Pet taxidermy and freeze-dry options for O'Fallon, Missouri
By our estimate, about 35,500 households in O'Fallon have a dog or cat. Only a small share of families ever consider preservation, so if you're one of them, here's how to freeze your pet in time and what comes next.
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O'Fallon, Missouri
What pet preservation is like in O'Fallon
Your regular vet's office often keeps a list of local pet-loss groups, counselors and hotlines, so it's worth asking at the front desk when you pick up the ashes or settle the bill. Grief can hit hardest in the first few weeks, particularly at the times of day you used to spend together. That's normal, and support is available.
Farewells in O'Fallon often take place in the house, attended by a house-call practitioner, in a quiet room with the pet's own bed and toys nearby. Some families like to include grandparents on a video call if they live far away. Afterward, young children may want to help pick a spot for a memorial stone or a photo frame, which gives them a job and a sense of taking part.
Dry ice isn't always stocked in a town the size of O'Fallon. If you're shipping your pet to a distant practitioner, you may need to buy it in a larger centre such as St. Louis on the morning you send. Handle it with gloves, keep the car windows cracked while you drive and never seal it into an airtight container, because the gas needs to escape.
O'Fallon is home to about 96,101 people, the 7th-largest of the 43 Missouri communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is St. Louis, about 30 miles (48 km) away, which is where some providers serving O'Fallon are based.
O'Fallon sits within easy reach of Lake St. Louis (3 miles), St. Peters (6 miles) and Wentzville (8 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from O'Fallon; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
35,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in O'Fallon
How we calculated this
96,101 ÷ 2.5 = 38,440 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 35,500. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
2,950
O'Fallon families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
35,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,950 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
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.
To check the figures yourself, see American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Aftercare traditions in Missouri, and choosing to preserve
About 59.8%[5] of people in Missouri choose cremation. Attitudes are shifting, and that openness extends to pets, where families increasingly want something personal rather than the standard option. Preservation is the most personal of all, and still unusual. Expect to explain what you want to your vet more than once, and to find the practitioner yourself.
That Missouri rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for O'Fallon only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
How O'Fallon weather changes your timeline
O'Fallon has 3 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 weather in O'Fallon is actually easier for shipping a frozen pet. With average lows around 21°F in January, a well-packed cooler stays frozen longer in transit. The risk shifts to delays: snow can hold up carriers, so send early in the week, keep the tracking number close and ask the practitioner to confirm the moment the box arrives.
What pet preservation costs in O'Fallon
The simplest guide is weight. One published US price list charges USD 650[6] for a pet under a pound, $2,095 plus $49 a pound for pets of 6 to 19 lb, and $2,781 plus $69 a pound above 20 lb[7]. On our reading of that list, a 10 lb cat comes to about USD 2,291–2,585[8]. Other studios charge less, and some more.
We keep the detailed Missouri price table on one page so it stays current: see Missouri prices.
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What Missouri rules mean for a preserved pet
Shipping a frozen pet has its own rules. Dry ice is regulated for transport, so carriers ask for the package to be labeled with the amount used, and some services won't accept it at all. Ask your practitioner which carrier they want and follow their packing instructions exactly. For anything you don't preserve, the usual burial and scattering rules in Missouri apply.
The official Missouri local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in O'Fallon.
We keep Missouri's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Missouri rules summary. Before a home burial in O'Fallon, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
Your checklist, in the order it matters
- Tell your child what's happening in simple words before their pet goes into the freezer, so it isn't a secret kept in the kitchen.
- Double-bag a small pet and place them in a lidded tub, which keeps bags of frozen food from pressing down on them.
- Let your child help pick a pose from photos, such as curled asleep or sitting up the way they sat at the cage door.
- Explain the wait honestly: many months, and a pet who will look asleep rather than alive when they come home.
- Make a memory box together while you wait, with a drawing, the name card from the cage and a favorite photo.
- Agree where the finished piece will live, a place your child can look at whenever they like but won't be touching daily.
Once the finished piece is home in O'Fallon
Some O'Fallon families hold a memorial on the first warm weekend of spring, when the ground thaws and backyard gardens come back to life. Plant a perennial, share favorite photos, or say a few words together. Others wait until the anniversary. Whatever timing you choose, a small gathering can help bring closure. Even two people on a patio, sharing one good story each, is a real memorial.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, try the free planning tools, or look at how readers voted in our polls, look through our guides and the blog. More local pages: Lee's Summit, St. Louis, Springfield and Kansas City, the Missouri overview and every city in the United States.
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.
If your pet died today, could you freeze them properly within a few hours?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from O'Fallon?
Usually yes. Lake St. Louis is about 3 miles away, St. Peters is about 6 miles away and Wentzville is about 8 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Does the O'Fallon climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 88°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February 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.
Where are the providers that serve O'Fallon actually based?
Some are local, and some run from St. Louis, about 30 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for O'Fallon and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is O'Fallon big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 35,500 O'Fallon households keep a dog or cat and around 2,950 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 96,101), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
How long will I wait for a preserved pet?
Months. Freeze-drying takes three to six months for small pets and seven or more for large dogs[10], and both freeze-drying and taxidermy often take 6–12 months[11]. Add the practitioner's queue before your pet even goes into the chamber. Ask for an estimated return date in writing, and ask whether they send updates along the way.
Can I preserve just a paw or tail and have the rest of my pet cremated?
Yes, and many families find it easier to live with than a full-body piece. The practitioner preserves the paw, tail, wing or feathers, and the rest of your pet goes to a cremation provider. Agree in writing who handles the handover and that the cremation is private, so the ashes you get back are your pet's alone. Partial work usually costs far less and takes less time.
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 Missouri's cremation rate at 59.8% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [7] An Ohio pet preservation studio prices freeze-drying for pets over 20 lb at $2,781 plus $69 per pound, and 6–19 lb pets at $2,095 plus $49 per pound. Animal Family Pet Preservation – Pricing, 2026.
- [8] Freeze-drying a 10 lb cat at one published price list would cost about USD 2,290–2,590. Our estimate: Low: 2,095 + 49 x (10-6) lb; High: 2,095 + 49 x 10 lb. How we calculate.
- [9] 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.
- [10] 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.
- [11] Both traditional taxidermy and freeze-drying typically take 6–12 months, sometimes longer. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
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