Dead stock, show animals and cremation in Irving
If the animal mattered as more than a production loss, the first call you make decides whether ashes can come home. Here's how to plan it calmly and in the right order.
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Irving, Texas
Livestock losses around Irving: who's affected and how
The Dallas–Fort Worth area has more large-animal aftercare options than most Texas regions, from equine hospitals to rendering services and crematories set up for horses. If you board a horse at a stable near Irving, ask the barn manager what other owners have done, then gather quotes in advance covering collection, cremation and the return of ashes, so price surprises don't come on a hard day.
If you keep a horse, goat or pig on acreage outside Irving, North Texas heat means decisions must come quickly between May and September. Several providers in the metroplex can cremate a single horse or pet goat and send the ashes home, while commercial livestock usually goes to rendering. When you call, describe the gate, driveway surface and how close a trailer or winch truck can park.
Stock trailers use the highways around Irving every day, and a crash or a breakdown in hot weather can leave a hauler with dead or injured animals by the roadside. Police and road crews will normally call a local vet and someone with handling equipment, but the owner or carrier stays responsible for the carcasses. If you haul often, keep a list of vets and collectors along your usual routes, and ask which of them answer the phone out of hours.
About 257,076 people live in Irving, which makes it the 12th-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Dallas, about 9 miles (15 km) away, which is where some providers serving Irving are based.
Families in Irving often end up using a provider from Euless (8 miles), Farmers Branch (9 miles) and Dallas (9 miles, a larger centre). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
55.7%[1]
The NFDA projected Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% for 2024.
$600-$1,000[2]
Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane.
3-5% of body weight[3]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
To check the figures yourself, see Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) and Embrace Pet Insurance.
Tradition, practicality and the animals that mattered
About 55.7%[1] of people in Texas are cremated, a figure that has been climbing for years while burial still has deep roots. You'll see both traditions on farms too. Some families bury a favorite cow at the edge of the pasture where she grazed; others choose cremation so the ashes can move with them. For production animals, the choice usually comes down to cost, soil and what the renderer will take.
We take the Texas rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Irving, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
What the seasons mean for dead stock in Irving
Irving summers are hot, with August highs averaging around 96°F. A dead cow or steer in that heat bloats within hours, draws flies and scavengers quickly and becomes harder for a renderer to take. Move the carcass into shade if you can do it safely, cover it with a weighted tarp and push for same-day or next-morning collection. If you want a private cremation, tell the provider it's summer so they prioritize the pickup.
Summer highs near 96°F in Irving also shorten how long a carcass can wait for a trailer. Many places require disposal within 24-72 hours[4] of death anyway, and in heat you'll want it gone sooner. If the provider can't come the same day, ask whether you can bring the animal to them or to a nearer drop point, and have a loader ready.
Per-head prices for Irving producers and families
Sheep, goats and pigs cost less to handle than cattle, but not proportionally less. A renderer may charge the same call-out for a lamb as for a cow, which makes small stock expensive per pound. That's one reason many farms compost calves, lambs, piglets and poultry. For context, the average value lost per dead sheep or lamb in 2019 was about $200 per head[5]. The table shows typical US figures for a large animal.
The Texas price table breaks costs down by size; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Before you dig or build a pile in Texas
You don't need a permit to call a renderer or a crematory, but burial, composting and burning are where rules bite. In Texas, check depth, cover and setbacks from wells, creeks and property lines, plus any limit on how many animals can go in one site. Open burning of carcasses is illegal in most places. Counties, councils and water authorities can add their own conditions on top.
Not sure which office covers Irving? The Texas local government directory is the official list.
There is no national rule for a dead animal on a US farm; each state's agriculture department or board of animal health writes its own. The common thread is a deadline, typically 24-72 hours[4], and a shrinking list of places with a renderer, roughly 50%[7] of states. In Irving that means checking early whether a truck still runs, because if it doesn't, the choice narrows to composting, burial where the state permits it, or cremation.
We keep Texas's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Texas rules summary. Before a home burial in Irving, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
Jobs in the right order after a loss near Irving
- If the death was planned, settle on a euthanasia time with your vet, then arrange for collection to follow right behind it.
- Tell the provider how the animal will be put down. Some renderers won't take drug-euthanized animals; a crematory or compost pile may be needed instead.
- Let the family say goodbye, above all any child who fed, raised or showed it. Those few quiet minutes in the barn stay with people.
- Have equipment ready: a skid steer or a loader tractor, straps, and an open route through to the trailer.
- Decide on private or communal cremation if cremating, and ask for written confirmation of which it is.
- Plan where the ashes will go. A big animal leaves a great deal, and it's common to divide them: an urn, a few keepsakes, some on the pasture.
Memorials that fit a working farm
Irving itself has almost no farmland left, but horses are closer than people think. The famous Mustangs of Las Colinas sculpture is a nod to the region's history, and real horse country begins a short drive away, in Denton County to the north and Parker County to the west, where Weatherford calls itself the cutting horse capital. Providers may travel from there for a large animal.
browse in-depth guides or recent articles, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, or see what other families chose in the poll results. If you live between Irving and San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston, either page applies. Every other community in Texas, and all of the United States, is listed too.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Can you still get a renderer to pick up at your farm?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What feels like a fair price to deal with one dead adult cow?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Horse aftercare cost comparison
Compare equine cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side.
Questions people ask
Will I have to travel to Dallas to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Dallas (roughly 9 miles from Irving) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
How does Irving's weather affect animal aftercare?
August is the hottest month in Irving, with average highs around 96°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
How do Texas attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Texas human cremation rate at about 55.7%[1]. We show it on the Irving page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Irving?
The closest communities we cover are Euless (about 8 miles), Farmers Branch (about 9 miles) and Dallas (about 9 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Irving too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is composting a dead cow really practical?
Yes, with enough material and patience. Cattle need cover such as wood chips, sawdust or old bedding, at about 10-12 cu yd per 1,000 lb[8] of carcass, and the pile should reach 135-140 F[9]. The second phase for a mature cow runs about 240 days[10]. It works well once you've done it, but check your state first: some places don't allow composting of cattle, sheep and goats.
How much ash comes back from a cow or steer?
Cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of body weight[3], so a 1,200 lb steer may return 35 to 60 lb, much more than a standard urn holds. Families often split the ashes between a main urn, a few keepsakes and a scattering in the pasture. The urn size calculator can help you work out what container you'll need.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [3] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [4] State rules commonly require dead animals to be buried within 24 to 72 hours of death, especially when euthanized. Cornell Waste Management Institute & Penn State - Horse Mortality: Carcass Disposal Alternatives (2012), 2012.
- [5] The average value lost per dead sheep or lamb in 2019 was about $200; for goats and kids in 2015 it was about $139. Our estimate: $121.6 million / 607,000; $69.6 million / 500,000. How we calculate.
- [6] Texas lost about 1,452 cattle and calves per day in 2015. Our estimate: (310,000 + 220,000) / 365. How we calculate.
- [7] Only about 50% of U.S. states have rendering plants, most of them concentrated in the Midwest. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [8] Bovine composting may require 10-12 cubic yards of cover material per 1,000 lb of carcass. USDA APHIS / Center for Food Security and Public Health (Iowa State) - Disposal: Composting, Rendering & Burial handout, based on NAHEMS Disposal Guidelines (2012), 2012.
- [9] A carcass compost pile should reach 135-140 F within 15 days and be held at temperature for 3-12 weeks. USDA APHIS / Center for Food Security and Public Health (Iowa State) - Disposal: Composting, Rendering & Burial handout, based on NAHEMS Disposal Guidelines (2012), 2012.
- [10] The second composting phase takes about 10 days for chickens but approximately 240 days for mature cows and horses. USDA APHIS / Center for Food Security and Public Health (Iowa State) - Disposal: Composting, Rendering & Burial handout, based on NAHEMS Disposal Guidelines (2012), 2012.
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