Tips For Helping Children Deal With Pet Loss

Children are particularly sensitive to the loss of a pet for several reasons. Children are naturally trusting and develop deep bonds with people and pets alike. This love that children feel is unconditional and situations where euthanasia may be the most humane and kind option for a pet may be very difficult for a child to understand. Most young children do not understand suffering and the process of death in the same way that adults do. At least having the planned death of a pet gives you some time to prepare but how are your children to deal with the loss of a pet by accident, old age, or illness? These are very sensitive questions that are extremely difficult to handle especially as a parent who may be feeling sad about the loss of a pet themselves.

Below are some tips for helping children to deal with pet loss. As parents you know your children best and should tailor these and other suggestions to be suitable for the age and maturity level of your children. Also, these are generic suggestions and are not meant to overshadow any beliefs that you may have from a religious perspective. Hopefully by reading these tips you will start to consider ways to help your children through this difficult time that perhaps you would not have thought of on your own.

•When discussing euthanasia with your children it is advised that you use caution with the term "putting to sleep." You do not want your children to associate death with going to sleep.

•Be honest without being brutally so when you discuss the death of a pet. Different individuals have differing beliefs when it comes to an after-life and those beliefs should be used to offer solace and counsel to a child. If no such beliefs are held, avoid making up an explanation that could confuse children.

•The sudden death of a pet or finding a pet dead can be very traumatic to a child and perhaps even graphic. It is wise to explain to your child that once a pet has died they no longer feel pain despite the fact that their body may be broken. If you watched the final living moments of your pet with your child, reassure your child that even when people try their hardest to help pets to stay healthy some of them cannot be saved.

•Children often do not know how to handle their own emotions after a traumatic experience such as the loss of a pet. Some children act out while others become more introverted. As a parent, pay close attention to any emotional or behavioral changes in your child and instigate conversations with them about how they are feeling. If you feel like the death of your pet is too much for your child to handle and you are worried about signs of depression, feel free to contact a counselor at their school or another mental health professional who specializes in grief and loss.

•Help your children to learn how to deal with their emotions of sadness by giving them closure and encouraging them to remember their pet for all of the happy memories that they spent together. Parents should be sensitive to the bond that their child may have made with a pet even if it was only a pet for a short time. It is usually not a good idea to run out and buy a new pet too soon after the old one has died.

•Children respond very well to having a memorial service and burial of their pet. Let your children play a role in the organization of a remembrance ceremony that they think is appropriate. Give them time to prepare and respect the method that they choose to say good-bye to their pet.

More Learn About Dogs

« What To Do If Your Dog Is Bitten By Ticks | Only Dog Beds | How To Protect Dogs From Ticks »