Small Talk - Autumn 2016

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Grieving is a complicated
process which is made
up of different stages
of feelings and emotions.
Alongside the loss and sadness
you will feel after losing your
pet you may also experience
guilt, denial, anger or
depression, or a combination
of these feelings.
The important thing to
remember is that it is okay for
you to feel this way. Grieving
is natural and by coming to
terms with your feelings you
may find that it will help
you to work through the
bereavement process.
Speaking to others who have
endured similar losses and
experienced similar emotions
can be comforting, as you will
be able to confide and talk to
them about your loss without
feeling embarrassed. Talking
about your loss can often
release feelings that you may
be bottling up because you
don't think other people will
understand.
Experiencing the rollercoaster
of emotions that you have can
cause a negative impact on
your health and lifestyle, so it is
important to keep your mental
and physical needs met, it is
also important to try to
maintain your daily routine,
particularly if you have other
animals to care for as they will
pick up on this change and will
also be dealing with the loss
of their companion.
When you feel ready,
creating a way to
remember your pet
can be a great aid to
your emotional recovery.
Some creative ideas can
include; a painting, a
poem/story, sewing
a tapestry or making a
scrapbook of your favourite
memories shared with your
pet. Other people find it
comforting to plant a tree
or a shrub in the garden to
create a place to go and
remember their pet.
The most important aspect
to remember of this mourning
process is that time is a great
healer, there are no guidelines
as to how long your grief will
last but accepting that it is
okay to feel the way you do will
help you to move through the
process more quickly.
There are a number of
associations that can help with
pet bereavement, such as the
APLB - Association for Pet Loss
and Bereavement.
Association for Pet Loss