Preparing for the loss of a pet

Preparing For the Loss of a Pet

Preparing for the loss of a pet is something every pet owner should do.

Death is the most inevitable part of life, and as your pet’s lifespan is so much shorter than yours, the chances are you will have to deal with the loss of a pet at some stage of your association with these wonderful characters.

As uncomfortable as it may be, it will help to spend some time preparing for the loss of a pet - thinking about dying, death, and the afterlife. Your own beliefs and feelings about death are what matter; your pet is not sitting around wondering what comes next - so don't beat yourself up about this. Talk to friends and family, someone you relate to and can trust - someone you know will understand.

Please do access all the free information available to you:-

Here you will find sympathetic help and understanding on coping with pet loss, helpful advice on explaining the death of their pet to children and a thoughtful discussion on whether or not our pets mourn - so useful if you have other pets in the family.

We also discuss the painful subject of euthanasia for pets, the process of grieving for a lost pet and the effectiveness and help you can expect to find at a Pet Loss Support Group.

We also have a range of Pet Memorials which will help you remember your pet with the pride and dignity they deserve.

When preparing for the loss of a pet, it pays to be as prepared as possible - so you are as strong as possible. Please do avail yourself of all the information here - we know it will help you.

The first thing you need to do when preparing for the loss of a pet is to think realistically. This is so much easier said than done - but it is so important that you do it. If your pet is seriously ill, you need to prepare. If your pet is extremely old, you need to think about his final days.

Talk to your veterinarian honestly and openly about any questions you have about your pet’s treatment, comfort, and care. Ask about how much pain your pet is in, and how to make him comfortable. Be sure that you can afford the time and money to give your pet the care he needs during his illness. Your vet will help you enormously in preparing for the loss of a pet.

Having been a pet owner all my life, I have been through this grieving process umpteen times – and preparing for the loss of a pet never gets any easier. My personal advice to you would be – acknowledge it, accept it, prepare for it, embrace it.

You are allowed to feel bad, it is perfectly ok to have emotions and strong feelings of sorrow, pain and even guilt. But keep in mind that pets are very sensitive to human emotions. If you are miserable, your pets will pick up on it and react to it. Unlike a human being who will actually benefit from knowing they are going to be missed and that their impending departure causes you a great deal of sorrow, your pet will not understand why you are so sad - they will just feel sad with you - or, may even feel they have done something to upset you. So do try and contain your grief when around your pet.

When preparing for the loss of a pet, enjoy your time with your pet, whether you have a few days, a few months, or a few years. Try to make your last days together special so you will have loving memories to carry with you after your pet has passed away.

What helped me most when facing the inevitability of pet loss was the quality time I spent with my pets. I would nurture an especially close emotional bond with my ailing pet, tell them what a blessing they had been in our lives, how much fun they had brought into our lives, how proud I was to be their Mom, how loved they were and how much I was going to miss them.

We would go for long, gentle walks together, sit by the lake in the park, just leaning up against each other in companionable silence. My pets absolutely loved all this extra attention and emotionally I was storing up as much about my pet as I could - preparing myself for the day when I would not be able to do this any longer. I treasured each extra day I had with my pet and I didn’t want the regret of leaving loving things unsaid and un-done.

When my pet eventually died, I would be deeply, deeply shocked and sad (no matter how prepared you are, death always comes as a shock), but I would be prepared to deal with the situation with a calmness and serenity which came from preparing for the loss of a pet.

However, do be prepared for different people in your family to behave in different ways. Each of us has our own ways of dealing with things and it certainly doesn’t mean we feel any less or love any less than someone who is showing a different degree, or type, of emotion.

Preparing for the loss of a pet is not my husband's strongest point. My husband, always goes through an exceptionally long period of denial. He is the most loving man - and soppy as they come (not that he would admit it!). However, our pets could be fading away before his very eyes, and he would totally not accept anything was wrong with them.

He would take them to all their visits with the vet, make sure they took all their medication, rested, were warm and comfortable and ate the right food - he would also love them to bits as always, but he would totally deny anything was wrong with them. As far as he was concerned, the vet had got it wrong - and so had I.

Their death would always come as a shock to him and he would be devastated. Just his way of dealing with things. The alternative, ie: actually preparing for the loss of a pet, would be far to painful for him to handle, so he prefers to hide from the inevitable as long as he possibly can. The only thing that I would say is, that added to my husband's sense of loss was an enormous amount of regret at not having said and done all the things he wished he had.

Preparing for the loss of a pet would be approached totally differently by my son. He would be very aware of the deterioration in our pet's health. I would notice him being extra gentle with them and spending more time with them. But he is a fairly reserved person and would withdraw for a long period of time while he dealt with his emotions about the death of our pet all by himself. I'd keep a watchful eye on him during this process, ensuring I was available should he want to talk.

Our daughter, on the other hand, would go about preparing for the loss of a pet quite openly - and once again, differently. She would be aware of what was going on, but her way of preparing for the loss of a pet was to distance herself from the pet in question. She was withdrawing from the pain of the situation. When our pet eventually died, she would sob and cry in the most dramatic way for all of at least half a day before traipsing off to catch a bit of shopping and the latest movie with her friends that evening ……… and we’re just four members of one family!!

So when preparing for the loss of a pet, do involve your entire family, but do be prepared for some very different reactions - and do be prepared to accept that each one of us suffers in a differnt way. Make the most of your time with your pet - and come to terms with the inevitability of what is happening. It really will help in your healing process.

When preparing for the loss of a pet you also need to prepare for all the practicalities that follow. They are an absolute nightmare if you're unprepared - and can so add to your grief and stress at the time. You want to ensure you've taken care of all arrangements before hand - but how do you do that? We'll talk you through all the options.

Also, knowing how important this is, we have gone to some considerable lengths to bring you a great range of Pet Memorials to help you remember your pet with the pride and dignity they deserve. Include these in your time of preparing for the loss of your pet and it will just give you so much more peace of mind at the time. Don't feel compelled to spend more than you need to - as far as your pet is concerned, it definately is the thought that counts. And we've provided for every pocket - and searched out the very best products and prices.

Please don't think you have to go through this alone. Find someone reliable and understanding to talk with. Your vet is always a good source of helpful contacts, but do feel free to contact us should you need to and we will put you in touch with the right people.

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Also do not miss the other useful articles available to you – check out the links at the bottom of this page for free information and help with all your pet queries and concerns.

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