Grief Counseling
Dealing with Pet Loss
Those of us who consider a pet a member of the family will sooner or later experience the pain of loss, and it can be as devastating as the loss of any loved one.
Knowing that you’re not alone in your grief is important, as is realizing that the loss of a pet is a unique experience for each individual. Factors that play into how the loss is handled include whether the death was sudden or followed a prolonged illness, whether the pet owner had to elect euthanasia, whether it was the first time the person experienced losing a pet, and the person’s living situation.
Here are some tips and resources to help you cope with the loss of a pet:
- Allow yourself time to grieve. While it’s not healthy to get stuck in your grief, pretending that nothing is wrong is equally unhealthy.
- Mark the pet’s passing with some sort of ritual. Rituals such as memorial services and burial ceremonies are an accepted part of human loss and can be just as healing after losing a pet. Even something as simple as lighting a candle in your pet’s memory can help.
- Reach out to supportive family and friends.
- Find a support group. Many veterinary schools offer free pet-loss hotlines staffed with trained volunteers who will listen and offer compassionate support.
- Books can comfort readers young and old who have lost a pet.
Support Groups
Support Group for veterinary teams and veterinary students
- Not One More Vet – NOMV provides the necessary support to all members of veterinary teams and students who are struggling or considering suicide.
Books for parents and children
- Talking about death: A dialogue between parent and child – Grollman, E. (1990). Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
- When children grieve: For adults to help children deal with death, divorce, pet loss, moving, and other losses – James, J, Friedman, R, and Matthews, L. (2001). New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
- Pet loss and children: Establishing a healthy foundation – Ross, C.B. (2005). New York, NY: Routledge.
- Lifetimes: A beautiful way to explain death to children – Mellonie, B. and Ingpen, R. (1983).
Books for children
- When dinosaurs die: A guide to understanding death – Brown, L.K., and Brown, M. (1996). New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
- Why did you die: Activities to help children cope with grief and loss – Leeuwenburgh, E. and Goldring, E. (2008). Oakland, CA: Instant Help Books.
- Dog Heaven – Rylant, C. (1995). New York, NY: The Blue Sky Press.
- Cat Heaven -Rylant, C. (1997). New York, NY: The Blue Sky Press. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
- I miss you: A first look at death – Thomas, P. (2001). Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series.