Article by Dr. Scot Trefz D.V.M.
If your pet is very sick or so injured that normal health will not return, perhaps the kindest thing you can do for your pet is help induce its death quietly and humanely through euthanasia. To have your pet euthanized is a serious decision, which is seldom easy to make. The grieving process includes accepting the reality of your loss, accepting the loss and accompanying feelings are painful & adjusting to a life that no longer includes your pet.
Is Euthanasia painless? It is almost always done by injection of a death-inducing drug. Your veterinarian may administer a tranquilizer first to relax your pet. Following the injection, your pet will go into a quiet and irreversible deep unconsciousness. Death will come quickly and painlessly.
After your pet has passed, it is natural and normal to feel grief and sorrow. There are many signs of grief, but not everyone experiences them all, or not in the same order. Your initial reaction may be to deny your pet is sick or injured.
Anger may follow denial. This anger can be directed toward people you normally love and respect, including your family and veterinarian. People often say things that they do not really mean, perhaps hurting those whom they do not mean to hurt. You may blame yourself or others for not recognizing the illness earlier or for being careless and allowing the pet to be injured.
You also may feel guilt and depression. This is when you usually feel the greatest sense of loss. The tears flow, there are knots in your stomach, and you are drained of all your energy. Day-to-day tasks can seem impossible. Sometimes you may even ask yourself if you can go on without your pet. The answer is yes, but there are times when special assistance may be helpful such as a grief counselor, clergyman, social worker, physician, or psychologist.
Talking about your loss will often help. Eventually, any feelings of anger, denial, guilt, and depression will be replaced with fond memories. Grieving is a personal process.
Some people take longer than others. If you or a family member has great difficulty in accepting your pet’s death and cannot resolve feelings of grief & sorrow, you may want to discuss those feelings with a person who is trained to understand the grieving process such as a grief counselor, clergyman, social worker, physician, or psychologist. Your veterinarian certainly understands the loving relationship you have lost and may be able to direct you to community resources, such as a pet loss support group or hot line.
Should I get another pet? Some people may feel they would never want another pet. A new pet may help others get over the loss more quickly. Just as grief is a personal experience, the decision of when, if ever, to bring a new pet into your home is also a personal one. If a family member is having difficulty accepting the pet’s death, bringing a new pet into the home before that individual has resolved his or her grief may imply that the life of the deceased pet was unworthy of the grief that is still being felt.
Family members should come to an agreement on the appropriate time to acquire a new pet. Although you can never replace the pet you lost you can get another one to share your life.
Remembering your pet. Life span in pets is briefer than in people. Death is part of the life cycle for all creatures. Trying to recall the good times you spent with your pet, you can realize your pet was worthy of your grief. You may also wish to establish memorial of some type, like planting a tree or special flowers in a garden, creating a scrapbook or photo album, or making a charitable donation.