Bid a proper goodbye: pet hospice founder in Hong Kong shares what you should do when your pet dies

If a pet dies at home, Chan suggested that the owner call for professional services as soon as possible, especially if there was a wound on its body. The owner should then put the carcass on a towel or nappy, and set the room temperature to 20 degrees Celsius.

“Generally, we will pick up the body in a few hours once we receive the call,” she said, adding that a dead pet could be kept in a freezer for up to a month if the owner needed time to decide what to do.

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There are two options: send it to the government, and your pet will then end up in a landfill; or opt for cremation services provided by a pet hospice company.

The Hong Kong government requires pet owners to pack carcasses properly in plastic bags, labelled “dead animal”. The bags must be delivered to collection points managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. The remains will later be sent to a landfill.

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“A pet is our friend and family member. People don’t want them to be treated as trash. Pet cremation is a way to honour their death,” Chan said.

The government does not provide pet cremation services. But it can be done through pet funeral service companies. Nearly all pets, from dogs and birds to hamsters, can be cremated.

In Hong Kong, people are not allowed to dig a grave and bury dead animals in public places, even parks. This is only allowed on privately owned premises. The maximum penalty for offenders is a fine of HK$25,000 and six-month imprisonment.

According to Chan, the process usually takes less than a week, and is possible to be completed in a day.

It starts with staff from the pet hospice company giving the dead pet a massage and shower. This is to ease its tightened muscles from spasms before the animal’s death.

“This helps them look pretty and be cremated with dignity,” she explained.

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The body is kept in a box and sent to crematoriums. Owners are given 30 minutes to say their goodbyes.

A cremation can take a few hours, depending on the weight and size of the body. For example, a dog or cat weighing under 5kg will require about 1.5 hours to cremate, including ash and bone collection.

Chan said services differed across companies.

“Our package includes a cleaning service , which some companies don’t offer ... We are the first and among the few in Hong Kong to offer a biodegradable urn,” she said.

One option is to put the ashes in an urn and bring it home so the animal’s final resting place can be with its owners. The urn can also be left at a pet hospice’s columbarium.

“Some owners want their pets to be surrounded by other animals, so they will be less lonely,” Chan added.

There are also people who opt to place their pets’ ashes in accessories such as necklaces or bracelets, to keep their memories close.

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The fourth option is to return their pets to nature, by scattering the ashes at sea, or in a garden that belongs to a hospice company.

“But most companies are just renting the place,” Chan warned. “So once they close down, people will not be able to visit their pets.”

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