Understanding Pet Aquamation: A Gentle Alternative

When a pet dies, families are often asked to make decisions at a time when they least feel able to. Knowing your options ahead of time can make that moment a little easier. Aquamation is one of those options, and while it is still less familiar than cremation, it has been used for pet aftercare for well over a decade and is growing quickly in Australia.

What is aquamation?

Aquamation is the common name for alkaline hydrolysis, a process that uses water rather than fire. You may also hear it called water cremation, flameless cremation or bio-cremation. Instead of flame, it uses a gentle flow of warm water mixed with an alkaline solution to do what nature would otherwise do over many years in the soil, in a matter of hours.

How the process works

Your pet is placed in a stainless steel vessel with a solution that is roughly 95% water and 5% alkali (potassium or sodium hydroxide). The water is warmed and gently circulated. Together, the warmth, water flow and alkalinity break down the soft tissues into their basic building blocks: amino acids, sugars, salts and minerals.

Depending on the equipment and the size of your pet, the cycle usually takes somewhere between 4 and 20 hours. Lower-temperature systems take longer; higher-temperature systems are quicker. Either way, there is no flame and no smoke.

What you receive back

At the end of the process only the bone minerals remain. These are dried and gently reduced to a fine, soft powder, which is returned to you in an urn or keepsake of your choice. Many families notice that the ashes are paler and softer than cremated remains, and there is typically more of them, as none of the bone is lost to the flame. At Ripple, families generally receive around 20% more ashes than they would from flame cremation.

What happens to the water?

The remaining liquid is a sterile solution of natural nutrients. It contains no DNA or tissue and is handled in line with environmental requirements before it is returned to the water cycle.

Is my pet treated individually?

This is one of the most common questions we are asked, and it is an important one. At Ripple, every pet is individually identified with a unique tracking number from the moment we collect them until their ashes are returned to you, so you can be confident the ashes you receive are your pet's alone.

Why families choose aquamation

• It is gentle: water rather than flame, which many people find a more peaceful way to say goodbye.
• It is kinder to the environment, using a fraction of the energy of flame cremation with no smoke or direct emissions.
• More ashes are returned for memorialising.
• It is suitable for pets of every size, from birds and rabbits to large dogs.

If you have questions about aquamation, or would like to plan ahead, our team is happy to talk it through with you, with no pressure and no obligation.