Pet freeze-drying and taxidermy in Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay has an estimated 1,950 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.
- Clear steps for the first few hours
- Shipping frozen, explained plainly
- No pressure, we reply by email
Horseshoe Bay, Texas
Preserving a pet from Horseshoe Bay: the local picture
Free bereavement phone lines, and online circles for people mourning animals, can be reached from any home in the Highland Lakes. Retirees who live alone or as a couple may find it particularly helpful to speak with someone who understands, since losing a daily companion changes the shape of every morning and evening, from the first coffee to the last look out at the lake.
Some families choose to hold a remembrance when children or grandchildren next visit the lake, sometimes months later. A lidded box on a closet shelf is all the ashes require until that visit comes around. Taking a boat out at sunset, sharing stories on the dock or setting a new plant into the garden side by side can turn that visit into a farewell everyone remembers.
Small towns like Horseshoe Bay often have a taxidermist who does deer and turkeys each season. They may be willing to freeze your pet for you, or to point you to someone who does pets, and that can be a real help. Just remember that mounting a buck and recreating your cat's face are different skills, so look at their pet work before you commit.
About 5,339 people live in Horseshoe Bay, which makes it the 240th-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. Austin, roughly 42 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Horseshoe Bay run from there.
The closest communities we cover are Marble Falls (6 miles), Burnet (17 miles) and Lakeway (26 miles, a larger centre). Providers serving those towns often travel to Horseshoe Bay too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
1,950
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Horseshoe Bay
How we calculated this
5,339 ÷ 2.5 = 2,136 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 1,950. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
160
Horseshoe Bay families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
1,950 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 160 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.
The numbers above come from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, if you'd like to read the original sources.
What local cremation habits mean for your request
Human cremation sits around 55.7%[5] in Texas, and pet aftercare choices are broad as a result: crematories, pet cemeteries, home burial and a few preservers taking work by mail. That choice is welcome, but it also means your vet may assume whichever path is most common at their practice. Put your request in writing, even a quick email, stating that your pet is to be frozen and held.
For the Texas figure we rely on NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Horseshoe Bay rather than as pet data.
How Horseshoe Bay's climate affects the first hours
Whatever the weather in Horseshoe Bay, a freezer is the only safe place to hold a pet for preservation. Fridges, cool rooms and outdoor spaces all let the body keep changing. If you don't have space at home, ask your vet, an emergency clinic or a friend with a chest freezer to hold your pet for a few days.
Prices by pet size, and what adds to them
Shipping, a custom base and special positioning all sit on top of the headline price. One price guide puts add-ons such as bases or posing at about $150–$800[6], and return shipping of the finished piece is often quoted separately. By our estimate, freeze-drying costs about six times as much as an average pet cremation[7], so ask for a written total before you pay a deposit.
We keep the detailed Texas price table on one page so it stays current: see Texas prices.
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 Texas
Taxidermy licensing mostly exists to stop trade in protected wildlife, not to regulate pet owners. Still, a careful practitioner will ask what species your pet is and where they came from, and may ask for proof that an unusual pet was legally kept. That's a good sign. If part of your pet is going to be buried or cremated, the usual rules for Texas apply to that part.
To find your county or city office in Texas, start with the official Texas local government directory.
The rules that apply across Texas (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Texas page. Horseshoe Bay may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
The first hours, step by step
- Check how warm the room is first. Turn on the air conditioning or carry your pet to the coolest tiled or concrete floor in the house.
- Use what you have tonight. A cleared kitchen freezer, or a cooler of bagged ice under a towel, will hold a small pet until morning.
- Leave the coat dry. Blot the mouth and rear with paper towel only; wet fur freezes into clumps that are harder to work with.
- Write down when you found your pet and the time they were put in the cold; a best guess is fine if you aren't sure.
- Phone your vet when they open if your pet won't fit in your freezer, and be clear that a preservation specialist will be taking them.
- Contact practitioners once your pet is frozen solid, telling them what kind of animal, how heavy, and attaching a current photo.
Caring for the piece, and for the memories
Many Horseshoe Bay residents moved here in retirement, sometimes far from children and grandchildren, and a companion animal can be the centre of daily life. Losing that companion can leave an unexpectedly large gap. A quiet gathering on the patio or by the water, with neighbours in person or family joining by video, can help mark it without much planning.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, run the numbers with the free planning tools, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, or compare your instinct with the poll results. Close to Horseshoe Bay we also cover Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and El Paso; the full list for Texas and for the United States is a click away.
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 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 were preserving your pet, which route would you lean toward?
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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
Where are the providers that serve Horseshoe Bay actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Austin, about 42 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Horseshoe Bay and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How many pet owners live in Horseshoe Bay?
By our estimate, about 1,950 households in Horseshoe Bay have at least one dog or cat, and around 160 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 5,339, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Horseshoe Bay?
Usually yes. Marble Falls is about 6 miles away, Burnet is about 17 miles away and Lakeway is about 26 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Is cremation common in Texas?
For people, yes: about 55.7%[5] of Texas 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 Horseshoe Bay follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
What if I don't know how warm it was when my pet died?
Tell the practitioner exactly what you do know: roughly when your pet died, where they were lying, whether the heating or air conditioning was on, and the time they were frozen. A practitioner can often judge suitability from that plus a few photos, and some will assess your pet once they arrive. Freeze your pet now either way, since nothing is lost by it.
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[8], and both freeze-drying and taxidermy often take 6–12 months[9]. 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.
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 Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Taxidermy and freeze-drying add-ons such as custom bases or positioning cost about $150–$800. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [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.
- [8] 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.
- [9] Both traditional taxidermy and freeze-drying typically take 6–12 months, sometimes longer. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
Tell us about your pet and what you'd like kept
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.