Why Losing A Pet Is Harder Than You Think
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Our pets mean the world to us. They will love you unconditionally and always want to be there for us. This all makes it that much harder for us to say our last goodbyes when the inevitable time comes.
Losing a pet is hard; we all know that. But research is showing that while many pet owners know their pet passing is going to hurt, they don’t fully realize just how incredibly painful it can be. It may be one of the worst deaths you can ever experience!
Today, we are dealing with one of the hardest topics. No one wants to think about it, but if you’re a pet owner, then this article is a must-read.
What Research Says About Losing A Pet
More and more research is showing that often pet owners simply can’t comprehend the full extent of losing their pet. Research out of Hawaii found losing a pet often feels more painful and lasts longer than losing a human loved one. According to Dani McVety, veterinarian and CEO of Lap of Love, a veterinary hospice network, 99% of people say to her that losing a pet was harder than losing their mom or grandma.
But why is that? After all, with their much shorter lifespans, we know it’s going to happen. This gives us time to prepare, but it still doesn’t seem to help. So is it a defense mechanism or something else?
Well, researchers still aren’t sure why losing a pet is so painful, but they have some good theories.
The first theory is that the death of a pet is often someone’s first experience with a very close death. So close, that losing a pet can feel like losing a soul mate, says Popsci. Then there is the issue that many owners have to make the hard decision about whether euthanization is the right choice or not.
Perhaps, the most unfortunate offender is as a society, we aren’t as open about mourning over a pet’s death as we are with an actual person. People often feel they must rush, get over, and even hide their pet’s death, but this is only backfiring and making the unbearable grief of losing a pet even worse.
Fortunately, outdated views over how someone should mourn or not mourn their pet’s death are ending.
Grieving The Death Of A Pet
It doesn’t matter if your pet is a dog, cat, or horse; the bond we can form with them is the same, and that bond will tear with their passing. At Innovet, our pets mean the world to us; both the ones still with us, and the ones whose memories light up our warehouse’s halls.
We want all pet owners to know that it’s OK to mourn your pet’s death and that you should take all the time you need to do it. Please don’t feel bad for how horrible it feels, you’re not alone by far. In fact, it’s normal, and many people experience depression after the loss of a pet.
This brings us to our most important note. If you’re struggling with the loss of a pet or need help with a pet whose health is declining, we’re here to listen and offer our support. We have multiple avenues from commenting on this blog to our support group on FB; we’re here for you. If you’re comfortable sharing, we want to hear and don’t want you to suffer a pet’s death alone.
I still grieve with my beautiful dog named Lady. She was my best friend that left me 10 years ago. I have a picture of her in my car visor and talk to her everyday. I had her cremated for Ashton’s place and a beautiful angel urn. They told me that the pain would go away but 10 years later he still feels like yesterday even if as I write this I’m choked up. Some people just don’t understand how big it is when you get a pet that wasn’t just a pet, she was my best loyal friend and my heart still aches for her.