Struggling with Pet Loss - 7 Steps to Help Cope

Pipster featured right there. She unfortunately recently died so I'm going through some of the stuff that happens when a pet dies. Are you looking to learn more about natural pet health and wellness? You've come to the right place. Click the link to subscribe to Veterinary Secrets. If you've had a pet die you're gonna know just how hard it can be. These are seven steps to help you cope with the loss of a pet. Pippi the Awesome Yellow Lab was featured in so many of the YouTube videos. Unfortunately she recently died. Maybe surprising to me it's definitely affected me more than I thought. She isn't even my dog. She's actually my friend, my neighbor's dog. She became part of the channel when my last dog Louis died and that's just about seven or eight years ago. Having a pet die that can really be so hard for most of us. Many of us we can be impacted from the loss of a pet as we can be from the loss of a person. Based on what I'm feeling when I'm going through I thought it was important I do a video on grief. These are seven things that I'm going through that are better helping me cope with the loss of Pippi and they may help you better cope with the loss of your pet. Number one just remember your feelings they're valid. It's okay to feel how you feel. I like to feel sad, angry, maybe questioning, devastated. Just however you feel that's okay. Don't feel that you need to change that somehow you're feeling you're doing something wrong. It's just gonna take as long as it takes and that's okay. Number two just don't listen to people who say it's only a pet. People that tell you to just get over it. Just cheer up. Just go get yourself another pet. Those are people who just don't get it. If your feelings of grief are real then they deserve to be acknowledged and if someone does say something like that to you either you just ignore them or just be pretty clear and firm. Clearly you just don't get it. Number three it's getting support. It's being able to connect with people and talk about the loss of your dog or cat. It's finding other pet parents like yourself who really really value their pets, their dogs, their cats and who get it. Who've had a dog die, a cat die and just know how strong those feelings of grief can be. There's a number of different online support groups and resources. In many communities there are even pet loss support groups. Try and connect with whoever you can. Someone who just really gets it or a group who really gets it. Whether it's someone in person you're gonna be able to see locally and or someone or a group online. And once again I'll put links in the description box to some of the online support groups, some of the resources that can better help you cope. Number four legacies and rituals. A legacy like you'd be creating a memorial, planting a tree, you know creating a photo album, a combined series of photos that are dedicated to the memory of your dog or cat. I have this one frame picture of my first dog I had in practice. His name was Hoochie. This awesome awesome dog. I still look at it today. He died close to 15, maybe even 20 years ago. But I still can remember exactly you know what he was like. Better help me definitely process my feelings. Some people have held funerals and just the ritual of a funeral is going through it. It's helping you like process those emotions, sit with it and just better think like how important your dog or cat was. And it's I mean that's the big huge thing of grief is going through those emotions, processing that stuff. It's not gonna happen fast. It doesn't go really quick. But when you're able to do that and start to go through it and express those feelings, that's when you start to move through it. Number five that's practicing self-care throughout the mourning process. Which just means you know trying to take basic care of yourself. Knowing that you're going through grief and you're probably off of routine. But try to stick with as much of it as you can in terms of you know still eating pretty decently, getting some decent exercise, eliminating that night screen time, getting some decent amount of sleep. That's also gonna help you just better cope with the grief. I know for instance if I don't get enough sleep, nothing goes well. So especially when I'm going through something big and trying to deal with grief. Really try to make things especially like sleep a priority. Number six seek professional help if you need it. If you're struggling to do normal day-to-day activities. You're finding it difficult to go to work, do what's expected. Maybe you're not doing household chores. You're finding it difficult to sleep well. Then yes then it's better to seek some professional help. Fortunately for me my wife's a therapist. Yes I get free help. But don't let price be a barrier before you actually try to go ahead and seek professional help. There are many government supported services and I'll put some more of those specific links in the description box as well. Then number seven if and when to get a new pet. Turns out there isn't one clear answer and it's really really different for everybody. But there is no right answer. Sometimes you have to be at the point where you feel ready that you've dealt with your grief to then go ahead and be able to give love to another pet, another dog or cat. But also you have to think you can have space for both. You can grieve the loss of a pet while you're also getting a new one. But your new pet your new dog or cat that will bring more love into your life. But it's when you're ready for it. Thanks so much for watching this edition of Vetteri Secrets. My seven tips to better help you cope with the loss of a pet. 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