Pet preservation in West Allis
Roughly 1,850 dogs and cats die in West Allis 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.
- Freeze first, decide later
- Published prices by pet size
- Help finding a specialist who takes your species
West Allis, Wisconsin
Finding a practitioner from West Allis
Some West Allis families hold their remembrance months later, around a backyard grill in July or beside a planter of spring bulbs they put in together. There is no timetable to follow. Ashes can stay safely at home, and picking a day when grandparents, cousins and friends can all come often makes the gathering feel fuller and warmer than a hurried one.
In West Allis the houses sit close enough that neighbors know one another's animals, and often it is the family next door who notices first that a familiar face is missing from the window. Let them in on it. A brief farewell on the front porch or in the backyard, with a few people who remember the animal, can bring more comfort than you might expect.
News travels in a place like West Allis, and some owners worry about what neighbors will think of a preserved pet. You don't owe anyone an explanation. Preservation is an old, ordinary choice, and plenty of people keep a paw, a tail or a whole pet at home quietly. Decide what feels right for your family first, and let the rest follow.
With roughly 60,119 residents, West Allis is the 11th-largest of the 50 Wisconsin communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Milwaukee, about 7 miles (11 km) away, which is where some providers serving West Allis are based.
West Allis sits within easy reach of Greenfield (3 miles), Wauwatosa (4 miles) and New Berlin (6 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from West Allis; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
22,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in West Allis
How we calculated this
60,119 ÷ 2.5 = 24,048 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 22,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
1,850
dog and cat deaths per year in West Allis, our estimate
How we calculated this
22,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,850 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.
The published sources behind those figures are American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Local aftercare habits and pet preservation
Cremation is the norm in Wisconsin: roughly 70.7%[5] of people who die there are cremated. Many families who choose preservation still end up using a crematory as well, for the parts of the pet they aren't keeping. A preserved paw with the rest of your pet cremated privately is a common pairing, and it fits comfortably with the way most people here already think about aftercare.
That Wisconsin rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for West Allis only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Keeping your pet frozen through West Allis's weather
In January, February, March and December, it's tempting to leave a pet outside in West Allis because it's cold enough. Please don't. Sunlight, wild animals and daytime thaws are all real risks, and a preserved pet needs to have stayed frozen without interruption. If there's no freezer space at home, ask your vet, or a friend with a chest freezer, to hold your pet for a few days.
With 4 months of freezing lows in West Allis, a death in January may come when roads are icy and clinics short-staffed. If you can't safely get to the vet, keep your pet indoors in the coolest room, not outside, and use your own freezer. A small pet fits a kitchen freezer, and a cat or dog can wait a few hours in a cooler packed with ice until the roads improve.
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.
Prices for West Allis track the wider Wisconsin market, so use the Wisconsin 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.
Permits, contracts and paperwork in Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin apply to that part.
The official Wisconsin local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in West Allis.
We keep Wisconsin's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Wisconsin rules summary. Before a home burial in West Allis, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
A checklist for the first hours
- Tell your vet or clinic straight away that preservation is on the table; otherwise your pet may go out with the cremation pickup that afternoon.
- Lay your pet in a relaxed position on their side, legs gently folded, before the body stiffens. Don't wash or brush them.
- Double-bag them in heavy plastic bags, pressing out as much air as you can, and seal each bag.
- Put them in the coldest freezer available within a few hours, not the fridge. Leave them there and don't take them out to look.
- Take photos you already have and gather more: their face from several angles, how their ears sat, any markings. The practitioner will need them.
- Choose a practitioner by their pet work, then get the price, deposit, return date and shipping plan in writing before anything leaves home.
Caring for the piece, and for the memories
Losing an animal can hurt as much as any other loss, and nobody owes an apology for feeling it. Free helplines for grieving owners, online groups and therapists across Milwaukee County are all within reach. If you are still struggling to sleep, eat or concentrate a few weeks on, a conversation with a professional who takes animal grief seriously is worth arranging.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, use the free tools before you ring anyone. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Madison, Appleton, Green Bay and Racine, and every city in Wisconsin.
Reader polls
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Questions people ask
How does West Allis's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in West Allis, with average highs around 82°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Roughly how many pets die in West Allis each year?
Our estimate is around 1,850. It comes from West Allis's population (about 60,119), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 22,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Where are the providers that serve West Allis actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Milwaukee, about 7 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for West Allis and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Which nearby towns can I compare with West Allis?
The closest communities we cover are Greenfield (about 3 miles), Wauwatosa (about 4 miles) and New Berlin (about 6 miles). Providers based in those places often serve West Allis too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
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.
What should I do if my pet dies while we're away from home?
Call the closest clinic or animal hospital wherever you are and ask for your pet to go into their freezer today, even if you're just passing through. Check how many days they could keep your pet, and whether a courier or the practitioner could pick up from there. If you'll be driving home together, use a hard cooler with dry ice, or ice you replace as it melts, and keep it out of the sun.
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 Wisconsin's cremation rate at 70.7% 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-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.
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