Thinking about preserving your pet in Myrtle Beach?
Roughly 1,250 dogs and cats die in Myrtle Beach each year, by our estimate, and most go to cremation by default. If you'd like to preserve yours, tell your vet today and get them into a freezer within hours.
- What to tell your vet or emergency clinic
- Freezer and power-cut backup plans
- Practitioners chosen by portfolio, not postcode
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Where Myrtle Beach owners find freezer space and practitioners
Some Myrtle Beach families step onto the sand at sunrise, before the crowds arrive, for a quiet goodbye and a hibiscus bloom laid at the tide line. Others stay home, light a candle and pass old photos around the table. Most providers can allow a private goodbye before cremation; mention it the moment you make contact, so nobody feels rushed.
Some Grand Strand families walk the shore at Myrtle Beach State Park every year on the date; others plant a palmetto or hibiscus by the patio. A grandchild visiting in summer might decorate a whelk shell to keep by the urn. Remembering has no set shape, and whatever your household chooses honors the animal who shared those years with you.
Snow, floods or a long drive can make reaching a larger centre such as Myrtle Beach from Myrtle Beach impossible on the day your pet dies. Don't wait for the roads to clear before cooling your pet. Use your own freezer, a neighbor's, or a cooler topped up with fresh ice every few hours, and write down each step, because a practitioner will ask.
Myrtle Beach's population is around 40,937, the 11th-largest of the 29 South Carolina communities we cover.
The closest communities we cover are Conway (13 miles), North Myrtle Beach (13 miles) and Leland (60 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Myrtle Beach too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
15,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Myrtle Beach
How we calculated this
40,937 ÷ 2.5 = 16,375 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 15,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
1,250
Estimated dog and cat losses in Myrtle Beach each year
How we calculated this
15,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,250 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry; we only apply it to this.
Aftercare traditions in South Carolina, and choosing to preserve
Roughly 56.1%[5] of people in South Carolina are cremated, and the rest are mostly buried, so families here are used to both ideas. Preservation is a third way of keeping a pet close, and one with a hard deadline: it has to be decided on, at least provisionally, before the body warms. Freeze first, and the burial or cremation choice for anything you don't keep can wait.
The South Carolina percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Myrtle Beach, not as a count of pets.
Keeping your pet frozen through Myrtle Beach's weather
We don't have detailed climate records for Myrtle Beach, so plan for the warmest case. After a pet dies, warmth starts loosening the fur within hours, and that damage can rule out preservation. Keep your pet cool on a hard floor and get them into a freezer the same day, double-bagged with the air pressed out.
Preservation prices beside other aftercare
Birds, reptiles and small mammals have their own price points. One US studio lists $650–$1,350[6] for a small bird, with bearded dragons around $850 and hedgehogs, rats or ferrets around $950[6]. Small pets also ship in smaller coolers with less dry ice, so the total from Myrtle Beach is usually far lower than for a cat or dog.
The South Carolina price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
When the rules in South Carolina come into play
Two kinds of rules can apply to a preserved pet. Wildlife rules come first: if your pet is a native wild bird, turtle, snake or other protected species, possessing or preserving them may need paperwork, even if you kept them legally for years. Then there are the ordinary aftercare rules on burial at home and scattering ashes, for any part of your pet you don't keep.
Not sure which office covers Myrtle Beach? The South Carolina local government directory is the official list.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the South Carolina level first; our South Carolina rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Myrtle Beach or your HOA adds anything.
Your checklist, in the order it matters
- If your pet is at a clinic, have the staff note clearly on the file that your pet is being kept for preservation and is not to go for cremation.
- Ask them to freeze, not refrigerate, and to keep any clipping of the coat to the bare minimum.
- Bring your pet home frozen in a cooler, or arrange for the practitioner or a courier to collect.
- Keep your pet frozen solid for a day or two at minimum before shipping; practitioners generally insist on this.
- Pack in a thick cooler with dry ice, labeled as the carrier requires, and send overnight on a Monday or Tuesday.
- Keep the tracking number, then check with the practitioner that your pet was moved into their freezer the moment the box arrived.
Other ways to keep your pet close
Retirees and newcomers who moved to the Grand Strand alone often find a pet's death deeply isolating, since that animal was frequently their main daily company. Lean on a neighbor, a golf partner, a card club or someone from church. Veterinary-school grief lines and online memorial communities are reachable from anywhere, including late at night when a condo feels emptiest.
or look at how readers voted in our polls, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, run the numbers with the free planning tools, The services page is the place to compare what is included. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover North Charleston, Columbia, Charleston and Mount Pleasant, and every city in South Carolina.
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.
How do you feel about waiting months for a preserved pet to come home?
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
Roughly how many pets die in Myrtle Beach each year?
Our estimate is around 1,250. It comes from Myrtle Beach's population (about 40,937), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 15,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
How do South Carolina attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the South Carolina human cremation rate at about 56.1%[5]. We show it on the Myrtle Beach page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Myrtle Beach?
The closest communities we cover are Conway (about 13 miles), North Myrtle Beach (about 13 miles) and Leland (about 60 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Myrtle Beach too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Does the euthanasia injection affect preservation?
Generally, no. Practitioners routinely work on pets who were put to sleep. What matters far more is what happens next: how much fur was clipped, whether your pet was kept cool and how soon they were frozen. Mention any shaved patches or bandaged areas when you describe your pet, so the practitioner knows what to expect when your pet thaws.
Do I need a permit to have a wild bird preserved in the US?
Most native wild birds are protected under federal law, and possessing one, even a bird you found dead, can be illegal without a permit. Domestic and captive-bred birds, such as budgies, cockatiels, parrots, chickens and domestic pigeons, are generally outside those rules. If your bird is anything else, ask the practitioner and your state wildlife agency before you ship.
Should I tell my vet about preservation before a planned euthanasia?
Yes, ideally when you book. The clinic can then plan to put your pet in a freezer rather than add them to the crematory collection, clip only a small patch of fur for the injection and give you a quiet room with time afterward to settle your pet into a natural shape. If you've already chosen a practitioner, ask them whether they have any requests for the vet, and pass them on.
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 South Carolina's cremation rate at 56.1% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Freeze-drying costs about $850 for a bearded dragon, $950 for a hedgehog, rat or ferret, and $650–$1,350 for a small bird at one Ohio studio. Animal Family Pet Preservation – Pricing, 2026.
- [7] 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.
Get pet preservation options in Myrtle Beach
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.