4 Steps to Prepare for Your Pet’s Passing
Even though losing a pet is never easy, being prepared for it beforehand can lessen your mental and emotional pain. Here are four strategies for assisting with grieving and preparing for 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 an unexpected pet death relieves you of the responsibility of determining when—and if—euthanasia is the right course of action, you might wonder if you failed to notice your pet’s sickness. On the other hand, deciding when to plan euthanasia and when your pet is ready to pass away is never easy. Humane euthanasia, however, can be your final act of love for your suffering pet. Keep in mind that few pets pass away gently while they are sleeping.
#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.