Silver Paw offers gentle water cremation for pets

LEETONIA, Ohio – For those who love the soothing properties of running water, Silver Paw Water Cremation offers a solution for grieving pet owners seeking a gentle cremation.

“End-of-life care is very important to me,” said Dr. Margee O’Donnell-Foust, veterinarian and owner of Silver Paw. “And helping them die peacefully has been very important to me, so I feel like this is the final step in knowing how well they are cared for.”

When she heard about water cremation, O’Donnell-Foust knew she had to make this dignified and peaceful process available to area pet owners. She traveled to Bio-Response Solutions, a family-owned company in Danville, Indiana, to learn about the process.

“That’s the way nature does it,” O’Donnell-Foust said. “The water temperature goes up a little bit, but it swirls, almost like a hot tub with the jets turned off, and it sounds almost like a fountain.”

Using about the same amount of water as two or three pet baths, the Pet550 machine has a large basket with dividers that keep up to 550 pounds of pets separated throughout the aquamation process, also known as alkaline hydrolysis.

The animal is slowly processed during a 20-hour immersion in a low-pressure bath at 204 degrees Fahrenheit, which contains 95 percent water and 5 percent alkali, a combination of sodium and potassium. The weight of the animals determines how much sodium and potassium is added.

After a one-hour rinse, the bones and minerals are collected and dried before being processed into ashes.

Silver Paw manager Becky Westover personally oversees the process. Westover has worked in the fire cremation business in the past, but loves water cremation.

“It’s much more peaceful,” Westover said. “The idea of ​​fire versus the gentle flow of water is unmatched for me. It’s definitely a gentler process.”

Westover meets owners at Silver Paw, 16 Walnut St. She also takes in pets, though that service isn’t available 24 hours a day.

Westover then gives each pet a silver tag with a number on it, allowing her to track the remains throughout the process and reassure owners that they are receiving their pet’s ashes. Eventually, the hope is to have an online option where an owner can also track their pet throughout the process.

With a turnaround time of about one to two weeks, the grieving owner knows that their pet’s remains will soon be back in their home if they choose the individual option. Those who choose common cremation will have their pet’s ashes scattered on private property by a staff member.

Still, O’Donnell-Foust and Westover believe returning a pet to a grieving family is a priority.

“It can definitely take a little bit longer than fire cremation, just because of the delicate nature of it,” O’Donnell-Foust said.

When individual water cremation is complete, the owner receives the silver plaque and the pet’s ashes, which resemble white sand. They are placed in a burlap bag inside a standard bamboo box or one of the other available containers and urns, along with a certificate indicating the date of the process.

The process results in approximately 20% more ashes than a traditional fire cremation.

O’Donnell-Foust said they are working with a designer from Humtown Products to create a larger containment option, because larger dogs do not fit in the largest pet containers available and have been requiring a human urn.

According to Global Market Insights, the pet cremation services industry market size in the United States was $1.3 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow further.

Cremations at Silver Paw start at $70 for a standard cremation and $95 for an individual cremation. Prices go up to just under $400, depending on the size of the animal.

Silver Paw also offers a line of items such as keepsake paw prints, jewelry, and small jars for storing hair clippings.

Additionally, the office includes a relaxing space with comfortable couches, running water and plants where Westover said she encourages people to express their grief, especially when they bring their pet to the facility. O’Donnell-Foust said she would like to add a pet loss support group for pet owners in the future.

“I treat every pet as if it were my own,” Westover said. “I feel like that’s the best way to treat other people’s animals, the same way I would want my own treated.”

O’Donnell-Foust said she initially purchased the building at 16 Walnut St. for her Bark Veterinary Clinic, which began operating in 2012, first as a mobile pet clinic and now at a location down the street.

However, she knew the building was not large enough to be a long-term solution for her veterinary business, but the location was an ideal place for her new venture.

Leetonia Mayor Kevin Siembida said the business has been a great addition to downtown, including the investment O’Donnell-Foust made in remodeling the previously vacant bank building.

Another added benefit has been seen at the wastewater treatment plant, where Siembida says the village needs to balance alkalinity and acidity levels. The more alkaline water discharged after water cremation helps balance the village’s more acidic water, allowing for fewer chemicals to be used than in the past.

O’Donnell-Foust said if someone were to collect the nutrient-rich water created through the process, it could be applied to trees, plants and crops as fertilizer.

“Between the energy savings and the lack of greenhouse gases or chemicals being released into the environment, what we’re putting out is beneficial,” O’Donnell-Foust said.

The process does not require the burning of fossil fuels and breaks down into natural byproducts of 96% water, while the remaining materials are composed of amino acids, sugars, nutrients, salts and soap.

When Silver Paw opened earlier this summer, there were only four other pet water cremation businesses in Ohio. While the process is permitted and regulated for humans in 26 states, it is not permitted in Ohio.

Pictured above: Silver Paw manager Becky Westover, left, and owner Dr. Margee O’Donnell-Foust.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.