Phoenix Vets
Children and Pet Deaths
As you well know, pets must pass away just as humans do. When faced with this reality at a young age, kids aren't always sure how to react, and they don't always understand the finality or seriousness of the situation. As their parent, you can help them through the death of a pet by talking to them about life and death. If your child is dealing with the loss of a family pet, understand that this is a necessary learning process that must deal with at some point in their lives. Death can strike pets and humans at any time without warning, so there really is no "good" time to hurdle this life lesson. Pet deaths are generally easier to emotionally handle than human deaths, so if your child's first experience with death revolves around a pet, count them as lucky. This is just a primer for the real world.
Talk to your child about the pet to get a firm understanding of what's going through their head. Some children may believe that their dog, cat, gold fish, etc will come back at some point. In fact, we all experience these feelings from time to time when we lose a life that was close to us. However, while adults know to simply dismiss these feelings, children often do not, and may continue to believe in the return of the pet. If your child hasn't fully grasped the finality of the pet's death, you may need to explain to them that the pet isn't going to come back.
Children tend to handle death with less ease than adults, so spend time with them during their time of pain. While their pet may have been a dog or cat, understand that your child has lost a true, loyal friend that they loved and enjoyed playing with. They understood that the pet loved them as well, and such a drastic separation as death is especially difficult for them. The time you spend with them will help mend the hole in their heart.
Death is never easy, but as mentioned, the death of a pet in a child's life is a soft introduction to the human deaths they will encounter throughout their life. If you have more questions about dealing with the death of a pet, contact our Phoenix veterinarian clinic for more help. We understand that dealing with the death of a pet can be a very difficult time, especially when children are involved. Let our Phoenix vets help by calling or emailing us today.