Losing a pet can be an incredibly difficult experience to go through – after all, they become a real part of your family while they are in your life. You will want to take some time to grieve and to remember the happy times that you spent together, and above all, in the days following your loss, you will want the next steps to be handled sensitively and with care.

Set on a picturesque farm at Great Saxham, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk Pet & Horse Crematorium promises to treat each pet and each pet owner with the dignity that they deserve. The team understands the importance of recognising the loss of a pet, and hopes to help families to cope at this difficult time by providing a compassionate and sensitive service. If your pet is unwell or appears to nearing the end of its life, then you are welcome to contact Bill Phizacklea and his team to talk through the options available to you for when the time comes. With the team on hand to deal with the proceedings sensitively and efficiently, this allows you time to grieve without having to then make decisions regarding your pet’s cremation.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Lake of Remembrance is a lovely, quiet place to sit and reflect.The Lake of Remembrance is a lovely, quiet place to sit and reflect. (Image: Suffolk Pet & Horse Crematorium)

The team is always available to talk, offering a 24-hour service over the telephone. No matter your query or request, someone will get back to you with an answer as soon as possible. When the time comes for you to say your goodbyes, you can either drop your pet at the farm, or the team can arrange a collection from your home or your local veterinary surgery. From hamsters through to horses, every animal is equally important, and pet owners can feel reassured that their pets will receive an individual cremation – meaning that the ashes that they receive will be purely those belonging to their departed friend.

After the cremation, ashes can be returned to you in an urn of your choice, or, alternatively, you can request a biodegradable scatter box, which will allow you to scatter the ashes in a treasured place. You will also receive a certificate of cremation with your pet’s name and the date, along with a packet of memorial forget-me-not seeds to plant, if you would like to remember your pet that way. Thanks to its rural location, the farm is also blessed with a Lake of Remembrance, where anyone is welcome to come and sit and reflect. A calm and still setting, the lake offers far-reaching views of the surrounding countryside and makes for a lovely place to reminisce and remember lost loved ones. The team is also in the process of constructing a new ‘farewell room’, which will be another place for pet owners to grieve and say their goodbyes in a way that suits them.

To find out more about the services offered by Suffolk Pet & Horse Crematorium, please visit the website: www.suffolkpetcrematorium.com. You can also reach the team by telephone: 01284 810981.