Ways to Prepare for the Passing of Your Pet
Even though losing a pet is never easy, getting ready for it can lessen your mental and emotional pain. Here are four suggestions to help you prepare for and grieve the eventual loss of your pet.
#1: Assess your pet’s quality of life
Your pet can’t tell you when they feel unwell, but they can indicate poor mental and physical health. Using a quality of life scale, you can assess your pet’s health and happiness as they age or deteriorate from a chronic medical condition. The quality of life scale allows you to be objective when evaluating your pet and can help determine if they are suffering.
#2: Decide when to schedule your pet’s euthanasia
While the weight of determining when—and if—euthanasia is the right course of action is lifted by a pet’s unexpected death, you might wonder whether you failed to notice your pet’s condition. On the other hand, figuring out your pet’s readiness to die and when to schedule euthanasia is never easy. However, keep in mind that few animals die peacefully when they are sleeping, so humane euthanasia might be your final act of compassion for your suffering animal.
#3: Discuss how to care for your pet’s body
When your pet passes, you may be unprepared for their after-care. If you know the end is approaching, discussing how you would like to care for your pet’s body can eliminate some stress. Cremation is a popular choice, and you can choose that you receive your pet’s ashes. Aquamation is also growing in popularity as an after-care option but is not yet widely available.
#4: Rely on grief support groups to process your pet’s death
As you grieve, seek out support groups in addition to relying on your loved ones and friends. Numerous veterinary schools provide pet loss support hotlines, and there are a ton of pet grief groups on social media that can be suitable for your particular case. Never go through grief on your alone; always have support.
If your pet is declining in health or happiness, ask our team for help in assessing their quality of life and preparing for their eventual passing.