Natural Pet Health

Losing a beloved pet either through illness, accident, or old age can be a devastating event for the entire family.  Here are tips for dealing with a pet loss.

Pet loss can invoke the same feelings as losing a loved one.  The stages of grief (guilt, denial, anger, and depression) can overtake you and leave you in an emotional state of angst.  At the same time, the grieving process is necessary in order to be able to get passed the pain. 

• The first thing you have to remember is that it is okay to grieve.  Tune out those who offer little comfort.  Don’t try to hide or ignore how you feel; grieving is a natural process and a necessary one. 

• If you find that you cannot talk about the loss to a friend or loved one, you will have to find the words to offer comfort to your children.  Be as open and honest as you can.  You may find this dialogue will not only help to comfort them, but allow the child in you to share the loss with them as well.

• It is important that you continue your daily routine.  You may not be able to put away the pet’s leash, or put the toys away, or remove the pet’s dish from the kitchen just yet.  That’s okay.  There will be constant reminders that you have to confront on a daily basis.  Confront them.

• If it helps, have a family memorial service for your pet.  Some owners have their pets cremated.  You may wish to bury the ashes in the back yard (if you are a homeowner), or keep the ashes in an urn somewhere in your home.  It’s a family decision and one that can bring a certain amount of closure. 

• If you have another pet in the home who was a companion to the one you lost, it is important to recognize that they are grieving as well.  If you can, offer as much love and attention as you can muster. 

• Give yourself enough time to go through the process of grieving.  It is a mistake to think that jumping in and getting another companion to replace the one lost will make things better.  It will only serve as a reminder that may cause resentment among family members, and especially the surviving pet. 

• When you are ready to move forward, then and only then should you consider another pet. 

Loss of a pet can invoke unexplained feelings as well.  Don’t play the “if” game. It serves no purpose.  If your pet died of an illness or accident, come to terms with the fact you did everything humanly possible to offer intervention and comfort during the pet’s last days. 

If your pet died of old age, think about the good times.  Perhaps you put a scrapbook together from the first day the pet came into your life.  Take out the scrapbook and look through it with family members.  Talk about the good times; it will help to alleviate the sadness.

Without knowing it, one day you will wake up and realize that although you will never forget your beloved pet and that no other pet will be able to take his place, you nonetheless miss the love and companionship.  You are ready to move forward. 

Today may be the day when you take that leap of faith and find another pet who you can love again and who needs love in return.  After all, pet owners have huge hearts and have lots of love to give.

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Originally posted 2008-10-08 12:08:07. We hope you have enjoyed this Post From the Past!

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Tags: grief over pet loss, grieving loss of a pet, losing a pet, pet loss, UTI