Our pets provide us with an immeasurable amount of love and joy. The bond that we develop with them offers us a chance to share and express ourselves without feeling the need to defend our actions or feelings. Their loss can leave us with feelings of deep sadness, guilt and anger, especially when euthanasia is involved. One of the most important things a pet guardian can do is to allow ourselves to go through the natural and healthy grieving process. Healing from this grief allows us to draw sustenance from the meaning and purpose of the relationship with the beloved animal we have lost.
Depression is an important emotion experienced after the death of a special animal. Day-to-day tasks can seem impossible to perform. Sometimes we may even ask ourselves if we can go on without our beloved pet. Often, the more sudden the death, the more difficult the loss is to accept.
Our anger may be directed toward people we normally love and respect, including our family and friends. We may feel guilty or blame others for not recognizing the illness earlier, for not doing something sooner, for not being able to afford other types of treatment, or for inadvertently allowing our pet to become injured.
Eventually, we will begin to resolve and accept our pet's passing. Even when we've reached some level of resolution, prior feelings may reappear. If this does happen, these feelings are usually less intense, and with time will continue to be replaced with fond memories. Grieving is always a personal process; some people take longer than others to come to terms with their loss and each loss is very individual.
Sometimes well-meaning family and friends may not realize the intensity of our grief or how important our pet was to us. They may even make cruel and uncaring remarks. Being honest with ourselves and others about how we feel is important. Talking to someone who will listen to our feelings is key; talking about our sorrow but also about the fun times we enjoyed with our pet. We may also wish to establish a memorial of some type or contribute to a charity in honor of our pet.
