What is Pet Aquamation?
Pet aquamation is the water-based cremation process that uses heated water, pressure, and alkaline solution to gently break down organic tissue. This natural process mimics what happens in nature over many years, but accelerates it safely in a controlled environment. The result is clean bone fragments that are processed into ashes, similar to traditional cremation but with significant environmental benefits.
What Makes Pet Aquamation Different?
- Gentler Process — The lower temperatures and water-based process are much gentler than flame cremation, which many pet owners find comforting.
- Better Ash Quality — Aquamation produces whiter, finer ashes that many families prefer. The bone structure is better preserved during processing.
- More Remains Returned — Families typically receive 20–30% more ashes compared to traditional cremation due to the greater process that preserves more bone material.
- Environmentally Friendly — The process uses 90% less energy than traditional cremation and produces no harmful emissions or pollutants.
- Metal Preservation — Collars, tags, and medical implants are returned undamaged, providing additional memorial keepsakes for families.
Timeline Expectations
- Total Process Time — From start to finish, pet aquamations typically take 24 hours, including cooling and processing time.
- Return Time — Ashes can be returned within 3–7 business days, depending on the scheduling and any special requests.
We are an environmentally friendly cremation service that specializes in after-death care of pets. MVA offers personalization and custom touches to our individualized memorial products. We know how hard it is to lose a family member and the struggles of the grief process.
The Mule Valley Difference
- Compassionate and respectful care
- Environmentally friendly process
- Veterinary owned and family run
- Private/Individual cremation ensures just your baby's cremains are returned to you
- Private cremation comes with a beautiful cherry wood urn
- Handcrafted made in America
- Laser engraving on all cherry wood urns
- Custom photo engraving options also available
- Scattering tube and upgrade urn options available
- Communal cremation ashes are spread in the meadows and forests of southern Maury county
- Memorial products include clay paw prints, nose prints, and hair locks
Families Have Expressed
- They are grateful to have a choice.
- They prefer a process that does not use fire or flame.
- They prefer receiving 20–30% more of their loved ones' ashes returned to the family.
- They believe this to be a more gentle option than flame-based cremation.
- They value the decreased environmental impact of the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the process respectful?
Yes, pet aquamation is conducted with the same dignity and respect as traditional cremation. Your pet is handled gently throughout the whole process.
What Actually Happens?
Your pet is placed in a stainless steel aquamation chamber. The chambers are thoroughly cleaned and inspected before each use and are specifically designed to accommodate pets of various sizes. A waterproof identification tag accompanies your pet throughout the process, ensuring proper tracking and return of remains.
The chamber is filled with purified water, this makes up about 95% of the solution. A small amount of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide (5% solution) is added to the water. These are the natural alkaline substances commonly found in nature and completely safe when handled by trained professionals. The pH level is carefully monitored to ensure optimal conditions for the gentle breakdown process to occur. Trained technicians monitor temperature, pressure, and timing throughout the process during multiple checkpoints.
When the cycle is complete, the chamber automatically begins cooling down. The chamber remains sealed until completely safe to open. Bone fragments are rinsed with pure water to remove any residual residue, to ensure they are clean and pure. They are then dried in a special machine and processed, which gently reduces them to fine ash consistency. This creates the memorial ashes that will be returned to the family.
Remembrance Keepsakes
Each wooden box comes in small, medium, or large, and metal urns are available in small and large. We can also preserve a nose print, paw print, or lock of hair as a keepsake. All items can be laser engraved with your pet's name, birth date, and/or death date — and photos can be laser engraved on wooden boxes only.
