are a few steps we can take to mitigate harm to our environment now.

• Like all medicines, parasiticides should be used only when necessary.

• We should use the narrowest spectrum drug that will do the job.

• We should not over-treat. Not all cats need year-round flea and tick cover. Many cats need roundworming only every 3 months, not every month.

Properly Dispose of Kitty Waste

The way you deal with your cat’s waste is one of the most important choices you make as a pet owner. Unfortunately, the clay-based litter available in most supermarkets and pet stores is not biodegradable. Instead, the clay must be strip-mined, a practice which destroys our forests and wild habitats which leads to soil loss and deforestation.

Switch to a planet-friendly cat litter made from corn dust, wood sawdust, or post-consumer paper waste. If you feel ambitious (and don’t have multiple cats), consider trying a DIY option made out of newspaper, sawdust, or woodchips. Here is a simple DIY cat litter solution using shredded newspaper/flyers.

• Use compostable non-plastic bags for cleaning out your cat’s litter box and as litter box liners.

• Never flush clay cat litter. Some toxins and chemicals in clay litter can contaminate the water supply.

• Never compost cat litter in your yard as cat excrement contains parasites which cause Toxoplasm infections in humans. Cats are the only species who shed this parasite in their feces. These dangerous pathogens can also leach into our soil and waterways.

Buy planet-friendly pet food

Cats are carnivores, so you can’t remove meat from their diet entirely. Likewise, vegan diets are unhealthy and even dangerous for cats.

Yet, there are some planet-friendly food swaps you can make to benefit the environment without putting your cat’s health in jeopardy.

• Choose cat foods containing chicken and fish instead of beef or lamb. Beef and lamb farming produces more carbon emissions, requires more energy-intensive foods, and generates more manure than chickens.

• Pet food also requires a lot of oil, energy and water for processing, packaging, and transportation.

So, to keep your pet’s environmental “pawprint” small, buy pet food in bulk quantities whenever possible.

Make homemade treats

With plenty of inspiration and recipes online, there’s never been a better time to have a go at making your own pet treats! Making your own and storing them in a reusable, resealable container can be a great way of skipping the wasteful packaging that comes along with most commercially available pet treats.

Keep your Cat indoors

Scientists estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3 – 4 billion birds and 6.3 – 22.3 billion mammals annually. House cats threaten many endangered songbirds and are responsible for reducing biodiversity and habitat for threatened species.

• Even if you can’t bear to keep your cat indoors, you can limit the threat they pose by keeping them indoors during the early morning and evening hours when wildlife is most active.

• Also, outfitting your cat with a quick-release collar with a bell will alert prey that they are on the hunt.

• You might consider building a Catio so the wildlife will stay safe, but your kitty still gets to experience the sounds and smells of the outdoors.

Clean up with Pet Safe Products

From all-purpose spray to carpet cleaner, eco-friendly brands offer a range of products that refrain from using harsh chemicals and solvents that get washed down the drain and into our rivers, streams and oceans. These plant-based products are also safe for use around kids and pets. Alternatively, mixing baking soda and vinegar to form a paste makes a great non-toxic abrasive for scrubbing surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom.

By making a few simple changes, we can all help to protect our environment for future generations.

Eco-Friendly Dog Owner

How to be an eco-friendly dog owner

Caring for a pet is a rewarding experience that doesn't have to cost the earth.

In 2022, according to a nationwide survey, it was estimated that there were 7.9 million pet dogs in Canada. This is an average of 1.6 dogs per household. Imagine, if each of these households made small changes to be more environmentally friendly, when caring for their pets. Just changing the products we use and small choices we make can have a huge impact on wildlife and the environment as a whole.

Changing the small, everyday choices we make can have a huge impact on wildlife and the environment.

Walking to a nearby park rather than driving to the dog park can make a world of difference over the years.

There are also impacts that dogs can have on the environment that you may not be aware of, like contributing to river pollution. The good news is that there are simple things you can do to ensure that you and your dog are taking care of the environment!

So, whether you’re seasoned in the art of caring for furry companions, or you’re taking the first steps to becoming a pet owner, here are some tips to help you minimize your dog’s environmental pawprint.

Top tips for being an eco-friendly pet owner:

Tread lightly in the countryside

When exercising your dog, follow any local guidance or on-site signage to ensure that your pet isn't disturbing wildlife, or stressing the grazing animals that create and maintain habitat.

When visiting rivers, keep your dog out of the water if they have recently been treated with a topical flea treatment. These are essentially pesticides which can leach into the water and cause harm to aquatic wildlife, like dragonfly, beetle and Mayfly larvae. 

If the site you're visiting allows dogs to swim, encourage your dog to stay in the water rather than climb in and out repeatedly, especially if there are bankside plants at risk of being trampled. 

Bare soil erodes easily, releasing sediment into the river which is harmful to the insects and fish that live there. You might not know that severe erosion can even lead to bank collapse! Use areas of hard standing if there are any - some sites even have specially-installed 'dog dips' providing access points to the water which don't contribute to erosion. 

Use safer Flea, Tick and Worm Products

Recently, there has been a growing concern about the potential harm that parasiticides used on pets might be having on our environment, particularly in our new push towards year-round prevention of fleas, ticks and worms for dogs. Several global researchers and even the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations are now focusing on the occurrences of these parasiticides being found in rivers and their effects on our ecosystems. The British Veterinary Association also has advice on responsible use of parasiticides on their website.  Consult your own veterinarian as they will be a good source of which treatments are really needed in your region and how often these are required.

Clean Up With Pet Safe Products

From all-purpose spray to carpet cleaner, eco-friendly brands offer a range of products that refrain from using harsh chemicals and solvents that get washed down the drain and into our rivers, streams and oceans. These plant-based products are also safe for use around kids and pets. Alternatively, mixing baking soda and vinegar to form a paste makes a great non-toxic abrasive for scrubbing surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom.

Dog Shampoos are often filled with chemicals that are harmful to your pet, yourself and the water supply. Several eco-friendly biodegradable, organic shampoos are now available at your local pet supply store.

Buy planet-friendly pet food

If your dog eats a plant-based diet, the main area you should focus on is packaging. If you can buy food loose, carrying it using your own reusable containers, is the best way to avoid packaging. Otherwise, try to find food with recyclable packaging, or buy in bulk as long as you can be sure that the food will be used before its expiration date.

Meat is resource-intensive to produce, can be a source of pollution, and carries a significant environmental footprint.  For dogs on meat-based diets, pick food with a lower impact using meats like chicken and try to stay away from beef, whose carbon footprint far exceeds that of any other meat. If you’re after fish-based food, make sure it’s certified sustainable.

Pet food also requires a lot of oil, energy and water for processing, packaging, and transportation.

One growing innovation is to use crickets as the protein base for dog foods. Cricket-based dog food uses a tiny fraction of the resources used to rear farm animals and produces a tiny fraction as many greenhouse gases.

Make homemade treats

With plenty of inspiration and recipes online, there’s never been a better time to have a go at making your own pet treats! Making your own and storing them in a reusable, resealable container can be a great way of skipping the wasteful packaging that comes along with most commercially available pet treats.

Eco-friendly toys

Having new toys to play with is an enriching experience for your pet. Next time you’re thinking of introducing a new toy for your pet to play with, skip the usual pet shop toys and consider alternatives:

• Get creative with your junk! Take a look around the house at what you might be throwing out soon. A knotted old t-shirt can be a great doggy pull toy.

• For smaller creatures like guinea pigs and rabbits, try crafting old toilet tubes into balls and hiding bits of food inside, and watch as your pet chases and rolls the little cardboard ball around to get at the treat inside.

• One of our dog’s favourite toys is a squeaky ball placed inside of an old sock. It can be chewed, carried, thrown and squeaked, providing hours of fun.

• If you are buying new (used pet toys aren’t always a good idea), look out for toys made from sustainable or recycled materials, that are preferably recyclable or biodegradable at the end of their lives.  Don’t forget to dispose of used toys properly, avoiding landfill waste if possible.

Be careful with poo

Cleaning up after your pet is important, whether it poops in the park or uses a litter tray. Small herbivorous pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, or birds have harmless poo. If you have a compost heap, their excrement can safely be added to the pile along with any bedding that will decompose including newspaper. The feces of dogs is a different story, as their feces are a health hazard, and need special consideration.

• How should you dispose of dog poop? First and foremost, don’t just leave it. Dog poop contains bacteria and viruses that can harm humans and other animals, especially if they seep into the ground and groundwater. Chances are, you pick up after your dog three times a day using a plastic disposable bag. Over a year, that’s over a thousand plastic bags going to landfill! Read on for important facts about disposable bags..

• Are compostable and biodegradable bags the same? Biodegradable bags are often still plastic bags that have microorganisms added to break down the plastic. Compostable bags on the other hand, are made of natural plant starch, and do not produce any toxic material.

• Poop bags: Do not throw these in the woods or leave them on a trail. You must carry that smelly bag with you. These bags will not decompose on their own. Biodegradable poop bags do not actually decompose unless they are in a high heat composting facility. Increasingly, municipal waste is being incinerated in waste to energy factories, which is more eco-friendly than landfill. Compostable bags break down readily in a municipal composting system through microbial activity to form compost.

• Composting: It is not a good idea to bury dog waste or compost it in your yard. As stated previously, dog excrement contains nasty pathogens like Giardia and Salmonella which affects human health. These dangerous pathogens can leach into our soil and waterways.

• Recycled bags: Using bags made from recycled plastic or using plastic bags that would be going to the bin anyway is better than using freshly manufactured plastic.

So, to keep your pet’s environmental “pawprint” small, try some of these ideas whenever possible.