Occasionally overrun animal shelters and other places and people will opt to put a healthy pet to sleep.
Grieving loss of dog guilt.
As long as we re feeling guilty our emotions and thoughts are busy in the past thinking things like what if i.
Grieving is a highly individual experience.
Experiencing the sudden death of a pet makes the grief even more painful.
Some people find grief following the loss of a pet comes in stages where they experience different feelings such as denial anger guilt depression and eventually acceptance and resolution.
This is often referred to as convenience euthanasia since there is no medical reason to put the pet to sleep.
Pet parents also may feel guilty replaying events that led to the pet s death and second guessing themselves.
After all you and your pet were close.
When you are grieving the death of a pet one of the most painful feelings is guilt.
Instead of remembering all we contributed in love and quality to our friend s life we focus on self criticism and condemnation the time we were too tired for one last walk the time the demands of life left our sentient being with little attention the time we went on a vacation or.
The grieving process after the loss of a pet.
If our pet died in a way we perceive could have been avoided the duration and severity of guilt can be intensified.
A lack of space time resources and other reasons relating to the wants and needs of the animal and or person cause the choice to be made.
I should have closed the screen door.
Circumstances surrounding the loss.
Grieving the loss of a pet can feel isolating but it doesn t have to be.
Finally people reach acceptance where healing occurs pich says.
Here are some ways you can begin the healing process.
For anyone grieving the death of a pet the pain can be overwhelming.
Guilt is among the most difficult common and initial feelings following the loss of an animal companion.
Guilt is our brain s way of protecting us feeling the full weight of our grief and sadness over something like loss.
For example we might cover up electric cables in the future having had a pet that bit through them or we might replace the lock on the garden gate having had a pet escape when the gate blew open.
Feeling guilt is a sign of just how much you cared about your pet.
See here what you can do to relieve the guilt and heal from pet loss.