My pet died at home, what do I do?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
First call your vet: they can confirm the death, keep the body for you and tell you about local cremation. Wrap your pet in a sheet or towel, keep it in the coolest room and away from other animals. Then decide on cremation or burial; many Indian cities and animal welfare groups run pet crematoriums.
Take extra care if your pet bit or scratched anyone recently, or died after sudden behaviour changes: do not handle it with bare hands, tell your vet that rabies is possible, and anyone bitten should see a doctor the same day.
What should you do in the first few hours?
There is no rush to decide everything tonight. These steps keep your pet's body safe while you do.
Call your vet
If you are not sure your pet has died, go to the vet or nearest 24-hour hospital now. If it has, the vet can confirm it, issue a death certificate and, PDSA notes, hold the body while you choose a crematorium. PDSA
Keep the body cool and covered
Lay your pet on a sheet or old towel and keep it in the coolest room, away from other pets and from kites and crows on a balcony. In Indian heat, plan for the same or next day. US Fish and Wildlife Service
Check what your city needs
Municipal crematoriums can ask for papers. BMC's cremation booking terms ask for a vet's death certificate and, for a pet dog, the municipal licence. BMC Veterinary Health Department
Choose cremation or burial
Cremation, with the ashes returned, or burial on land you are allowed to use. PDSA lists communal, individual and private cremation as well as burial at home. PDSA
Give yourselves time
You can usually have a few quiet minutes with your pet, for a prayer or ritual, before the body goes. PDSA
When does a pet's body need special care?
Three situations change what you should do.
If Your pet bit or scratched someone in its last days, or died after sudden behaviour change, drooling or paralysis.
Do not touch the body with bare hands and tell your vet that rabies is possible. Anyone bitten or scratched should wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor at once. World Health Organization
If Rabies is suspected.
The ABC Rules 2023 say the bodies of dogs suspected to have died of rabies are disposed of in an incinerator or by another method the district's Chief Veterinary Officer provides. Do not bury it yourself. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
If Your pet was put to sleep, or had chemotherapy or an infectious disease.
Cremation is the safer choice. The drug used in euthanasia stays in the body and can poison scavengers that dig it up, and PDSA advises against home burial after recent chemotherapy or with a contagious disease. US Fish and Wildlife Service
What papers might a crematorium ask for?
From the conditions on BMC's Veterinary Health Department page. Other cities differ, so call ahead.
- A death certificate from a municipal veterinary officer, a dog sterilisation centre or a registered private vet. BMC Veterinary Health Department
- For a pet dog, its municipal dog licence. BMC Veterinary Health Department
- One photo ID of the person bringing the animal: Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence or ration card. BMC Veterinary Health Department
- One address proof: passport, driving licence, voter ID, or a water or electricity bill. BMC Veterinary Health Department
- For a community animal, an AWBI caregiver ID card is accepted in Mumbai. BMC Veterinary Health Department
What are the options for your pet's body in India?
What is available depends on your city. Your vet will usually know what works locally.
Ask the corporation
A municipal crematorium
Several corporations run animal crematoriums, among them Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru, and some take stray animals free. Booking rules and timings vary. The Week (PTI)news report
Charity run
An animal welfare group's crematorium
In some cities a charity runs the facility, such as Blue Cross of India in Chennai or People for Animals in Hyderabad, often on corporation land. The South Firstnews report
Least to arrange
Through your vet
Many vets can keep the body and arrange cremation for you. PDSA describes communal cremation, where ashes are not returned, and individual cremation, where they are. PDSA
Check first
Burial
Possible on private land you are allowed to use, but not after euthanasia drugs, chemotherapy or infectious disease, and not in a society's common area without permission. PDSA
Is there a law on disposing of a dead pet in India?
No single national rule. It is left to city corporations and their bylaws.
The Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, the national rules on city waste, do not mention dead animals or carcasses anywhere in their English text. The Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 ask local authorities to install incinerators for disposing of organs and carcasses from their dog programmes, and to use deep burial where an incinerator is not feasible. Beyond that, each city sets its own arrangements.
Cities do not encourage burying animals in open ground. Pune's health department, reported in November 2023, recommended its incinerator plant over burial, saying buried carcasses give off smells that affect nearby residents. Please do not leave a body on open land or put it out with household waste: in Indian cities it is quickly found by street dogs, crows and kites.
What if your pet dies while you are away?
It helps to write down your wishes before you travel, especially for a senior or ill pet: which vet to call, whether you want cremation or burial, and who may decide if you cannot be reached. When a Petym sitter looks after your pet, the sitter calls you in an emergency and takes your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list, so a vet is involved from the start.
How do you cope with the loss?
PDSA says there is no right or wrong way to grieve, and it can take days, weeks or years to ease. Guilt, numbness and relief are all common, especially after a long illness or a decision about euthanasia. Talking to people who knew your pet helps. Children should be told simply and honestly, at a level that suits their age. You can keep the collar or a clipping of fur as a keepsake.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
How long can I keep my dead pet at home?
- Not long in Indian heat. Keep the body wrapped and in the coolest room, away from other animals, and plan cremation or burial for the same or next day. If that is not possible, ask your vet: PDSA notes a vet can hold the body until a crematorium can take it.
Who do I call when my dog dies at night?
- Call your vet or the nearest 24-hour veterinary hospital if you are unsure the dog has died. If it has, wrap the body and keep it cool overnight, then call your vet or the municipal veterinary department in the morning about cremation. Petym's vet pages list 24-hour vets by city.
Does the municipal corporation pick up dead pets?
- Some do, especially for stray animals, but services vary by city and change often. Mumbai's corporation runs a cremation booking with set papers, and Pune's runs an incinerator plant. Call your corporation's veterinary department or ask your vet what works in your area.
Do I need a death certificate for my pet?
- A crematorium may ask for one. BMC's cremation booking in Mumbai asks for a death certificate from a municipal or registered private vet, and the municipal licence for a pet dog, plus your ID and address proof. Your vet can issue a certificate when they confirm the death.
My pet died after biting someone. What now?
- Do not touch the body with bare hands and tell your vet at once that rabies is possible. The ABC Rules send suspected rabies carcasses to an incinerator, so do not bury it. The person who was bitten should wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor the same day.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- PDSA: When it's time to say goodbye (undated) (opens in a new tab)
- BMC Veterinary Health Department: Guidelines for pet dog owners (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site): Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023: G.S.R. 193(E), 10 March 2023 (opens in a new tab)
- Central Pollution Control Board (Gazette of India copy): Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016: S.O. 1357(E), 8 April 2016 (opens in a new tab)
- World Health Organization: Rabies: fact sheet (opens in a new tab)
- US Fish and Wildlife Service: Help prevent euthanasia drugs killing bald eagles and other wildlife (undated) (opens in a new tab)
Show all 9 sourcesShow fewer
- Punekar News: Pune Municipal Corporation advocates animal cremation for public health (22 November 2023) (opens in a new tab)
- The Week (PTI): HC takes note of lack of electric crematoriums for pets, seeks report from BMC (9 July 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- The South First: How is the 'first' small animals crematorium in Telangana going to operate? (7 December 2022) (opens in a new tab)