You lose your best friend and your feelings are all in disarray. You wonder how to handle not having your companion there with you. This is not an easy thing to do. You will grieve deeply. You may feel that this will not happen to you, but when it does the whole picture suddenly changes. Many individuals and/or families have a strong bond with their pet. They treat them as a member of the family. They groom them, take them for doctors visits, they get immunizations and treatments, and also take their pets on trips or vacations. So, you can see why it is difficult to lose a pet when your daily life revolves around caring for it. Trying to get past the lost will be challenging.
In order to alleviate some of the sorrow after the death of a pet, you may wish to do one of the following to help cope with your lose.
- If you pet was cremated, you may take the remains home in an urn.
- If not cremated, you want a gravesite and stone for your pet.
- Another way is the veterinarian may offer to dispose of the remains for you.
After proper disposal of your pet, you may still want some closure:
Here are a few helpful things to assist you in coping and getting closure:
1. Remember the happy times you and your pet shared. Know that you did all you could do to help your pet if he was stricken with an illness or accidentally died.
2. If you have a special photo of your pet sometimes this will help with the lose
3. Talking with others about your pet will help alleviate the grieving process immensely
4. You can never replace your pet, but sometimes if you get another pet you may love it even more and care for it as well
5. You may want to make a donation to a pet organization or charity or animal shelter
6. You may want to keep their tags as a keepsake
7. You can also join a rescue animal organization
8. If you choose not to have any reminders of your pet, that is okay too. It's simply up to you on deciding how you will handle the situation.
No matter what type of pet you may have lost, the grieving process is there. It can be mild or severe in nature. Sometimes counseling is your only outlet. If that helps by all means seek counseling and try to get your life back on track.
