What to do when your pet dies in the UAE

Losing a pet is hard, and in the UAE there's often a practical decision to make quickly, while you're still taking it in. This guide walks through the first few hours, your options for cremation or burial, and what families here commonly do afterwards.

1. The first few hours

There's no need to rush every decision, but the UAE heat does mean the first practical step can't wait long.

• If your pet died at home, gently wrap them in a towel or blanket and move them somewhere cool and shaded indoors, away from direct sun. If you can, place a cool pack wrapped in a towel underneath them.
• Call your vet. Even if your pet passed away at home, most UAE vet clinics can advise you, confirm what happened if you're unsure, and arrange cremation for you. If your pet died at the clinic, they will usually talk you through the options there.
• Aim to make arrangements the same day, ideally within a few hours. Many cremation services in the UAE will collect from your home, some around the clock.
• Keep anything you'd like to hold on to: a collar, a favourite toy, a little fur, or a paw print. These are easy to forget in the moment and can mean a great deal later.

2. Your options: cremation, collection or burial

Cremation arranged by your vet

The simplest route for most people. Your vet handles everything, including transport, and can tell you whether the ashes will be returned and roughly when.

Dubai Municipality's Central Veterinary Research Laboratory

In Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) on 17th Street in Zabeel, next to the Dubai Equine Hospital, offers pet cremation. You can choose communal incineration (no ashes returned), cremation with the ashes returned, or a fully individual cremation for dogs and cats. Urns and paw prints in sand or clay are also available there. Fees are set by your pet's weight (see below).

Private pet cremation services

Several private pet cremation providers operate in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates. Typically they offer home collection, individual cremation with the ashes returned within a few days, and a choice of urns or keepsakes. Your vet can usually recommend one they trust.

Burial

Burying a pet is less common in the UAE than in many other countries. Rules vary between emirates, communities and buildings, and most apartments and many villa communities don't allow it. Please check with your community management or municipality before burying a pet, and never bury an animal on public land, a beach or in a park. Many families choose cremation instead and keep the ashes at home, which gives you a lasting place to remember them without the uncertainty.

3. What cremation costs

Prices depend mainly on your pet's weight and whether you want the ashes back. As a guide, these are the CVRL fees as published in 2024:

Individual cremation (dogs, cats and other pets up to 30 kg): AED 1,200. Source: Dubai Municipality fees reported by Gulf News, August 2024. Fees may have changed, so please confirm with the CVRL directly. Private services and vets set their own prices, which are often higher and usually include collection.

For a sense of scale: a rabbit or cat usually falls in the 1 to 5 kg band, a small dog 5 to 10 kg, and a medium to large dog 10 to 40 kg.

4. Keeping or placing their ashes

If you choose a cremation with ashes returned, they'll usually come back to you in a simple container or an urn within a few days to a week. What happens next is entirely up to you, and there's no rush.

• Keep them at home. Many families in the UAE keep their pet's ashes indoors in an urn, or in a quiet spot outside.
• Place them in a garden or on a balcony. If you have a garden, a favourite corner or a planter can become a small, personal resting place, somewhere you'll pass every day.
• Avoid public places. Scattering ashes on beaches, in the sea, in parks or in the desert is best avoided unless you've checked it's allowed.

5. Ways to remember them

There's no right way to remember a pet. Some ideas families find comforting:

• A paw print in clay or ink, taken at the vet or the cremation service.
• A favourite photo framed somewhere you'll see it.
• Keeping their collar or tag, or turning it into a small keepsake.
• Planting something in their name, in the garden or in a pot on the balcony.
• A memorial stone or plaque outdoors, where their ashes rest or in a spot they loved.

That last one is what we make at Garden Pet Memorials. We started after losing our own rabbits, Jessica and Rodger, and struggling to find a memorial that would last outdoors in the Dubai heat. Theirs has been in our garden for over a year now and still looks the way it did the day we placed it.

6. Looking after yourself and your family

Grief for a pet is real grief. It's common to feel the loss sharply for weeks, and to be caught off guard by small things: the empty bed, the lead by the door, the routine that's suddenly gone.

• Give yourself time. There's no deadline for feeling better, and no need to decide straight away about a new pet.
• Talk to children honestly and simply. Gentle, plain words help more than euphemisms like "went to sleep", which can be confusing or frightening. Letting them help choose a photo or a memorial can give them a way to say goodbye.
• Watch your other pets. Animals can grieve too. Keeping their routine steady and giving a little extra attention usually helps.
• Lean on others who understand. UAE pet owner communities and your vet's team are often a real source of comfort.

Many people find comfort in the idea of the "Rainbow Bridge", the thought of a pet waiting, healthy and happy, until you meet again. If that helps you, hold on to it.

7. Common questions

This guide is general information to help you through a difficult time, not legal or veterinary advice. Services, rules and prices change, so please confirm details with your vet, the provider or your municipality.