Stop Burying Pets in Your Backyard
I buried my first and only pet when I was 7 years old.
His name was Hopper and he was a rabbit. He lived a short life before he was buried in my backyard. I learned this week that it was probably the wrong move, thanks to an account by veterinary pathologist-anatomist Rachel Allevan in The Conversation .
It turns out that burying your deceased pet causes many environmental problems and can have adverse effects on your other pets as well as local wildlife.
If a pet is euthanized, it is usually done using a concentrated anesthetic that can remain in the animal’s body anywhere for up to a year. Any animal that comes into contact with the remains of the euthanized pet can get sick or even die. Allevan writes:
During my career, I have seen two cases where this happened with serious consequences. In one case, a family euthanized their domestic mouse and buried it in their backyard. The family terrier dug up and ate the mouse, and was comatose in intensive care for almost a week. In another case, two farm dogs collected some bones from a cow that had been euthanized [sic] on a farm a few months ago. One dog died, and the other was seriously ill for several days.
Pet. mouse.
If the pet in question has died of the disease, it is rare, but still possible, for the disease to be passed on to another animal.
Even if you don’t have another pet, think of every other neighbor’s dog or wild animal that might come in contact with your pet’s burial site. And if you move, the pets of the occupant who lives in your house after you may be hurt.
If you intend to bury your pet, well, we cannot stop you, but either way, you may not have a legal choice. Some state and local governments regulate whether and how you can bury animals, so be sure to search the Internet for the laws in your area before doing this.
In Washington , for example, pets must be covered with three feet of soil and buried at least 100 feet from any well, source, or stream. On the other hand, the City of Los Angeles prohibits burying animals outside of cemeteries. Plus, cremation ensures that you don’t endanger other pets (and you can still keep your loved one around).
If you need to bury your pet, place it in a plastic bag (such as a trash bag) and tie it so it won’t open. Bury them at least three feet deep and, again, away from potential floodplains, otherwise you may end up reliving the scene from the Pet Sematary .