How to cope with the death of a dog. What to do when a dog dies, how to survive death and decide on a new pet. Sudden death of an animal

Your dog's final days may be the hardest. for the entire period of your relationship with your pet, but in many ways and one of the grateful ones. This will be your last opportunity to thank your dog for all the devotion and love he gave you during those wonderful times when you were together all the time. If you know what to expect in the last days, you will find the strength to cope with it.

As your dog ages, his dependence on you directly increases. The love and physical contact she gave was very important, so spend more time with her, hug her, pet your dog affectionately. Let him know that you care about him and will not leave him alone on such difficult days for him.

Often the final decision does not depend on the owners. Death of a dog can occur instantly - blessed, quick relief from suffering and pain. End of life.

But more often than not, there is no natural solution. A dog can die for a long time and suffer. The owners decide to ease the suffering of their faithful friend - to authorize euthanasia (putting to sleep). Making this decision is both difficult and easy: it all depends on the situation.

Many times we watch death on TV, in movies, on videos, but in life we ​​are not ready for it. Owners must realize that, despite all the love and care, dogs, alas, live much shorter than us.

Talk to all family members, discuss the situation, and decide what is best for your pet, not your family. It is better to make this decision with the help of a veterinarian (at the same time he will help as an adviser and consultant). Experts understand all your feelings of loss and grief. But they know that it is often better to end unbearable suffering in humane ways.

Euthanasia

The procedure is carried out similar to anesthesia. Only in this case the dose of the anesthetic is greatly increased.

Often the owners want to be present during the procedure. At this moment, you need to affectionately stroke your pet and stay with him for some time after death.

Fifteen years ago our family made this decision, although it was very difficult. The dog Lyalya, whom you found at one time, delighted us for 16 years. Then she became seriously ill and began to suffer greatly, which lasted three months. Before the procedure, we spent the whole night working on it. We loved her very much... And we simply realized that such unbearable suffering must be stopped. True, none of us found the strength to be present at this...

Sorrow

This is our normal reaction to the death of loved ones or animals. In our society we mourn dead people, but not everyone understands the suffering of the owners of dead animals.

Before the fact that your pet's life ends, owners become depressed. They begin to convince themselves that doctors are wrong, everything is not so bad. In a state of grief, they are even ready to sacrifice themselves just to save the life of their beloved creature. Often anger is mixed with mental pain: “Maybe we missed something, did something wrong, etc.”

But the dog is no more, death has occurred. The owners are faced with a cruel reality; there is a void left. The less support there is during this period, the longer this state will last.

After four to six months comes humility. Grief is replaced by good, warm memories.

Cremation or funeral

There is nothing unusual in animal burials; many themselves find suitable places for this. Nowadays in modern cities there are allotted areas for burial of animals, where, if desired, tombstones with inscriptions and photographs, and even luxurious monuments are placed. Some people prefer cremation and bury the ashes in urns. You can even book special funeral services.

Sometimes owners cannot cope with the loss of their pets themselves. In such cases it is required psychological help.

Most importantly, we must realize that on average, dog owners may experience grief due to the loss of a dog five or more times in their lifetime. And every time our suffering will be no less, because every dog ​​is unique, unique and very loved.

Lyubov Lozinskaya

The life of a dog is short, the life expectancy of these animals ranges from 6 years for bulldogs and Irish wolfhounds, to 20 years for lap dogs. Mutts and German Shepherds live on average 12-15 years, depending on care, living conditions and disease. But even this time is enough for people to get used to the animal and acutely experience its death.

Psychological moments

For many, a dog truly becomes a member of the family; it understands the state of mind of its owners without words, rejoices with them and is sad in difficult moments, showing its silent and understanding participation.

Childless families are especially accustomed to animals; for them, a dog or cat is both children and animals, they fill the entire living space - both in the house and in the soul.

But then the moment comes when the dog dies, this event becomes as sad for the family as the loss of a loved one. How to survive this?

In the event of the death of a loved one, people of any faith turn to God with a request to accept his soul and forgive his sins. There are no funeral services for dogs in churches, and no wakes are held at home. But you can arrange an evening of memories, remember and tell only good and funny moments about your pet, look at his photographs, which should accumulate a lot over the years.

You can even create a separate photo album dedicated to your deceased pet, or edit a video on your computer. It’s great if video recordings have been preserved, thanks to which the family’s pet will run and jump just like alive for many, many years to come.

For those who suffer the death of a dog very painfully, psychologists recommend removing all his things - a bowl, a rug, toys, clothes. So that nothing reminds of her.

You shouldn’t get a new dog right away; you need to wait until the pain of loss passes. In addition, the new puppy may turn out to be completely different in character. In fairness, it should be noted that complete mutual understanding between animals and their owners does not always occur, and not immediately. Everything here is individual, just like in communicating with people.

Intellectual abilities, even among dogs of the same breed, can also be different; a new dog in character and intelligence can generally be very different from the one to which you are so accustomed. And then disappointment cannot be avoided, and the new pet will only cause irritation instead of joy.

To fill the void and realize your love for animals, you can visit an animal shelter. And not just visit, but help the shelter workers look after them, play, and bring them something tasty.

It is this kind of communication that allows you to better know the dog’s character and love it. And for her it will be real happiness - to find new owners and a new home.

But you shouldn’t blame yourself for the death of your pet, and you shouldn’t dwell on this grief. It’s better to remember that while he lived with you, you took care of him like a child and created the best conditions for him.

And yet, there is a belief that after death dogs go to their own paradise - the Rainbow Bridge. They feel just as good there as people in heaven, because they are completely sinless beings. In addition, on the Rainbow Bridge they can see all its colors - a pleasure that was not available to them during life due to their vision.

On the Rainbow Bridge, the dog recovers, gets rid of all wounds and illnesses, does not feel pain, hunger, cold and fear. But she can endlessly play and enjoy existence together with other dead animals - isn’t this a reason to be happy for her?

What to do with the body?

When a dog's soul goes to the Rainbow Bridge, something needs to be done with its body. In Russia, and other CIS countries, the issue of burying deceased domestic animals has not yet been fully resolved.

Hundreds of pet cats and dogs die every year in large cities, and you need to know what to do in this case. According to current legislation, in Russia the corpses of domestic animals can be disposed of in only two methods - burning in crematoria and disinfection in Beccari pits located in the territories of cattle burial grounds or in solid waste landfills. Such pits exist in all major cities.

The first step is to call your local veterinarian. The corpses of dogs and cats are biological waste that are disposed of according to established sanitary rules. This is especially important if the animal died from infectious diseases and the soil can become a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria.

Private enterprises often deal with the disposal of animal corpses. In Russian cities, cremation of an animal costs about 2.5 thousand rubles, an urn for ashes from 450 to 8,000 rubles.

Such enterprises offer clients two types of cremation - general and individual. General cremation involves the simultaneous burning of several corpses, after which the ashes are mixed, and it is not possible to determine whether they belong to a specific animal. The owner can take part of this mixture, consoling himself with the fact that his pet’s ashes are also there.

During individual cremation, the corpse of one animal is burned in one chamber; this service is called a veterinary ritual - vetritual. In this case, the owner will be sure that the urn contains only the ashes of his dog.

You can't bury it in the ground

Often, animal owners prefer to simply bury their corpses after death, and even erect monuments to them. In some cities there are entire animal cemeteries. Sometimes the owners simply bury them in any place they like - in the forest, in the country or in the park.

But under no circumstances should this be done, especially if the dog died from infectious disease. The causative agents of the disease persist in the soil for tens and even hundreds of years; over time, they end up in groundwater, and then end up in wells and boreholes. In addition, the corpses of animals can be unearthed by rodents and wild animals - all this is fraught with a new outbreak of a dangerous disease.

Unauthorized burial of a dog or cat, as well as throwing them into a landfill, is considered an administrative offense, which is punishable by a fine of 20 to 40 thousand rubles for individuals, and in the amount of 40 to 50 thousand rubles for entrepreneurs. For unauthorized burial of animals, individual entrepreneurs can be punished not only with a fine, but also with suspension of activities for three months.

Legal entities that unauthorizedly bury biological waste are punished with fines in the range of 500-700 thousand rubles, or cessation of activity for 3 months.

In Moscow, with some veterinary centers and veterinary clinics have their own crematoriums for animals. These companies provide their services around the clock; employees come to your home at any time to pick up the deceased dog and deliver it to the clinic for autopsy and cremation.

In these same clinics, you can euthanize a hopelessly ill animal to save it from unnecessary suffering. The delivery of the animal to the clinic is also carried out by employees of veterinary clinics and veterinary centers.

Virtual cemetery

The memory of a pet can be immortalized in virtual reality. Currently in some in social networks and on regular websites you can find virtual cemeteries for animals.

There you can register your own page, paid or free, place a photo of a deceased animal on it, and visit the page as much as you want.

In such groups, pet owners share memories, provide each other with psychological support, give each other advice on how to cope with grief, and even help find a new pet.

Regardless of the reason why a family loses a four-legged friend, its death can have a serious impact on everyone. However, life does not stop there, you just need to learn to cope with the pain of loss. And in this review we will talk about how to survive the death of your beloved dog.

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What should we strive for?

You can survive the loss of a pet if you follow some recommendations. They are quite simple. However, it is not always possible to do what psychologists advise. The available methods should be considered in more detail.

No need to look for the culprit

Almost always after the death of a pet, people begin to blame themselves. This is especially true if a four-legged friend dies due to injury or illness. However, according to the psychologist, not everyone is capable of being an ideal owner. This is just unreal. Plus, dogs can get sick, just like people. It is not always possible to identify the disease in time.

It is worth understanding that even professional breeders and doctors can make mistakes. Therefore, expert advice recommends not to blame yourself. You already did everything you could. In addition, you managed to surround your four-legged friend with love and care.

Need for a pause

The advice of a psychologist recommends pausing for a while and waiting until the pain finally subsides. It is not recommended to immediately look for a replacement for your pet. Otherwise, you will start comparing two different animals, which will not have a very positive effect on the new pet. The score will simply not be in his favor.

At first, you should not go to the stores where you bought food for your pet. It is recommended to pass by the breeders from whom the puppy was purchased. After a loss, it is better to protect yourself from unnecessary questions.

No need for reminders

It will be more difficult to hold back tears and mental pain if your eyes are constantly caught by a drinking bowl or a collar with a leash. Therefore, hide all things that belong to your pet. You can give them to your friends. You should not save them even if you are planning to get a new puppy in the future. They will always remind you of your loss.

Help other pets

According to the advice of a psychologist, the help provided to a dog shelter will help you cope with the loss and bring your emotional state back to normal. At first, of course, it will be difficult. However, the happiness that you were able to help someone will gradually displace negative emotions.

If you are walking down the street and see a homeless dog, find him a shelter. You can offer help to volunteers. This will save everyone from suffering. A striking example of how you can help a dog is demonstrated in the video.

Think only about the good

After the death of a beloved friend, happy moments will constantly begin to spin in your head, those minutes that you spent together. And most often they visit memories in which the dog was already sick or old. According to the advice of a psychologist, it is important to get rid of such thoughts immediately.

It’s better to remember your four-legged friend happy, scroll through your memory of interesting adventures, exciting trips, first successes in training. Positive thoughts like these will help you cope with the loss of your pet.

Memory is designed in such a way that after a while you will think about your pet with a smile.

Get a new puppy

It is no coincidence that this item comes last. You just shouldn’t think about a new puppy right away, since the pain of loss is still great, and, accordingly, you won’t be able to get distracted. It is recommended to approach this step gradually. First, you need to get rid of the unpleasant thoughts that arise due to the death of your four-legged friend. Otherwise, you will not be able to surround the new family member with care and love.

Get a pet as soon as you're ready. This will help you acquire new bright emotions and stop worrying too much about the loss of your old pet.

Help a child

Of course, an adult can experience the death of a pet for a very, very long time. But if a child suddenly falls into depression, the parents may experience real panic. However, you should know some subtleties. The psyche of children is highly flexible. She is able to adapt to different conditions.

In addition, there is nothing wrong with the fact that children, after the loss of a four-legged friend, begin to worry, because a pet was lost. As the advice of a psychologist shows, in this situation you should simply distract the child from the manifestation of negative emotions with the help of some joyful event.

In addition, children's specialists say that it is necessary to prepare for the death of a pet in advance. You can get another dog when the first one turns 9 years old. As soon as the time comes, the child will switch to the “younger” pet and “pour” some of his emotions onto it. Accordingly, it will be much easier to cope with the loss.

Video “Coping with Loss”

The article described only the basic methods, using which you will be able to survive the pain of loss. After watching the video, you will learn about some more methods.

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Our pets are often perceived not as just animals designed to make life more comfortable or safe, but as almost full-fledged members of the family. When a beloved animal is sad, we play with it and treat it with treats to cheer it up; when a pet is sick, we take it to the doctor, and then give it medicine to heal it as quickly as possible, and when we feel bad ourselves, we pet the pet and complain to him for the whole world, and it becomes easier. Unfortunately, the lifespan of cats and dogs is much shorter than the life of a person, and sooner or later every owner of a four-legged pet will have to experience the death of a pet.

Dogs and cats, like people, can get sick, be poisoned by poor-quality food, or receive a life-threatening injury, but if these misfortunes can bypass the animal, then even the most caring owner. Death is always unexpected, and none of us knows when that tragic moment will come when our four-legged pet will leave us forever. The death of a beloved pet brings with it grief, heartache and sadness, and in the first hours and days after the death of their cat or dog, many people are unable to cope with grief and cannot find answers to how to overcome the death of a pet.

Emotional experiences of a person when losing a pet

When a beloved animal dies, a person alternately feels a whole range of negative emotions, and all these experiences can be divided into several stages. Each person experiences grief in their own way, but almost all people go through these stages when they lose a dog or cat:

How to Deal with the Pain of Losing a Pet

The strength of grief and the depth of sadness depend on many factors, and if one person can easily cope with the death of a dog or cat, then another will mope for months. Surprisingly, children tolerate the death of pets more easily than adults, since the child’s psyche is more mobile. Children, unlike adults, express their emotions more vividly and are in the process of constantly learning about the world, so for a child the question of how to survive the death of a cat or dog is not worth it - a few minutes or hours, then he will be sad for a day or two, and then the place of sadness new emotions and impressions will take over.

Adults who don't know how to cope with the loss of a pet should take a cue from their children and allow themselves to first express their emotions and then let them go. The following tips can also help cope with the pain of the death of a beloved dog or cat:

If the longing for a deceased pet does not go away, people who believe in the afterlife can be helped to cope with grief by the legend of the Rainbow Bridge, which claims that all animals in heaven are waiting for their owners. But you shouldn’t try to get a new pet as quickly as possible - another animal will not replace the deceased one, because it will have a completely different character and habits. It is better to get another dog or cat when the pain from the loss of the previous pet subsides and the owners are ready to love their new four-legged friend with all their hearts.