Death Ideas For When Your Pet Dies?

[Bliss]

I realized I need to have a cope ahead plan for when my dog, my best friend and travel companion goes. She is truely a emotional support animal, I didn't plan it but she has made it so I can travel and camp while feeling safe. She lets me know everything going on around us, for the last ten years, she has been with me everyday, often in wild, remote spots, the nature helps my ptsd and she loves it. She is a rescue from new mexico. She looks like a deer/coyote/Chihuahua, huge ears!


She was throwing up all day yesterday. Ate, drank, seems fine this am. I found a vet, was waiting outside their door, 800 am:) I can take her there if anything more happens. Nice people.

So I need ideas on how to cope when this day comes, as it will sooner or later, for all of us.

On a practical level, burying her,. We are in Florida for winter camping from michigan.

I would feel scared and weird camping alone. Realized I never saw myself as alone. My truck is rear wheel drive, don't know I could go back to mi even if I wanted.

So emotionally, spiritually, mentally what did u all do when this sad day happened? I am afraid for being able to function.

I dont have much support u all, online dbt and quitnet for cigs. Dad is old and messed up childhood stuff with him, two grown daughters, that are awesome, but don't want to bother with my stuff.

Thanks, glad I found u all

 

[Bristol]

I realized I need to have a cope ahead plan for when my dog, my best friend and travel companion goes. Sh...

Will be interested to read the responses, i have an aging labrador and the same thing worries me constantly

 

[The Albatross]

I'm kinda in a quandary about a pet myself as we may be leaving the area and my eldest canine has had a rough year. I am having mixed feelings because where I want her to be at her passing is too far away if I will have to relocate to another state.

 

[Werewoman]

When that day came for my Izzy-girl, a german shepherd, we both knew. There was never any formal diagnosis, but I'm sure she had cancer. She was also deaf and plagued with ear problems and arthritic. We were both exhausted from her suffering...and mine. She sat patiently for hours while I cried (gawd this is so hard to write) out my anger at my mother for pimping me out to her husband when I was a teenager. Izzy knew I needed her, and she - having been abandoned - just knew because she needed me too.

At the end, I held her head in my lap as my friend, Dr. Jack injected her with a benzo first. It was peaceful and I have no regrets, but I don't think I'll ever get another dog.

 

[The Albatross]

I have had many pets and the euthanasia process is okay for me. I think it's a thing about maybe not having them close... afterwards. I have had a revolving door for strays/ferals/special needs for the whole time I've lived here (36 years)... but the thought of leaving the area/leaving them behind I think personally is what I'm struggling with. (not gonna take over the thread, but since there's three of us... maybe we can all get assistance?)

If we relocate out of state we will still have two dogs and 5 cats. But ... each life is sacred, ya know?

 

[Crow]

All three of our cats passed within a year of my partner dying. Coping was auto drive. I had them all cremated and a few years later it felt right to release the ashes. But having them cremated allowed me to put off the decision making of burial. Madison was the last to pass. I donated most of the cat stuff to a rescue. Kept a few things but put it away. I cried a lot. I had no outside support as I wasn't regularly attending therapy and I lost all my "friends" when Becky died. So alone in pain just waited for the grief to process. Now I realize there are pet loss grief support groups. I will go to one when the time comes again.

 

[Bliss]

The albatross, sadly we are in same spot, no taking over at all:) wish u could take over this thread:), please say or ask anything. Post away, u have already helped me.

I am over whelmed with this so will keep coming back and dealing with it in sections, right now so sad for all of us, crowfeather losing becky:) and three kitties (thank u will look into animal grief groups).

The albatross, I think I know what u mean, maybe, about leaving them behind, I had a still born baby I had to bury and leave in Oregon when I was young. This is all going to take some working through:)

Werewoman, I hope u are ok after writing, I am crying now, have heard so many sad things in my life and that is one of the sadest, thank u though, that is the kind of connection my dog and I have.

Bristol, maybe we can all work towards a coping plan together:)

Ok enough for now, helps so much to know I am not alone, that takes the edge off so I can start to think.

I'll come back to this, we gotta be some of the strongest, bravest people around

 

[Bliss]

Can we post links?

I posted one for 15 signs of anticipotory grief but took it off as I don't know if we can

Bristol is your dog having trouble now?

Ok going to chip away at this....
My mom went of melenomia three years ago we were her care givers, anticipatory grief actually helped me alot, it gave me time to work so much through, by the time she went, I felt like I had dealt with pretty much everything. Si I think this is what is happening here.
Interesting thing happened after reading the thread yesterday and sobbing. I didn't want to organize, I played with the dog!

 

[Bliss]

It occurred to me today how much thea (the dog) and I nteractions are like when I was raising my daughter, who I had when very young . I used taking care if both of them to regulate my self, so I knew what to do next. When my daughter moved away to go to collage, it was the same fear I have now of being lost in the world. I went back to college when she did. I am going to try and come up with some ideas like that for when thea goes and I start the next chapter of this!

 

[Bliss]

Will be interested to read the responses, i have an aging labrador and the same thing worries me constantly

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This is making me extremely anxious so I have been reading, googling death emotional support animal. From what I am reading we have reason to be concerned about being able to function. Unless a mircle happens, I do a whole lot of work, I am not seeing it and better have plan b ready, structured environment where I have to function. I am worried about anger and self destructive stuff. I will journal on this in diary, this is could get messy maybe put resources I am finding here?

 

[Bliss]

Ohio state veterinarian college has a good PDF, on emotional support animals dying. They have a "honor the bond" program for their clients that has social workers who help with end of life decisions, memorials, cremations or burial, support. I would do it for sure. Going to research hotlines. This is all coming from one tough cookie, me:) but I am a realist too. This is going to test me Luke nothing before.

 

[Missycat]

Oh i am so sorry you are going through this.
We lost our beloved girl in june and are heartbroken. We knew we had to make the decision to put her to sleep as it was the kindest thing to do for our girl, she had fought the battle for a while and was tired. We pre arranged her cremation so that it was a sole cremation and we took her to the crematorium, it meant that we could be with her and look after her right to the end. Prior to going to the vets we laid with her and never left her side, we took a paw print impression in some plaster of paris and inscribed her name and the date in it and took a cutting of her fur. We brought her ashes home in a small urn that is in the shape of a german shepherd that looked exactly like her and this sits on our hearth - some of her ashes were also put into a glass heart shape keyring that i have with me. I also wrote down/journaled all the things that i loved about her, the funny things she did, her likes and dislikes, funny stories and fond memories - returning to these and being able to reminisce actually made the grieving process a little more bearable.
Visitors comment on the german shepherd ornament on our hearth and are amazed that it is an urn, it actually makes me smile and think of her being alive when i look at it.
The woman that did the keyring for me has a section on her website for 'in memoriam' so we posted pictures and a tribute to our girl on that, many companies do something similar.
Sending :hug:s if accepted.