Nobody researches this in advance. You look it up on the worst day, usually in a clinic car park, usually while crying, and you make a decision in twenty minutes that you will think about for years.
This page exists so that some of that decision is already made.
We are going to be plain about the practical parts, because vagueness is not kindness here. If you are reading this on the day, skip to What to do in the first hour.
What to do in the first hour
You do not have to decide immediately. A body can be kept safely for several hours, and most providers and many clinics will hold your pet while you think. Ask the clinic whether they can keep her, and for how long.
You can take her home first if you want time with her, or if there are children or another animal in the house who should be allowed to understand what happened. This is normal and providers will not find it strange.
Ring two places, not one. Prices, waiting times and what is included vary widely, and the first number you find is not necessarily the right one.
Ask whether they collect. Most providers in Metro Manila will collect from a clinic or from your home, and that is usually easier than driving.
The one question that matters most
"Is this a private cremation or a communal one?"
This is the decision that catches people out, and it is worth being precise:
- Private — your pet is cremated alone. The ashes you get back are theirs.
- Communal or group — several animals are cremated together. Ashes are generally not returned, and where something is returned it cannot be only your pet.
Both are legitimate and both are chosen by loving owners. Communal costs considerably less and many people choose it knowing exactly what it is. What you must not do is assume you are getting one and receive the other.
⚠ Ask the word explicitly. "Private" and "individual" are used inconsistently, and some providers use "individual" to mean animals cremated separately but in the same chamber in sequence. Ask what happens physically, not what it is called.
If getting the ashes back matters to you, ask that too, in those words.
The other questions worth asking
Can I be present? Some providers allow witnessed cremation. If that matters to you, ask — it is usually arranged in advance, not on the day.
How long until I get them back? Typically a few days. Ask so that you are not waiting by a phone wondering.
What is included in the price? Collection, the urn, a paw print, a certificate — some are included, some are extras added later. Ask for the total.
What size band am I in? Almost all pricing is by weight. Ask which band your pet falls into so the figure you are quoted is the figure you pay.
Aquamation, and why you may see it
Several Metro Manila providers now offer aquamation — also called water cremation or alkaline hydrolysis. It uses water and alkali rather than flame, takes longer, and uses considerably less energy. The result is the same: remains returned to you.
It is not better or worse. It is a preference, and it is worth knowing the word exists before somebody offers it to you on a hard day.
What we list
OpenVet tracks pet farewell providers across Metro Manila — cremation, aquamation and aftercare services — with addresses, contact numbers and hours.
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Well over half of them list 24-hour availability. That matters more in this category than in most: pets do not die during office hours, and a provider who answers at 11pm is the difference between resolving something that night and sitting with it until morning.
⚠ As with every time claim on this site, those hours come from the provider's own listing rather than from a call we made. Ring before you travel.
A note on what this costs
We are not going to print a price range here, because we do not have one we can stand behind. Pricing in this category varies by weight band, by private versus communal, and by what is bundled — and unlike routine vet care, almost nobody publishes it.
What we can tell you is that the gap between the cheapest and most expensive quote for the same animal can be several thousand pesos, which is the argument for ringing two.
If you provide this service and you publish your prices, we will list them with a link to your page and the date we checked. That is the whole offer. Nobody can pay to rank on OpenVet.
Find pet farewell services near you: [openvet.now/services/farewell](/services/farewell)
If a listing here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it the same day.