Cremation, Burial and Memorial Keepsakes
Because our care and concern does not end when you say goodbye.
Every aspect of your pet’s final care and arrangements is of the utmost significance in honoring the life, and the love, you shared. When it comes to these important final details, we are here to walk with you and to assist you in deciding what’s right for you and your beloved pet. Private and communal services are both available through our trusted partners. We are honored to have partnered with the Agape Pet Services team for aftercare services to provide the very best service for our patients and their families.
There are three categories of defined cremation services available:
- Private Cremation: Your pet is privately cremated as the only pet present during the cremation process. When the process is complete, you will receive the cremated remains as a permanent keepsake in the urn of your choosing in 10-14 days.
- Individual Cremation: Your pet is cremated in a partitioned crematorium where pets are separated from other pets, your pet’s ashes will be returned to you. There may be other pets in the chamber so there can be a very small amount of ash mingling
- Communal Cremation: Your beloved pet is gently placed into the crematory with a number of other pets. Rather than returning any pet’s cremated remains to their families, the communal remains are collected and are scattered lovingly in a beautiful, private setting.
If you have any questions regarding these three options, our client relations team is ready to assist you on the phone. Our team is honored with the opportunity to serve you and your pet in this very sad time.
Pet Cremation Options
During your phone call with our Client Care Team, or your scheduled euthanasia appointment, our veterinarian will walk you through the cremation options and payment for the crematory services. We are honored to have partnered with Agape Pet Services for aftercare services to provide the very best service for our patients and their families.
Pet Memorial Products and Keepsakes
While our beloved pets will always be in our hearts, each of us have different ways of capturing our memories and honoring our departed companions, from photographs to keepsakes to special pet urns.
We have chosen a few of our favorite high-quality urn options for you to choose from. If you have a different idea in mind or would like to order an urn not listed here, please contact us to let us know how we can help you find the perfect tribute to your fur-baby!
Because we want to make sure everything is perfect with your order, please email us the details of your order, including any customization (engraving), size, and color choices for your urn.
Urn Options
Complementary Urns
Blue Scattering Tube Urn
Blue Scattering Tube Urn
Cedar Urn
Cedar Urn
Hand-carved Rosewood Urn
Hand-carved Rosewood Urn
Serenity Photo Urn
Serenity Photo Urn
Recommended Urns From Agape Pet Services
Please visit Agape Pet Sevices’ website for more urn options. Agape offers a variety of premium urns in different types of stone, metal, and wood are available to suit your individual preferences and your beloved pet’s personality. Engraving can be added to any urn to truly personalize your tribute and repay them for their unselfish devotion.
Paw Print and Fur Memorial Options
A Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice veterinarian will provide you with the option to choose from these paw print memorial options for your beloved companion:
- A Light Gray Clay Paw Print.
- A Black Ink Paw Print.
- A Paw Pal Print Memorial Keepsake
- Fur Clippings
Note: Charms and embellishments are a great option to personalize your paw print keepsake, but are not provided by Caring Pathways.
Burial Options
Pet Cemetary Burial
There is a local pet cemetery for those families who would like to bury their pet but are unable to do so at home. Garden of the Pines is located off of Salem Road in Virginia Beach. There are a variety of pet cemeteries located around the country. We offer body holding services if you would like to arrange for a cemetery burial and would like us to keep your pet’s body safe until final arrangements are made. The service fee for body holding is $10/day or $150/month.
Home Burial
Depending on your location, it may be possible to keep your pet at home for burial. You will need to ensure that your city and property type allow for lawful burial. Proper digging precautions should be followed so that no electric, water, or gas lines are damaged while preparing the gravesite. Graves should be dug so that the bottom of the grave is 3 feet above the high water table, away from standing bodies of water, streams, or well water. Graves should be dug at least 5 feet in depth so that at least 3 feet of earth may cover the pet’s body. Something sturdy should be placed over the grave until the ground is able to harden to deter wildlife and other pets from investigating the area. This is especially important if your pet was euthanized, as the medications given during this procedure can be fatal to any animals that are exposed to it. While this is an unintended outcome, it does happen from time to time across the U.S. and carries a heavy fine by the Department of Wildlife.
Many families choose to make their own burial boxes and grave markers, but we can also help if you’d like to order these through our memorial urn suppliers. We could be happy to work with you to ensure your pet has the exact right items for burial. We also offer body holding services if you would like to arrange for burial and would like us to keep your pet’s body safe until final arrangements are made. The service fee for body holding is $10/day or $150/month.
Client Testimonials
“I can’t say enough good things about every interaction we had with Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice. We had to part with our beloved 17 year old cat, Prince Charming, and the decision had to made very quickly due to his failing health. We reached out via the website on Saturday July 4th and within an hour Kady responded to us. On Sunday when we decided we needed to let him go, Kady responded to us within minutes and Dr. Economos was able to be at our house within 2 hours. Dr. Economos was so kind through the whole process and it made such a difficult time so much easier to handle. The aftercare process was wonderful and the personal touches added were so meaningful. I will be forever grateful that we had the choice to say goodbye at home. To Kady, Dr. Economos, and everyone at Hampton Roads Vet Hospice, thank you so much for your care and compassion during this very difficult time.”
Kathryn Parsons