Dealing with the Loss of a Pet

Your relationship with your pet can be one of the most enjoyable of your life. The death of a favorite pet can cause a grief just as intense as that for a human.  When grieving for a loved one, there are stages of grief that a person typically goes through.  These are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance.  The order of these stages is not set in stone.  They flow with the ebb and tide of your grief, sometimes even overlapping.  Remember also there is no set length of time for the griving process.  You may find that grieving for your pet is more difficult than grieving for a human because you have a smaller support system. There may also be people who do not understand the depth of your grief for your pet.  

Depending on whether your pet died suddenly or passed away after a long illness will also affect the way you recover from your pet’s death.  Dealing with the anticipated death of a beloved pet can bring up feelings besides just the grief.  Wondering if you did all you could for your pet before they passed away can add to your depression, adding to your time of grief.  Recognizing your feelings of guilt and accepting them may aid in the grieving process.

When trying to deal with your grief, it is important not to deny the feelings that you are experiencing. Activities, movement and expression of your feelings all are ways to deal with your grief and help you move through the stages.  Expressing it through art, like writing or drawing, having a funeral or memorial service for your pet, or simply creating a photo album to help remember the good times, can all serve to help you deal with your loss.