FAQ’s

From the moment your pet is in our care until the time you pick up the ashes they are labeled and have continuous cremation paperwork kept with them. With our 100% Private Cremation, you can actually be present when their body is placed into the crematory so that you can see its only them in the crematory.

As much as is recoverable, nearly all. With Semi-Private Cremation, your pet only shares the crematory with up to 3 total pets, spaced out as much as 4 feet apart with crematory dividers in between. Any cremation is a turbulent reaction and air circulates to assist the cremation, so there is going to be a certain amount of unavoidable co-mingling, but the vast majority of the ashes that can be recovered is your pet. Your pet is labeled from start to finish until you come and pick up their ashes. *Semi-Private cremation takes place outside our regular hours, so it is not possible to witness their body placed into the crematory with this option.

We feel were better than our competitors because of how much we care about your pet. We feel that by controlling the cremation process. Families can bring their pet to us, wait for the cremation to be completed and even see as their pet is placed inside the crematory, that its just them and that their bodies are handled with dignity throughout the process. Many places will not let a pet owner bring their pet in or watch them placed inside, so it makes us wonder, what are they hiding or what don’t they want you to see… We are totally transparent when it comes to this and we’ll treat your pet like they are our own.

We appreciate a heads up if your pet has passed away and you’d like to come in, but we do take walk in’s (No Euthanasia Walk In’s – We aren’t a veterinary clinic). We are open every day, including Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of major holidays. If you are wanting to witness the start of the cremation, its definitely recommended to call ahead so that you don’t have to wait as long for a crematory to become available.

Ashes / Cremated Remains are tiny cremated bone fragments. The amount that is returned varies on the bone density and strength of your pet. For a cat, you would typically get a volume of a couple cups of ashes back, for a large dog, possibly the size of a rectangular Kleenex box.

We allow pet owners to stand from a safe distance outside the room that performs cremations. From there, you can watch your pet go into the crematory, fully alone. With your own eyes you can verify its just your pet.

Yes, a very nice dark wood urn is complimentary. We also have dozens of other urn options in all sorts of materials, some with the ability to insert your favorite photo of your pet. Take a look at our products page to see our current inventory.

Many deaths occur in the middle of the night or evening after our office has closed. Call us right away. Please leave us a message and we’ll call back as soon as possible if we can’t get to the phone. Your pet will be just fine and safe staying in the home overnight until we open back up again. We recommend placing them on a towel or blanket or their bed to minimize any bladder movement. Keeping them in a cooler area is best. Their body will not change overnight and its our opinion that your pet is best kept safe with you. Don’t rush to bring them to an emergency clinic. If you do that, they will only be bagged and put in a freezer and kept sometimes up to a week until they are finally picked up.

Only a licensed veterinarian with their own practice has the ability to practice veterinary medicine and perform the euthanasia service. We work with several private veterinarians who are licensed to perform euthanasia outside of a clinic setting. They are incredible people who care for the best passing a family pet can have. The veterinarians who performs the euthanasia, do so under their own practice, they are fully licensed with the state of MN and WI to do so. They are not employees of Pet Cremation Services of Minnesota. Payments for arranging an appointment with a veterinarian are passed on to the veterinarian who performs the euthanasia service or consultation. Pet Cremation Services of Minnesota staff is not performing a veterinary service. PCS staff can be at your home immediately or at your choosing after the euthanasia has been performed or you may transport your pet yourself to our facility in Edina. Pet Cremation Services of Minnesota is not a Veterinary Clinic.

Many people keep their favorite pets remains in urns that can be engraved and displayed prominently in their home, yard, garden or other special place. Many people who choose to scatter their pets remains choose to purchase a necklace pendant that a small amount of ashes can be placed inside. Cremated remains can actually be turned into a diamond – lasting forever. Our pets are our best friends and when they pass away the loss is something that is shared by our human and other pet friends, more and more frequently people are having celebration of life events in honor of their pets. Much like a modern day memorial service, with flowers surrounding then urn, a photo slide show, music tribute and eulogy for their pets are becoming quite common.

Yes. Remains can be delivered to you for an extra $20.00. They will be delivered by USPS.

Yes. When filling out the authorization for cremation, check the option for us to scatter your pets remains. Our staff will scatter in various legal and peaceful areas over land and water for you if you don’t wish to have your pets ashes returned.

If your pet dies unexpectedly at home you are in a hard sad spot and our condolences are with you. We believe your best and most affordable option is to call us and arrange for you to transport your pet to our office/crematory in Edina, where we can hold and prepare your pet for cremation. In the time being, we suggest you place under your pet a sheet or blanket with absorbing cloth. Much like with humans, within hours after their death occurs their muscles will slowly tighten and then slowly release. This will cause them to stiffen slightly. We have regular office hours where we can take your pet into our care and schedule drop off appointments outside of those hours. We can also arrange for us to come to your location and transport your pet back to our facility for an extra charge.

Unfortunately, the sudden and unexpected loss of a pet is a situation that is impossible to prepare for. We encourage you to look at all your options and how you want your beloved pet to be handled after their death and throughout the cremation process.

Call or Email us asap, we’ll get back to you on our availability. There are only a few days our staff is not available to assist in this case. Your pet can remain at your location over a day in the event of a federal holiday and we can’t assist until the next day. In most of our months, which are cooler, its very common for a pet to be placed covered and protected in a garage while the pet owner considers all their options and makes arrangements. Our staff is on call most days and frequently can be at any location in our map area within a couple hours.

It is very important and critical to call and schedule our services prior to euthanizing your pet. Our staff will make sure your pet is transferred with dignity and respect, we’ll be there shortly after your appointment has been finalized and you have had time to say goodbye to your friend and have left. We never want to rush you through saying your own goodbye. Billing is done directly between us and you. When we are notified of a pending pet death we will mail each pet owner a package for them to help prepare for the death and cremation.

Payment is required in full before we can proceed with your pets cremation. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, cash and checks.

That’s absolutely wonderful, we would be happy to walk you through our process, pick up schedule, proprietary online tracking software and do our best to match the prices you are paying your current provider. To set up time to discuss this, call 952-925-1234 and ask for John.