because I have to think about it

[asterroc]

I'm leaning towards cremation. that way i could bury her ashes when I decide which friend of mine's property is most appropriate, since i don't have any myself and neither do my parents, or wait until i do have property a few years down the line, or scatter them somewhere nice, or just save them until I know what's right. funny thing is, i'd always joked I should get her stuffed and mounted, but i never would with her recent feather plucking - it's not the way she's supposed to look, the way she always looked.

Comments

[rubicat.livejournal.com]

I have had to deal with the same thing, since we rent. This is our porch, and those huge pots are filled with the remains of around six or seven guinea pigs - we bury the piggies and cover their bodies with charcoal, then plant flowers on top. We put rocks on top of the soil to prevent critters from digging. I've done this since 1998, and the white gargoyle you see is one of two "guardians" that usually sit in the pots (the beaver is just a cute thing). Whatever you choose to do, I'm sure that you will find a way to honor her when the time comes!


(that's my husband, always the grudgingly willing subject. :) )

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

My dad had originally brought up burial, and it just hadn't occurred to me b/c I don't have any space to bury her. And anyway she's not an outdoor animal so it's not like there's anywhere outside that I associate with her. But one of my friends said I could bury her on their property if I choose to go that route. But it just doesn't hold any appeal for me.

I've also had donation in my head - like how people can donate organs or even their whole cadaver like to medical students. Do you know if I could donate her body to vet students? It is less meaningful to me directly, but it will help vets to help other birds, which I think is important since typically vets know so little about birds.

[rubicat.livejournal.com]

I imagine you could - we donated one of our piggies for the vet to figure out what was wrong. She took out what she needed, sewed her up, and sent her home with us. Your vet would be able to tell you what options there are. It's pretty hard to think about stuff like that, but it's good that you are able to ... you are a good person.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

*dryly* My parents have pre-paid a funeral for my Nga Boo - my Chinese grandmother who believes that doing so sends you to your grave earlier. We're nothing if not practical.

Actually, it's my Nga Boo's health problems that first started me thinking altruistically about my own body. After her first heart attack while I was in college I realized that without the blood of donors she'd be dead. I've told my parents that upon my death I'd be perfectly willing to donate my whole body for science/students. They're not too happy with that, but they'll accept organ donation, and it's on my driver's license.

(Sometimes I wonder if donating my body would help get a cure for my skin for other people condition sooner. I doubt it. Maybe I'll be lucky and they'll solve it sooner than my death.)

[marquiswildbill.livejournal.com]

First my deepest sympathy for Peeper's condition, I hope it turns out to be better than it looks now.
My family treats pets like family members, we actually had a funeral service for my old cat, Shucks, who was like my mother's third child.
Major props for being an organ donor. Because you have a rare condition, your body might actually be used for medical research. Unlike 90%+ of donated bodies. A friend from school wants to be a forensic scientist and is constantly reading books on the subject, apparently if you donate your body, it's more likely to end up being left out in various weather conditions to help provide data for comparison for doing time of death and stuff. After learning that, I'll stick with just my organs being donated.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Huh! That's cool too, but the purpose of donating my body would be to help people, which I'm not sure forensics does as directly as I'd like. I thought that donated bodies either went to scientific research or (much more often) to med schools for students.

I don't know if I could/would do a funeral for Peeper. It wouldn't have any meaning for her, and I don't think it'd affect my own healing process. If I were to do anything I'd want it *after* I'd recovered - which is why I'm leaning towards cremation, then I could save her remains until I was ready.