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The death of your companion animal may be one of the
most significant losses of your life. With this profound loss comes grief
and its associated emotional and physical manifestations: sadness, anger,
guilt, anxiety, helplessness, crying, fatigue, or changes in appetite
and sleep patterns. It is important to know that these feelings are normal,
and that grieving is a necessary part of the healing process.
Grieving
Grieving is the natural way that your mind and body adjust
to a loss and heal your emotional wounds. We strongly encourage you to
allow yourself to grieve in a way that gives you the most comfort. Allowing
yourself to feel the sadness, anger, anguish, and loss will aid the healing
process. Conversely, repressing your feelings may actually prolong your
sadness and the time for recovery. During this time you may need the emotional
support of family, friends, your veterinarian, and perhaps a grief counselor.
The amount of time required to heal varies considerably, ranging from
days to years. Although you may feel that you have finished grieving,
feelings of sadness may re-emerge with a holiday, your pet's birthday,
or the anniversary of your pet's death. For this reason, some experts
suggest that you give yourself, at a minimum, one year to grieve.
Anticipatory Grief
This form of grief is experienced before the actual loss
of your companion animal. Anticipatory grief is typically brought about
by the diagnosis of a pet's terminal illness and/or the decision to euthanize.
The decision to euthanize your companion animal may be one of the most
difficult to make. It involves ending the life of your beloved companion
and changing the unique bond that you share with your animal. However,
the decision to euthanize also involves a very gentle and caring way to
end the life of your animal friend.
Prepared by:
Companion Animal Related Emotions (C.A.R.E.) Pet Loss Helpline
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
College of Veterinary Medicine
www.cvm.uiuc.edu/CARE/
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