Karen Wild, animal behaviour expert, discusses dealing with the death of a pet
Usually I talk about the positives of owning a pet!
However we all know that at some point our beloved best friends are going to get poorly. Sometimes they may recover, and sometimes they many not. Sadly this week we had to say goodbye to our little dog Maisie, so it’s very fresh in my mind. How can we make this easier, or know how to cope? And how to the other pets understand what is happening, too?
My first point here is please, whatever you think about it, I urge you to insure all your pets. It seems expensive when nothing is wrong, but there is no real ‘pet NHS’ and they at some point may well need veterinary care. Vets are skilled, caring and highly trained people and they need to cover their costs and make sure that they are fairly paid for the job that they do.
So, if you think you don’t need insurance because you will somehow find the money… think again. It costs a lot for emergency care, ongoing treatment for any health problems and there is no such thing as a pet that never needs the vet.
Sometimes, it really is the end of their life. Old age, illness, or other reasons mean that our pets are no longer going to be with us. It is heartbreaking but it is reality. Prepare yourself as early as you can so that any decisions you make about what happens to them are clear. Get as much information as you can so that you know you are making the best choice, not really for yourself, but for your beloved animal’s welfare.
For Maisie, she had been ill for a very long time but she had a strong spirit and it carried on and on, and so did she. Finally we had to choose for her, because whilst she was alive, she wasn’t having a nice life at all. If we had been selfish she’d probably still be here - and would have suffered for it.
Do other pets know when a pet has died? It’s hard to say, but a lot depends on things like how much time they spent together. If they are really inseparable, then of course the surviving pets will miss the one that has passed away. They will miss the routine of having them around and any shared time that is no longer there. They may not understand what has happened, but they certainly will notice.
On the other hand if those pets didn’t really engage with one another much or maybe they used to squabble, their lives will probably remain unchanged or even improve now that there is nobody to compete
with.
Above all, it’s really hard to accept that your furry little pal isn’t around any more, but always be kind to yourself. They were lucky to have you for part of your life, and for all of theirs.
