Pet Preservation in Canada
If your pet has just died and you might want them preserved, the only urgent job is getting them frozen. Everything else about preservation in Canada, from choosing a method to finding a practitioner, can wait until they are.
- Real published prices, never guesses
- Care tips for a preserved pet at home
- Gentler options if full preservation isn't right
Canada
Pet Preservation in Canada: what to know
Prices for pet preservation in Canada depend more on the pet than on the place. Size, species, pose and method drive the quote, and delivery can add a meaningful amount where distances are long. Where we've found published prices, we show them; where we haven't, we say so and give overseas figures for scale.
For families in Canada, the biggest hurdle is often the freezer, not the practitioner. A pet needs to be frozen within hours and kept frozen without a break, sometimes for weeks. Clinic freezers, borrowed chest freezers and dry ice during outages are what the whole process rests on, wherever in Canada you live.
We cover 30 communities in Canada, from Toronto, Montreal and Calgary to smaller towns.
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Pick your state or region to see every community we cover there, or jump straight to one of the largest cities.
Why preservation means speaking up early in Canada
In Canada, where cremation covers about 81.1%[1] of deaths, many families already keep ashes at home in an urn on a shelf. A preserved pet is a bigger step along the same line, keeping your companion close in physical form. Framing it that way can help relatives who find the idea strange. And if some of your pet goes to the crematory, the urn and the preserved piece can sit side by side.
We take the Canada percentage from CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). It refers to people; attitudes to cremating a pet tend to follow it.
What pet preservation costs in Canada
We haven't found reliable published pet preservation prices from Canadian studios yet, so we won't guess at them. For scale, US price guides put freeze-drying a cat or small dog at $1,000–$2,500[2] and traditional taxidermy at $800–$2,500[3], in US dollars. Canadian practitioners set their own prices, so ask for a written quote in Canadian dollars.
Size drives the price wherever you are. A small pet under a pound is at the low end, with one US studio listing USD 650[4], and big dogs sit at the top, often several thousand dollars. Add delivery each way, a base or case and any painting or touch-ups, then compare written totals rather than headline prices.
| Item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried pet under 1 lb (US studio) | USD 650[4] | For scale; ask Canadian practitioners in CAD |
| Freeze-dried cat or small dog (US guide) | $1,000–$2,500[2] | Waits often 6–12 months[5] |
| Taxidermy, cat or small dog (US guide) | $800–$2,500[3] | Priced artist by artist |
| Ceramic paw-print keepsake (Canadian studio) | from CA$155[6] | A gentler alternative, weeks not months |
| 1 oz heart keepsake urn (Canadian crematory) | CA$106[7] | If the rest of your pet is cremated |
To check the figures yourself, see Animal Family Pet and Memorials.com.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
Permits, contracts and paperwork in Canada
Keeping a preserved pet you loved is legal almost everywhere, but selling or passing on some preserved species later can be restricted, especially birds and reptiles covered by wildlife-trade rules. Keep the practitioner's invoice, your pet's purchase or breeder records and any permits with the finished piece, so its origin is never in doubt. Remains you don't keep follow the Canada guidance below.
In Canada, provinces license taxidermists mainly for wildlife and game, so a domestic cat or dog is usually outside those rules, while native birds and some reptiles are not. There are few pet preservation specialists, and sending a pet's body across the US border involves import paperwork and the risk of delays. Most Canadian families look within Canada first, even if it means a long drive or a domestic courier.
What to do now, and what can wait
- Find the nearest vet or emergency clinic wherever you are, and ask whether they can freeze your pet today.
- Ask how long they could hold your pet, and find out if they'd release your pet to a courier or practitioner straight from their premises.
- If you have to drive home, buy a hard-sided cooler and dry ice, or failing that a generous load of bagged ice, with your pet sealed in two bags beneath a towel.
- Check the ice every few hours on the road, and never leave the cooler in a parked car in the sun.
- Keep the clinic's paperwork, with the date, weight and cause of death, because the practitioner will want it.
- Choose the practitioner once you're settled, and take their advice on whether your pet should travel from the clinic or from home.
Once the finished piece is home in Canada
A glass dome or case is worth considering for any preserved pet. It keeps dust, insects and curious hands off delicate work, evens out humidity and makes the piece feel intentional rather than just placed on a chair. Ask your practitioner for the case dimensions they'd recommend, and budget for it alongside the preservation itself.
Next: see what each choice includes on services, run your own numbers in the tools, check the poll results, or pick another area from all locations.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
If you were preserving your pet, which route would you lean toward?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Where would a preserved pet live in your home?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Questions people ask
How many communities do you cover in Canada?
We have local pet preservation pages for 30 communities in Canada, including Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. Each one covers how to freeze and hold your pet there, what the local weather means for the first hours, shipping to a practitioner, and published prices.
How long does pet preservation take for families in Canada?
Usually months. Freeze-drying takes three to six months for small pets and seven or more for large dogs[9], and both freeze-drying and taxidermy often run 6–12 months[5]. Add the practitioner's queue. Ask for a return date in writing and whether they'll send updates.
What if nobody in Canada preserves pets?
Consider a partial keepsake, such as a lock of fur set in a frame, a paw print or cast made at home, or cremation paired with a small keepsake. If a practitioner elsewhere will take your pet, ask about the paperwork for moving an animal's body across borders before you plan anything.
Should I choose freeze-drying or taxidermy if I live in Canada?
Where you live matters less than your pet and the pose you want. Freeze-drying keeps your pet's own body and suits resting poses; taxidermy fits the tanned skin onto a sculpted body and allows alert or sitting poses. In humid parts of Canada, a sealed case matters more for freeze-dried work. Ask a practitioner which method suits your pet, and why.
How do I keep a preserved pet in good condition in Canada?
Keep it out of direct sun, away from damp rooms and heating vents, and check it now and then for moths or carpet beetles. Dust gently with a soft brush or a hair dryer on cool, and never wash it. In humid months, a dehumidifier or a sealed glass case helps protect freeze-dried work.
What should I do first if my pet dies in Canada and I might want them preserved?
Freeze them within hours. Lay your pet in a natural resting pose, don't wash them, double-bag them with the air pressed out and put them in the coldest freezer you have. If your pet is at a clinic, ask staff to freeze rather than refrigerate and to keep your pet out of the cremation collection. Everything else can wait.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030. CANA Industry Statistical Information, 2030.
- [2] Memorials.com puts freeze-drying at $1,000–$2,500 for a cat or small dog and $2,000–$5,000+ for a medium to large dog. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [3] Memorials.com puts traditional taxidermy at $800–$2,500 for a cat or small dog and $1,500–$5,000+ for a medium to large dog. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [4] One U.S. pet preservation studio charges USD 650 to freeze-dry a pet under 1 lb, with a 4–6 month turnaround. Animal Family Pet — Pet Preservation Pricing & Shipping, 2026.
- [5] Both traditional taxidermy and freeze-drying typically take 6–12 months, sometimes longer. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [6] Spawts, a Canadian studio, charges from CA$155 for a handmade ceramic paw-print keepsake and asks buyers to allow 3–4 weeks. Spawts – Ceramic keepsakes, 2026.
- [7] A 1 oz heart keepsake urn costs CA$106 at Okanagan Pet Cremation, more than its full-size solid wood urn at CA$79. Okanagan Pet Cremation – Urns, 2026.
- [8] Freeze-drying a pet costs about 6 times as much as an average cremation. Our estimate: USD 1,500 (midpoint of USD 1,000–2,000) / USD 250. How we calculate.
- [9] Freeze-dry preservation takes 3–6 months for small pets, 7+ months for large dogs and up to a year for very large animals. Astute Analytica via GlobeNewswire — Global Pet Preservation Services Market to Hit USD 112.7 Million by 2032 (Apr 2, 2024), 2024.
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