How to Grieve the Loss of a Pet

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There is no one size fits all way to cope when you lose a four-legged member of your family.

As dog and cat parents ourselves, we can sympathise with how you feel. Inevitably you will experience feelings of grief and sadness when you grieve the loss of a pet, but we hope these suggestions on how to help you manage after losing a pet can help even just a little.

How to cope after you lose a pet

Don’t rush your healing process – Allow yourself time to grieve both by yourself and with others around you. The healing process is just that, a process. You can’t rush or force it, and it may be a process you have to endure for the foreseeable future and in the long run. Everyone grieves differently and at their own pace, so above all, remember to be kind to yourself and give yourself as much time as you can.

Remember your emotions are valid – You may be feeling sad, angry with how the events unfolded or just numb to the pain of losing your pet. You may even feel a sense of relief that your pet is no longer suffering. There is no textbook emotion for feeling grief, and everyone will experience bereavement differently. You may even find you are grieving differently than when you have lost other loved ones in the past.

Allow yourself to feel the emotions, be present with them, and know that all feelings are valid. You also do not need to justify how you feel to others. These are your emotions to hold, and they are not there for someone else to judge.

Celebrate your pet’s life

Finally, don’t forget to celebrate your pets incredible life. After experiencing grief, it can help to spend some time thinking about the beautiful memories you have with your pet. If you and your family have lost a pet, you may even wish to hold a pet remembrance event. Maybe you could go on a walk together in your dog’s favourite park and share your top memories of their life.

Alternatively, you may wish to commemorate your lost dog or cat with a piece of Pet Memorial Jewellery. We have had enormous feedback from our customers that our paw print jewellery has enabled them to feel as though there is a part of their pet with them at all times.

Sending you a virtual hug

Visit our blog for more information about the grieving process or join an active bereavement support community to connect with others who may empathise with what you are going through. If you are supporting a friend through the grief of their pet, you may find this post about ideas about pet memorial gifts useful.