At Passing Paws After Care we use the gentle process of Aquamation. Aquamation is an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial. It uses water to return the pet back to nature (the process of hydrolysis), since pets and humans are already made up of 65% water. This is the same process that occurs naturally when a pet is buried, only this is an accelerated, sterile process. Aquamation is considered to be the green alternative because there is no release of green house gases, carbon monoxide, mercury, etc., which occurs in flame based cremation or traditional burial. The gentle process takes approximately 20 hours, by returning the proteins and fat into amino acids, peptides, sugars, salts and minerals. The sterile effluent is not only benign, it is beneficial; it can be used for fertilizer, or as an excellent micro-nutrient package that benefits water treatment plants. Our water is returned back to nature via the water treatment plant, where it is purified, filtered and recycled back to the earth. Similar to cremation, the only solid remains are the mineral ash of the bones. The ash is a light sage or white color because it retains more minerals, is clean, and without carbon discoloration. The bone fragments are processed into a powdered consistency after the aquamation process is complete and then dried for several more days, then you receive ash remains just like you would with flame based cremation. This is a gentle process, preserving your pet's dignity and giving owners back an additional 20% of their loved ones remains. Making this environmentally conscious choice is a wonderful way to honor your pet.
