Pet freeze-drying and taxidermy in Ankeny
Ankeny has an estimated 28,500 dog- or cat-owning households, by our count. Very few local vets handle a preservation request often, so this page walks you through the freezing, shipping and waiting yourself.
- Real published prices, never guesses
- Care tips for a preserved pet at home
- Gentler options if full preservation isn't right
Ankeny, Iowa
What pet preservation is like in Ankeny
Saying goodbye at home suits many Ankeny families with young children, who may find a clinic unfamiliar or frightening. A house-call vet spares everyone the drive, and the family can stay with the pet until collection. Book as early as you can. If you choose the clinic instead, ask for the last appointment of the day, when the waiting room is usually quieter.
A farewell in Ankeny might be a backyard gathering once the ashes return, with neighbors who knew the pet, a few stories and something planted. Some families prefer a quiet trip to a lake or park the animal loved, marked only by a moment of silence. Choose whatever feels true to the pet and to your household, and don't worry about what others usually do.
Overnight carriers don't always reach small towns overnight. From Ankeny, you may need to drive the cooler to a depot or shipping counter in a larger centre such as Des Moines to make the cut-off. Ask your practitioner what service they want, then call the depot ahead to confirm the late pickup time and whether they accept packages containing dry ice.
With roughly 77,833 residents, Ankeny is the 5th-largest of the 27 Iowa communities we cover. Des Moines, roughly 10 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Ankeny run from there.
Families in Ankeny often end up using a provider from Johnston (7 miles), Altoona (8 miles) and Des Moines (10 miles, a larger centre). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
28,500
Ankeny: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
77,833 ÷ 2.5 = 31,133 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 28,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
2,400
Ankeny families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
28,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,400 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
Where these figures come from: American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Why preservation means speaking up early in Iowa
In Iowa, about 63.6%[5] of people are cremated, with burial still common. That mix shows up in pet aftercare too, and preservation sits alongside both. Some families preserve a paw or tail and bury the rest in the garden; others freeze-dry their whole pet. There's no local custom telling you which is right, which leaves you free to choose.
The Iowa figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
How Ankeny weather changes your timeline
Ankeny has 5 months with average lows below freezing, which slows things down a little in winter. Cold doesn't replace a freezer, though. A garage or porch warms up during the day and cools again at night, and those freeze-thaw swings damage skin and fur. Use a proper freezer, even in January, and keep your pet in it once they're in.
Cold, dry winter air in Ankeny is kind to freeze-dried work, but carrying a preserved pet from a cold car into a warm house can fog a glass case with condensation. If your pet comes home in January, leave the box closed indoors for an hour or two so it warms gradually before you unwrap it.
Budgeting for freeze-drying or taxidermy from Ankeny
It helps to set preservation beside ordinary aftercare. Private dog cremation averages about $260[6] nationally, while one price guide puts freeze-drying a cat or little dog at $1,000–$2,500[7]. By our estimate, that makes freeze-drying roughly ten times the price of a private cremation[8]. Seen that way, a single preserved paw with the rest cremated can be a sensible middle path for families in Ankeny.
Prices for Ankeny track the wider Iowa market, so use the Iowa price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
Wildlife permits, shipping and local rules in Iowa
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 Iowa guidance below.
Iowa keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Ankeny.
The Iowa page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Ankeny's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
The first hours, step by step
- Don't rush into a decision, rush into a freezer. Which method and which practitioner are questions that can wait.
- Keep your pet away from warmth: off the blankets, out of the sun, never in a vehicle.
- Wrap them in two heavy bags, squeeze out the air, and get them frozen inside hours.
- Talk with the people you live with about which room the finished piece would go in and who'd be looking at it daily.
- Look at finished pets of your species from each practitioner, ideally unedited photos in daylight.
- Ask for a written quote covering base, chosen pose, shipping there and back, and later touch-ups.
- Expect a long wait and plan how you'll mark those months, for example with a small memorial at home.
Other ways to keep your pet close
Grief after losing a pet affects every age, and children in particular may ask the same questions many times. Answer simply and honestly. Helplines for grieving pet owners run nationwide if adults in the house need to talk, and Des Moines has counselors and vet clinics that can point you toward local groups. Expect the routines of the day, like feeding time, to sting for a while.
or compare your instinct with the poll results, Every option Ankeny families choose between is on the services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones. If you live between Ankeny and Cedar Rapids, Davenport, West Des Moines and Sioux City, either page applies. Every other community in Iowa, and all of the United States, is listed too.
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.
How do you feel about waiting months for a preserved pet to come home?
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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 pet owners live in Ankeny?
By our estimate, about 28,500 households in Ankeny have at least one dog or cat, and around 2,400 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 77,833, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Is cremation common in Iowa?
For people, yes: about 63.6%[5] of Iowa deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Ankeny follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ankeny?
The closest communities we cover are Johnston (about 7 miles), Altoona (about 8 miles) and Des Moines (about 10 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ankeny too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Does the Ankeny climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 86°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, November and December, when lows sit below freezing, a home burial may have to wait for a thaw, so cremation with ashes returned keeps your options open.
Is it legal to preserve my pet bird, turtle or snake?
For captive-bred pets such as budgies, cockatiels, parrots, corn snakes and most pet tortoises, usually yes. Native wild species are different: many wild birds, turtles and reptiles are protected, and possessing or preserving them can require a permit even if you kept them legally. Tell the practitioner exactly what species your pet is and where they came from before you ship.
What if my family doesn't want a preserved pet at home?
It's common for one person to love the idea while another finds it upsetting. Freezing your pet buys time to talk it over. Many families settle on a middle path: a preserved paw or a few feathers kept in one person's room, a paw cast, or cremation with a lock of fur. Decide together where any piece would be kept and who has to see it.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected Iowa's cremation rate at 63.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [7] 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.
- [8] Freeze-drying a cat or small dog costs about 10 times a private cremation. Our estimate: midpoint freeze-dry $1,750 ($1,000–$2,500) / $175 (private cremation 3–24 lb, NC provider). How we calculate.
- [9] The pet preservation (freeze-dry/taxidermy) market adds only about USD 2.7 million a year, far slower than pet funeral services. Our estimate: (112.7M - 88.6M) / 9 years. How we calculate.
Ask which practitioners take your pet
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.