Coping with a pet loss

It is hard to say good-bye to your beloved pet. You had a wonderful and unique relationship with it, maybe more intimate than with anyone else, and used to spend more time with it than with anyone else around. Its love for you was selfless and most trustworthy in the times of need. It never looked for any personal gain or better pastures. Even times when you felt lonely and failed, it gave you the same love and support, stood with you and said ‘Hey, what happened? Come on, Let’s play’. Losing such one is definitely heart breaking.

It’s not easy to forget such a huge loss, but to mitigate the pain and keep the memories alive, and to give it the honor it deserves, we can think of different ways.

Giving a memorable and loving funeral to your pet is the best thing you can do, to bid him a good farewell. Plan yourself how you would like to honor the memory of your beloved friend. It’s good to keep a memorial stone on the grave, so that he will be remembered over time. Sweet memories can sometimes be more touching than even actual presence.

You may also consider making a donation to honor your loved one’s name – which, more than anything else, can give you the satisfaction of having done the best you could, to honor your pet.

Feelings of intense sadness, guilt and anger are normal with pet loss. Even when you may feel you have recovered from the loss and have adjusted with the fact, all of a sudden you may be overcome by grief. It’s all part of it, and we have to just understand that recovering from a pet loss grief is a time-taking process, which usually takes a few months.

Seeing its collar or the food bowl lying unused and empty, being alone in the kitchen – all remind you of the missing, everyday. All its toys will bring the feeling of loss whenever you see them. It’s better to either keep a few of his toys to remember your beloved pet or bury them along with him.

Crying over the missing pet will help you a good way dealing with the burning sorrow within you. It’ll ease you of the thoughts and grief within yourself.

Compose a photo story of all the memorable occasions you had with your pet. All the details – like its birth date, death date, toys it liked, its habits and favorite foods and the things you loved most of it can be included in the story, with all the appropriate photos. This way you can remember them for long and make them live in your memories. By going through this story you can bring in the sweet memories of those good times. It’s easiest doing this on the internet- you can create a web page for your pet, where you can upload photos, share memories about it, and your friends can also share comments about them. Comments and words of sympathy from those who already have had similar loss are definitely the most valued comfort you can find when you’ve lost your pet.

Spend time with your other pets, caring them and taking them with you will help forget the loss to an extent – but only if you feel it helps.

Talk with people who can understand pet loss. Like in any other grief, proper support and empathy will make us feel much better, and strengthen us cope with the loss. Talk with your friends and family about the loss. Talking to your friends and family about the loss and being comforted by their words is a short cut to overcoming the grief. Open communication, by far, is the best cure for your pet loss grief.