What is a Cremation?
Whilst we acknowledge that the majority of our clients already understand the details and process of cremation, this information is provided for those who would like to learn more about the topic.
Cremation is the mechanical, thermal, or other dissolution process that reduces Human remains to bone fragments.
Cremation also includes processing and pulverization of the bone fragments into pieces that are usually no more than one-eighth inch.
PLEASE NOTE – With thanks, this information is credited to the CREMATION ASSOCIATION of NORTH AMERICA ( C.A.N.A ) which we are a Paid Supplier Member.
www.cremationassociation.org/page/CremationProcess
The information that follows is intended to help the Veterinarian, Vet Clinics, Palliative Care Nurses, Grief Support Services and Grief Counsellors et.al. and to help assist their Clients ( the Pet Parents, Consumer / General Public ) to fully understand what occurs in the Cremation process.
The comments and notices are detailed and should be carefully considered.
However, CANA offers- please note that this information has been prepared on a general basis.
Because of variations in Country – State- Provincial and Local laws, there may be some differences in legal requirements in different jurisdictions. Your chosen or any Funeral Service Provider should be able to explain legal requirements in your area.
Types of Cremations
Flame-based Cremation
Gas Fired-Flame-based cremation uses flame and heat to reduce the Pet remains to bone fragments, or cremated remains. This is completed within a machine called a cremator.
Flame-based cremation is the most common type of cremation, and is available through most funeral homes, crematories, or cemeteries. This process is detailed on this page below.
Alkaline Hydrolysis
Alkaline Hydrolysis reduces Pet remains to bone fragments, cremated remains, or more specifically hydrolyzed remains, through a water-based dissolution process which uses alkaline chemicals, heat, agitation, and pressure to accelerate natural decomposition.
Alkaline Hydrolysis is a newer technology, and is currently only available in a few states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. Where alkaline hydrolysis is accepted, there are limited providers available. For details on this process, visit our Alkaline Hydrolysis page.
Flame-based cremation and alkaline hydrolysis are the legal cremation processes in the US and Canada at this time. Additional processes may be in development but not currently accepted by the regulators.
Essential Elements of Cremation
When comparing prices and providers, ensure each element below is included in the quoted price.
Ask questions about the company’s procedures for changing of identification from the point of removal onwards, to ensure that the deceased persons identity is carefully confirmed.
You may choose to have visitation or viewing prior to cremation, possibly involving embalming, setting features, and washing or dressing the deceased. You may also arrange to witness the cremation itself.
An Overview of a Cremation
Transport
Transport of the deceased Pet from place of death to the crematory.
Storage
Secure, cold Storage of deceased Pet prior to cremation
Cremation
The Cremation process itself.
Cremains Returned
Return of cremated remains to the Agent, Vet or Client Direct
When comparing prices and providers, ensure each element is included in the price and ask questions about the specific policies and procedures for chain of identification at each step.
You may still choose to have a visitation or viewing prior to cremation, which may involve embalming, setting features or washing and dressing the deceased. You may also arrange to witness the cremation itself.
Transportation
The deceased will be removed from the place of death and taken to a funeral home; on rare occasions they may be taken directly to the crematory. From the point of removal on, the deceased’s identity is carefully confirmed at each step in the process. This ensures that a chain of identification is firmly established.
Storage
It takes time to finalize the paperwork and make plans, so until the services are planned and the cremation is scheduled, the deceased will be placed in secure, cold storage.
The time between death and cremation can vary considerably based on many factors; cremation typically occurs at least 48 hours after death.
Steps in the Cremation Process
- The deceased Pet 99% of the time will be placed in a simple low-cost cremation container made of cardboard etc. The minimum requirement for a cremation container is that it be completely enclosed, rigid, leak resistant, and combustible. You may select a cardboard or particle board container or a wooden casket provided it is combustible and non-toxic.
- NO metal caskets etc can be cremated.
- Facility staff will confirm the identity of the deceased by checking all paperwork. A cremation number or other identification (id) will be assigned. This number/id is often stamped onto a stainless steel disc, but may also be in the form of a barcode. The id/number is recorded on a cremation log. The stainless disc remains with the remains throughout their entire time at the cremation facility.
- When it is time for the cremation of the deceased Pet, they will be removed from the storage unit and their identification will be confirmed using paperwork and the stainless disc. The container will be taken to the cremator unit and placed on a table in front of the cremator door.
- The door of the cremator will be opened, and the container will be placed inside the primary chamber. Usually this is performed manually with the aid of cardboard rollers or mechanically with a rolling conveyor loader. The stainless disc with number/id will be placed inside the cremator with the Pet remains.
- The door will be closed and the cremation monitored carefully until it is completed. The process can take anywhere from 30 minutes up to 120 Minutes / Two hours depending on the body size and stored heat in the chamber.
- When the cremation process is complete, the door will be opened and identification checked again against paperwork and the stainless disc. The bone fragments that remain, now called cremated remains, will be carefully swept out of the cremator into a cooling tray, allowed to cool and taken to a processor
- The processor is a machine that uses blades to pulverize the bone fragments until the remains are less than 1/8” in size.
- The cremated remains are then transferred to a strong plastic bag and placed in either an urn or temporary container if the family has not selected an urn yet. Identification is checked again and the stainless disc is placed in the container with the remains. The urn and its box are labelled with identifying paperwork and checked again before being stored for the family’s retrieval.
The Technical Details
The process of cremation is essentially the conversion of a solid to a gas. This is accomplished by heating the body, which contains between 65% and 85% water by weight, to a temperature high enough to facilitate the combustion process. Laws for required temperatures vary by state, but the cremation process usually occurs between 1400 and 1600 degrees F.
The combustion process in the cremator proceeds in two stages — first is primary combustion of the deceased in the main chamber of the cremator. Tissue, organs, body fat, container materials burn off as gases and move to a secondary chamber, where they continue to undergo combustion.
The bone fragments remain in the primary chamber. The inorganic particles, usually from the cremation container, settle on the floor of the secondary chamber. The gases formed as a by-product of combustion such as carbon dioxide, water, oxygen, etc. finally discharge through a stack in the roof of the crematory building.
What can be Cremated?
Items of the deceased Pet such as collars, bells etc. or other items will be removed from the container and returned to the family with prior arrangement. Sometimes families request that items of significance be cremated with the deceased Pet – things such as their favourite Toy, Blanket etc. In some cases this can be allowed, but in many cases it cannot.
This is for safety reasons, as not everything is combustible and may cause damage to the equipment or the operator if left in the container. The Pet Funeral Director- Cremation Service Provider will advise the family on what can or cannot be put in the container with your beloved Fur Baby.
What is in the Cremated remains?
The bone fragments that remain in the primary chamber are mostly calcium phosphates, with some other minor minerals. Cremated remains are generally white to gray in color. Additionally, there may be little pieces of metal in the cremated remains – this metal may come from surgical implants etc or a collar with a name tag etc that was not removed prior to cremation. The metal is separated from the cremated remains before they are processed (pulverized). The metal is typically recycled or given back if asked
The average weight of Pet cremated remains is well under 1 pound; a tiny percentage of the Pets body / original mass. The cremation chamber is either swept thoroughly or vacuumed with specially designed equipment to retrieve as much of the remains as possible.
How do I know I am getting my pets Remains Back?
Chain of custody refers to the chronological documentation of the custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of remains and personal property. This is an important definition. Cremation is an irreversible, unstoppable process.
Every step of the process needs to be documented, from the receiving of the Pets remains to the ultimate disposition of the cremated remains, including returning the cremated remains to the authorized agent- Veterinarian or Client direct if planned that way.
Identification Checklist :-
- Removal of deceased Pet from place of death
- Transport to crematory by the Owner or the Cremation Service Provider
- Placement in storage if needed
- Placement in cremator
- Removal from cremator
- Processing at pulverizer
- Placement in urn of choice as purchased or into a temporary Container supplied FREE of Charge
- Return to authorized agent Veterinarian or Client direct if planned that way
It is important to note that each Country, State, Province and Local Government requires different operational data to be recorded, and requires specific forms of documentation, thus each facility may have different policies and procedures which will vary slightly from the above.
The Pet funeral director / Pet Cremation Service Provider can advise the family of what their facility’s procedures are and what to expect.
Glossary of Cremation Terms
Alkaline Hydrolysis: the reduction of a dead Pet body to essential elements through a water-based dissolution process using alkaline chemicals, heat, agitation, and pressure to accelerate natural decomposition, the processing of the hydrolyzed remains after removal from the alkaline hydrolysis vessel, placement of the processed remains in a hydrolyzed remains container, and release of the hydrolyzed remains to an appropriate party.
Learn more about alkaline hydrolysis and where the process is accepted here.
Authorizing Agent(s): the person(s) legally entitled to control the disposition of Pet remains.
Alternative container/Cremation container: the case in which the Pet body is delivered to the crematory and in which it is cremated.
Casket: A rigid container that is designed for the encasement of Pet remains, usually constructed of wood, metal, or like materials and ornamented and lined with fabric, which may or may not be combustible.
Cremation: the mechanical and/or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces Pet remains to bone fragments. Cremation includes processing and usually includes the pulverization of the bone fragments.
This definition covers a variety of technologies that may be applied in order to achieve reduction to bone fragments, including traditional flame-based cremation and alkaline hydrolysis.
Direct cremation: a cremation that occurs without any formal viewing of the remains or any visitation or ceremony with the body present.
Cremated remains: All the remains of the cremated Pet body recovered after the completion of the cremation process, including pulverization which leaves only bone fragments reduced to consist of unidentifiable dimensions.
Cremation chamber: The enclosed space within which the cremation process takes place.
Cremation container/alternative container: the case in which the Pet body is delivered to the crematory and in which it is cremated.
Cremator: The total mechanical unit for the cremation process. Inside it is lined-top, sides, and bottom- with a heavy refractory tile or brick, with a layer of insulation between the inside surface and the outside protective housing or casing.
Crematory/Crematorium: The building that houses the cremation chamber(s). It can be a building that serves this one function or a multi-purpose building that also contains the administrative offices, mortuary preparation rooms, or if so – cemetery maintenance facilities.
Crematory Operator: The individual who is authorized and licensed by the board to operate the cremator and perform the cremation process.
Disposition: The shipment, interment, burial, cremation, or anatomical donation of a dead Pet body or parts of a dead Pet body.
Final disposition: The burial or other disposition on a permanent basis of a dead Pet body, cremated remains, or parts of a dead Pet body.
Pet Funeral Director: A Pet funeral service professional employed as a “funeral director” as defined by state law to practice funeral directing.
General Price List (GPL): contains identifying information, itemized prices for the various goods and services sold, and other important disclosures.
Pet remains: The body of a deceased Pet / Companion Animal, or part of a body.
Interment: The act or ceremony of burying a dead Pet / Companion Animals body.
Inurnment: The act or ceremony of burying an urn containing cremated remains.
Pre-need arrangements: planning and/or prepaying for cremation/burial, services and goods in advance.
Provider, Funeral or Cremation: a business that sells or offers to sell both funeral goods and funeral services to the public.
Processing: the pre-pulverization process of removing any foreign materials (non-body and container) from the cremated remains in preparation for pulverization.
Pulverization: the reduction of identifiable bone fragments after the completion of the cremation and processing to granulated particles by manual or mechanical means.
Temporary container: A receptacle for cremated remains usually made of cardboard, plastic, or similar material designed to hold the cremated remains until an urn or other permanent container is acquired.
Urn: A receptacle designed to permanently encase the cremated remains.