How to survive the death of a pet - advice from a psychologist. A dog has died - is it worth getting another?

Ekaterina Kastritskaya, psychologist, animal-assisted therapy specialist, animal behavior consultant

Unfortunately, the age of animals is short, and sooner or later each of us is faced with the bitterness of parting.
When my first dog died, for a long time it seemed to me that she was still around. I heard her steps, saw her shadow. Of course, I only imagined all this, but how real these sensations were and how painful it was to realize that this was just a figment of my imagination! Since then, I have lost several more pets, and each loss became a tragedy... Photo source: https://petattack.com

Why do animals leave home before they die?

There is an opinion that cats leave home before they die so as not to injure their owner. This is wrong. Usually the day before the animal begins to feel that something is wrong with it. It feels pain and fear, and therefore tries to hide where it will not be disturbed, looking for a dark, quiet, secluded place. In addition, a weakened and sick pet, even if it wants to return home, may simply not find the way. In this publication we will give recommendations on how to survive the death of a cat and dog.

If your animal suddenly begins to hide from you, seek solitude, and does not want communication, this may be a signal that the pet is very seriously ill. In this case, it should be shown to a doctor as soon as possible. Perhaps there is still a chance for salvation.

If an animal dies of old age or an incurable disease, it is worth providing him with peace. You need to make a bed in a quiet, dark place, not disturb or touch him, because he’s already feeling bad. Perhaps the pet should be euthanized so that it does not suffer in its last moments.

Characteristic manifestations

Even thoughts about the possible departure of a partner from your life can be frightening.
If a husband is afraid of losing his wife or a woman is afraid of the possible loss of her husband, then you can often hear about this. But sometimes people do not express themselves directly, but carry their experiences inside or do not themselves realize that they are experiencing such fear. But at the subconscious level this is all reflected. The following manifestations may indicate that you are afraid of losing your loved one:

• a strong need to constantly be close to your significant other;
• feeling of increased anxiety;
• a feeling of strong discomfort at the moment when you need to part with your partner, even if only for a short time;
• a state of stress if the partner does not come home from work for a long time;
• the appearance of all kinds of thoughts that excite the consciousness;
• the need to keep everything under control;
• constant calls to your partner, questions about where he is now;
• expectation that something bad will happen;
• the inability to calmly react to the need of a loved one to go on a business trip;
• the appearance of a fainting state just from the mere thought that your partner might leave you.

Somatic signs may include the following:

• tearfulness;
• insomnia;
• severe fatigue;
• headache;
• in the absence of a partner for a long time, panic attacks may occur;
• increased sweating;
• dizziness;
• tachycardia;
• surges in blood pressure.

Negation

Most people, when faced with the loss of a loved one, cannot immediately accept its death, especially if the animal died suddenly due to a fleeting illness or accident. If a dog or cat dies suddenly, the person is struck by stupor. It seems to him that what is happening is a bad dream, not reality. Emotions become dull. Awareness of what happened may not come from several minutes to several days.

This is a defensive reaction of the psyche to what happened. She's quite normal. If at first you do not feel pain or cannot cry, the reason is not that you are heartless. Perhaps the blow is so strong that you experience shock. It goes away with time. And you no longer understand how to survive the death of a cat or dog.

Why do you need to cry?

Tears are the body's best way to cope with loss. If you want to cry, don’t stop yourself, don’t suppress your feelings. In modern society, many adults have unlearned this coping mechanism for pain, stress, and loss.

We do not know how to cry; we are often ashamed of our tears, perceiving them as childish weakness. We were often told in childhood: “don’t cry, you’re already big.” For some reason, it was implied that only little ones cry, but we are all human. And no matter how old we are, we have the right to tears.

If you feel grief, but cannot cry, being in a psychological stupor, then think about your pet, allow yourself to cry, feel the grief and relieve the psychological pressure. Tears are always followed by relief.

Photo by Julia Volk: Pexels

Anger and guilt

Feeling guilty when losing a pet is quite normal. If an animal dies from illness or an accident, the person begins to blame himself for not having done enough or for doing the wrong thing. If the animal died of old age, the owner may regret that he paid little attention to the pet during his lifetime. The decision to euthanize a hopelessly ill animal is especially difficult for many breeders. Although it is forced and aimed at saving the pet from suffering, the breeder can still consider himself a murderer and doubt the correctness of the decision.

If an animal died due to the fault of a doctor or car driver, or was poisoned, the owner feels anger and hatred towards the culprit of the tragedy. Dealing with these dark feelings is very difficult. The owner seeks retribution, which can lead to problems.

If your pet died due to someone else's fault, there is no need to take revenge. If you get hit by wheels, it is worth considering that the driver cannot always react in time to an animal that has jumped out onto the road. A veterinarian is not always able to save his patient, because treating animals is much more difficult than treating people. The veterinarian can only rely on symptoms and tests. The animal itself is not able to explain what is tormenting it. There is a fairly high percentage of pets that do not recover from anesthesia. And this is also not the doctor’s fault.

About euthanasia for animals

Every owner hopes that their dying pet will receive easy care, ideally in a dream. Euthanasia of animals ensures a painless, humane death through the intravenous injection of a special substance. During the procedure, the veterinarian will inject your pet with a sedative. The animal will not feel anything; the process is similar to the administration of anesthesia and takes less than half a minute.

You can call a veterinarian to carry out the procedure at home or take your dog to the clinic. Whether to be present at the very moment of injection next to the animal or not is something everyone decides for themselves. If it is very emotionally difficult to watch your beloved pet leave before your eyes, you can say goodbye to him and wait in the next room.

Under no circumstances show the dog your emotions, because for him this is an ordinary trip with his owner, and he does not know that you will have to return back alone.

Awareness of loss and humility

Soon the realization comes that a miracle will not happen. The pet will not return, and nothing can be done about it. A person does not understand how to survive the death of a pet, he feels broken, nothing makes him happy. Memories bring pain, everything around reminds him of the loss, life seems cruel and unfair to him.

It will take some more time until the owner finally comes to terms with his loss and can move on with his normal life. When humility comes depends on the person, the circumstances due to which the loss occurred, the degree of attachment to the pet, and the presence of friendly support from the outside.

Advice for older people who have lost a pet

In most cases, those who have not encountered true grief, pain, or loneliness are easy on animals. The rest value their relatives, as well as pets. A living being can give love and benefit, just like people, but in a different meaning. Lonely elderly people are in greater need of pets. Only after the loss of such a friend will recovery no longer be easy. But there are still methods that will help alleviate the condition a little.

Method 1: Find Joy

When children leave, grandchildren are far away, pets can become the only outlet. But they don't live long enough and may die suddenly. Regardless of the cause (tragic death, natural death), the pain of loss will be intense. You need to live it, and at the same time you need to find sources of positive emotions. There are many reasons for joy, for example, talking with children, reading cultural news, which most often excludes any negativity and carries beauty and pleasant emotions.

Method 2: Chat with Friends

When children are far away, the focus shifts to other goals. You can spend the day with friends. Communication distracts from the pain of loss. But you shouldn’t constantly replace grief with positive emotions. You need to simultaneously experience painful sensations, and external sources of joy are a secondary factor that only helps you survive grief. You should not rush to extremes - constantly spend time with friends, otherwise unlived feelings will later make themselves felt.

Method 3: sports and walks

If your health allows, you can spend time benefiting your soul and body: go for a walk, play sports (simple gymnastics). But it is necessary to take into account the state of the body. If you have chronic diseases, you need to limit physical activity. In this case, you can give preference to leisurely walks over short distances. When the pain of loss does not subside for a year or more, sports will help distract you and cheer you up. This explains why the expression “movement is life” is still relevant.

How to cope with the death of a beloved pet if you are a believer

Orthodox priests claim that animals do not have souls, and therefore there is no life after death for them. They advise grieving owners to simply come to terms with the death of the animal. Sometimes this approach can cause even more pain to a grieving person, because it is difficult to believe that a loved one has disappeared forever from this world. How to survive the death of a dog or cat in this case?

There is a legend about the Rainbow Bridge, where the souls of animals wait for their owners. In that world there is no more disease and pain, no hunger and fear. The animals feel good there, and they look forward to meeting those who cared for them during life. This is probably just a beautiful fairy tale that exists to pacify the human pain of losing a pet. But this legend can help someone survive what happened.

How dogs react to people

And it's no coincidence

Dogs have been selectively bred for generations to pay attention to people, and MRIs show that their brains respond to praise from their owners as strongly as they do to food (and for some dogs, praise is an even more effective stimulus than food). . Dogs recognize people and can learn to interpret a person's emotional states through facial expression alone.

Scientific research also shows that they can understand human intentions, try to help their owners, and even avoid people who do not interact with their owners or treat them well.

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It is not surprising that people react positively to such unrequited affection, help and loyalty. Even just looking at dogs can make people smile. Dog owners score higher on their well-being and are happier than people who own cats or have no pets at all.

How to cope if you are an atheist

How to come to terms with the death of a pet if you don’t believe in an afterlife? Every living thing has its beginning and its end. We all cannot live forever. The death of a loved one always hurts, but there is nothing we can do about it. Therefore we need to move on. You did everything you could for your pet, gave him a well-fed and calm life, which many street animals are deprived of. This is a good thing that you should be proud of.

But the time has come to part. These are the laws of nature. It would be worse if you left before your pet. A lot of animals end up on the street after the death of their owners. So just be proud that you were there for your friend until the very end.

About the funeral in the park

How and where to bury a cat?
According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, it is strictly forbidden to bury pets in parks and in the courtyards of apartment buildings. The decomposition process has not yet been canceled. And along with this, various infections for both people and animals. And few owners will like it if they bury a pet that has gone to the rainbow, and the grave is disturbed by someone’s children or dogs. Therefore, to the question of how to bury a cat and whether it can be done in the park, there is only one answer - no.

You can bury your pet in the forest, away from parks and city yards. The likelihood that the grave will be disturbed there is minimal.

How to say goodbye to your pet

The deceased animal can be cremated at a veterinary clinic or buried. For funerals, it is recommended to use a location that you can visit. A pet cemetery would be ideal, but that doesn't happen in every city. The pet must be wrapped in cloth and placed in a box. It needs to be buried deep enough to prevent animals from digging up the grave.

How to survive the death of a dog or cat? You can put your younger friend’s favorite toy on the grave, bring food or flowers. Of course, the animal doesn’t care anymore, but it will make you feel better. You can talk to your pet at the grave and talk about how much you miss him. Write a poem or story in honor of your pet, or draw a picture. Do something to express how important he was to you. Try to remember not the moment of his death, but the joyful and cheerful situations that you experienced together.

I CAN'T GET OVER THE DEATH OF A DOG

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all posts by the author HOW TO SURVIVE THE DEATH OF A DOG? (PSYCHOLOGY OF Grief EXPERIENCE)

Dear Vladimir Lvovich! My question is: how do you cope with the death of a dog? Many people say that this is just a dog, but for me my dog ​​was the most faithful and devoted friend, and at the same time a “furry” child. It's terribly empty in my soul. I think this question concerns many who have lost their four-legged friend.

Yes, I knew and know many who perceived the death of a beloved dog as a grief quite comparable in scale to the grief of the death of a loved one. And this is natural. The spiritual connection with your favorite animal is just as deep. Moreover, this connection is especially strong and pure precisely because this is a being of a different species, and relations with it are not clogged with ordinary human anti-love vanities. By the way, not only the death of a dog can cause such grief, but also the death of a beloved pet bird, a parrot, for example, or a cat, or even a turtle or hamster (especially in a child).

I myself have had to experience the death of pets more than once, when as a result of the natural end of their life, when as a result of an accident... And although I am a person who seems to be quite experienced and trained in surviving the deaths of loved ones and loved ones, every time it is still just as difficult , just like you do now. And there is no need for words of consolation here, because everyone knows them. Here are some of these words: everyone is mortal, everyone, without exception, leaves this world in their own time, those who have left no longer suffer earthly suffering... And pets, from the very beginning, for the most part, according to the natural terms of their lives, are intended only to temporarily accompany ours lives... Their lives are shorter, but more intense, fuller, every moment is more saturated with joy and grace than ours.

There are no special recipes for how to survive grief. Any grief is experienced and in its own time goes through its stages of development and “reverse development”, collapse. A remarkable in-depth analysis of the successive phases of the experience of grief was given by the domestic psychologist Fyodor Vasilyuk. You can also find a lot of valuable advice from him on how to get through grief in the least traumatic way, without losing the meaning of life and gaining new meanings.

According to many observations, acute grief will pass in about a year, this is the usual period of mourning for dead people among most nations. I don’t know about animals, but I think that the healing time for emotional wounds, no matter what caused them, is approximately the same in all cases.

My wish for you comes down to only one thing: to live on and fill your life. Fill the soul. This emptiness that you are talking about is natural for some time, one might say normal, and it will be filled with new life, new joys, just as a fresh painful wound is healed and filled with new tissue. You just need to know this. Know, and everything will work out. I would only wish you not to rush too much into finding a new pet. I know many cases when people who had lost their beloved dog were in a hurry to get a new puppy in order to compensate for the loss in a way that seemed most natural to them. But often nothing good comes of such hasty replacement. Or it turns out that the newcomer is difficult to love as much as the lost one. Or this newcomer himself for some reason turns out to be defective in some way or unhappy, unlucky... Here you can even risk explaining the matter mystically: by the fact that the soul of the former favorite still does not want to leave the house and does not want to let in a new tenant, it is jealous. But this, of course, is just speculation.

It’s better to wait patiently until the grief of loss somehow clears up, or something - a sign of this will be the predominance of good, grateful memories of the lost being over the pain of loss. And even then, with a light heart, start a new pet, and everything will be more favorable.

And one more general wish. Not only to you, but to everyone, without exception, including myself. It is necessary in advance, one might say, preventatively, for each of us to study the topic of losses, the topic of the irreparable, the topic of death and grief - the psychology of experiencing these aspects of life - everything that happens to people at the same time, all the various cases and types... Study with an open visor, and do not leave, burying your head in the sand, so that it later falls on us like a tsunami on those standing with their backs to the sea. Study - to help. Both for yourself and for others. After all, this is reality, as real as our daily bustle, like heartbeat and breathing, like stock market news and like the birth of new creatures. Death is an integral part of our life, and the better we know everything connected with it, the more, if not easier, we will experience it, then at least more worthy, higher, brighter.

How to cope with pain

How to cope with the death of a pet if it seems like you'll never recover? Don't be ashamed of your emotions and pain. Not everyone will be able to understand and support you, but still cry if you want to cry, and talk if you want to talk. Don't keep everything to yourself. It is better to throw out negative emotions and thereby get rid of them than to accumulate them inside.

It is better to put all the animal’s belongings in a place where you will not constantly bump into them. You shouldn't throw them away, because you may regret this decision. Do something that can take your mind off your grief. Do some spring cleaning, go on a visit, take a walk in the park.

Share your grief with other people. Maybe not even to relatives, but to those who also experienced a similar loss. It's easier to cope together.

Channel your energy into helping others. Become a volunteer at a center that works with homeless animals. Take them into foster care and help them find new families.

Don't let others invalidate your feelings

Some people think that losing a pet is no big deal. This is what people say who don’t know how to love; they were simply not taught this in childhood. Or these people themselves experienced the loss of a pet, but repressed this pain and put on a mask of cynicism and denial.

Owners of any animal know that a pet is an important part of the family, and its loss is grief. The main thing is not to be ashamed of this grief, not to make excuses to others, not to hide your feelings.

Don't let others violate your personal boundaries. If they do not share your feelings and do not understand the reasons for the tragedy, for some time try to limit your communication with these people, or clearly convey that you do not want to hear their advice, but rather ask them to speak the words that you need. Instead of judging, ask them for support and understanding, explain how important this is to you. Try to communicate more with people who understand and share your feelings. Loved ones are the best support.

Giphy

How to overcome guilt

Sometimes it is the inattention of the owner that leads to the death of the animal. This is very difficult to come to terms with. A person blames and torments himself, cannot forgive his own mistakes.

If a cat or dog died due to your fault, do not forget that no one is immune from mistakes. Man is not a machine; he cannot foresee everything. Even if you did something wrong, you had no malicious intent, and you certainly did not want your pet to die. You need to admit your mistakes and learn from them. But you shouldn’t constantly torment yourself, because you won’t be able to change anything.

You should not look for your guilt where there is none. It happens that animals die from anesthesia during planned operations, such as sterilization, for example. Owners often blame themselves for this, because such surgical intervention is not necessary. But this happens most often with animals that are already sick or have serious pathologies. If you give permission to euthanize a dying animal, you are acting mercifully. Sparing your pet from suffering is the best thing you can do in a hopeless situation. You shouldn't blame yourself for this.

How dogs sense death

There is no clear answer to the question “do dogs sense their death,” but often old and sick animals leave the house, and the owner later finds the body and realizes that the leaving was intentional.

There are several versions to explain the reasons for this behavior. Some people believe that the animal is trying to relieve a person’s pain and melancholy by leaving, but this version cannot be reliable. To do this, you need to have human consciousness, since it is only human nature to think about death and fear it. But animals do this unconsciously, because for them life and death are equally natural phenomena. American psychologists believe that their intelligence can be compared to the intelligence of a 2-3 year old child, who also does not realize that death is an irreversible phenomenon.

According to biologists, the departure of a pet from home before death can be explained by the same reasons as the departure of a sick or old wolf from the pack. The dog’s consciousness becomes clouded, so the habits acquired over the years of living with a person displace the more ancient instincts inherent in all representatives of the canine family:

a weak individual that cannot run fast and hunt successfully will be a burden for the pack; a weak individual can be an easy prey and thus attract the attention of a pack of other predators; if you don’t hide, there is a risk of meeting a large predator and dying painfully after being torn to pieces; if you die in a flock, then the decomposition products negatively affect the health of the young.

It is assumed that these are the impulses that an animal is guided by when it leaves its owner. But pets that retain consciousness and affection do not always succumb to instincts, so they are left to die in the house where they spent their whole lives.

There is a legend according to which all dying dogs go to the Rainbow Bridge. This is a kind of dog paradise, where they get rid of all ailments and do not feel hunger or fear. They can spend time in endless games with other deceased animals, so one can only be glad that all the hardships for the dog are left behind. Moreover, on the Rainbow Bridge they have another pleasure that was not available during life due to their vision: they can see all its colors.

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What to tell your child

Whether to talk to your child about your pet's death depends on the child's age and whether you have talked to your child about death. It is worth remembering that children have a more flexible psyche than adults. Sometimes children show their emotions much more vividly, but they come to their senses faster. Therefore, you should not hide what happened from your child. He will still have to face death, this is one of the steps towards understanding the world around him.

Treat the child's grief with understanding. Provide him with moral support, listen and comfort him. Do not blame for the drop in performance during this period. Give your baby time to come to his senses. You shouldn’t immediately buy a new animal specifically for your baby, because a pet is not a toy that can simply be replaced with another. The child must realize this.

Where do cats go after they die?

Many people believe in an afterlife. A good person goes to heaven, and a bad person goes to hell. There is a separate place for animals - the Rainbow Bridge, which, according to legend, is located between heaven and earth. There are hills and meadows, lots of delicious food, sunshine and water. Animals feel warm and comfortable, nothing hurts.

The old and sick become young and healthy again. They all frolic together, run and play. But one day there comes a moment when the pet’s gaze rushes beyond the horizon. He leaves his brothers and runs through the green grass to the long-awaited meeting. The man and the cat meet again, hug tightly and never part again.

Whether to believe in the Rainbow Bridge or not is up to everyone. But you definitely shouldn’t blame yourself for the death of a cat. Try to console yourself that you warmed and caressed your pet as best you could. Mentally thank him for the happiness he brought into your life.

Renata, Moscow

Should I get another pet right away?

This is a controversial issue, and psychologists have differing opinions. Having lost a pet, many owners try to plug the hole that has formed in their hearts by immediately adopting another pet. For some, it actually helps them deal with grief. The person directs all his energy to caring for the new resident and no longer constantly thinks about his loss. If a puppy or kitten appears in the house, there is a lot more hassle, and there is less time to dwell on your problems.

But such a quick arrival of a new pet into a family does not always bring joy. The owner must understand that animals have their own personalities. Whether an animal has a personality is a highly controversial issue. But definitely every living creature has an individual set of habits and qualities. Therefore, by getting a new pet, you will not bring back your dead pet. There is no exact copy; your friend has already left you. If the new animal is too different from the one that died, the owner may feel disappointed and irritated. A new family member will no longer please, because he is not able to replace a deceased friend.

If your pet has died, you must first realize that he is irreplaceable. You must come to terms with its death and only after that plan for the addition of a new pet to the family. This way, it will be easier for you to accept your new pet for who he is, without looking back at the past.

Help at every stage

Day 1 Actions

The need to organize a funeral for the animal will help stop the first shock. After the mournful duty is completed, return home; perhaps family members need your support. If you are alone, do some cleaning, washing the dishes, whatever you can do to avoid wandering aimlessly around an empty house. Do not neglect therapeutic doses of sedative (valerian, motherwort).

Take care of yourself.

As much as possible, maintain your usual sleeping and eating patterns. Don't go from one extreme to another. Starving or “eating” your grief, trying to drown it out with alcohol is equally useless and will not bring relief.

Be natural in your expressions of emotion.

Cry if you want to cry, scream if you want to scream. After the tears, emotional devastation sets in, but it becomes easier. You can’t be ashamed of your pain and bottle it up inside.

Don't cultivate denial.

As quickly as possible, remove the dead dog's equipment: from a leash to a favorite rug. If you are not yet ready to simply pack all your things into a bag and take them out, then temporarily put them in a closet or pantry. You can take the collar and go for a walk to your dog's favorite places. Capture all the details of the surrounding world: blue sky, birdsong, wind blowing

This is important to keep in touch with reality and distract your thoughts. At the end - leave the unnecessary things and say goodbye

Someone floats a collar along the river and hangs it on a tree branch. The main thing in this technique is the feeling that you did everything right.

Don't rush to look for a replacement.

Trying to quickly “replace” one pet with another will not lead to anything good. A puppy, even of the same breed, will never become an exact copy of its departed friend. A new family member should only enter the home when you are fully prepared emotionally.

Share your grief.

By speaking out negative emotions, you weaken them. Share your pain with friends and loved ones. If there is no person around you to whom you can open your soul, use the Internet, a helpline. There are many threads on dog lovers’ forums on the topic: “How to survive the death of a dog,” where people share memories, fears, and support each other. For some, such communication has become a real salvation.

Keep a diary

Buy a nice notebook and write down your thoughts. Tell the paper what you told your dog before, describe all the feelings you experience. But just don’t contact the deceased pet, don’t even talk to him mentally. He is no more, no matter how scary it is to realize it

Create a memory album.

The desire to return everything only increases suffering: remember, but do not regret. Organize memories of your dog in an album. There you can paste her photographs, puppy card, pedigree, veterinary passport. Under each photo, tell a funny story from your walks together or dog pranks.

• Draw from memory a damaged chair or a pair of Italian boots chewed by your pet as a child. This technique will gradually replace pain with memories.

Give kindness.

Volunteering, helping shelters or a specific animal in trouble will help you cope with feelings of guilt, survive the bitterness of loss, and feel needed again. And who knows, maybe just like that, you will find a new friend.

Friend for an elderly dog

Many owners, when their dog reaches old age, get a second dog in advance, so as not to be left alone later. This situation requires an individual, skillful approach and tact. But in the case when the pets find a common language, the young friend is able to extend the period of activity of the old man, as if sharing his vital energy. There is no scientific explanation for this, but the fact remains.

Contact a psychologist

All people process loss differently. Some recover faster, while others need outside help. If you feel like it's been a long time since your pet's death and you still can't get over it, you may need professional help. If you don’t understand how to cope with the death of a pet, advice from a psychologist will help you come to your senses.

There's nothing wrong with asking for help. It is much worse to pretend that everything is fine with you, despite your difficult emotional state. We are all individuals, and therefore we experience stress differently. For some, the death of an animal may not be a particularly significant incident; for others, it is the cause of the development of very serious depression.

Thus, every owner will inevitably sooner or later face the death of their pet. At such a moment, it is important to know how to cope with the death of a pet. For many people, the loss of a four-legged family member becomes an unbearable grief. At such a moment, there is no need to blame yourself, restrain your emotions and become isolated. If you realize that you cannot cope with your grief, you should seek help from a psychologist.

How to help your child cope with grief

The child's psyche is not strong enough to cope with loss for a long time, as adults can. And if a child begins to feel sad, parents, as a rule, panic. The peculiarity of children is that their consciousness is more flexible and adaptable. But how can you explain to a child that his beloved friend will never play with him on the playground again, won’t wake him up in the morning, washing his child’s face with his rough tongue, won’t give him a paw in a moment of sadness, and won’t greet him home from school with a joyful bark?

If you feel like you can't control what you're experiencing, don't hesitate to see your doctor.

Euthanasia or euthanasia

If a dog is terminally ill, the owners find it difficult to decide to end its suffering with an injection. And it is very difficult to explain such a fact to a child, especially one who is no more than 5 years old. If it is necessary to euthanize a sick dog, you must talk to the child, explaining the situation to him in a language understandable for his age. Older children should know why their parents came to such a decision and understand that it is the most humane for the suffering dog.

It’s very difficult for a dog in moments of illness, and he worries even more when he sees that his owner is sad

Therefore, it is important to create a calm environment and comfortable conditions for the pet in the last days of its life.

Unexpected death

If a dog is found dead or accidentally dies in front of its owners, it is important to explain to the child that it is no longer in pain, and in the world where it finds itself, it is just as good as in its family. For a child, the shock from the sudden death of a pet can be much stronger than in the previous case.