We’re Here to Support You
The death of a beloved companion animal is just the same as losing any family member. It is important to take the time to grieve and experience your emotions throughout this journey.
Everyone will experience the grieving process differently, just as you may from the other members of your family. It is important to know that there is no right or wrong way to grieve and keep in mind that you are never alone.
Our compassionate team is here every step of the way and can offer resources to help you after losing your pet.
How Our Vets Can Help
At Napanee Veterinary Hospital,, we are here to support you and your family during this difficult time. We understand the pain of managing a pet's end-of-life care, and our compassionate team is dedicated to guiding you through each step with care and understanding.
Memorialization
We are here to help you honour your lost loved one. One of the most important parts of the grieving process is to honour the life of your cherished companion.
Memorializing your family pet will help you find closure while reminding yourself of the life experiences and memories that you shared with your cherished family pet.
At Napanee Veterinary Hospital, we offer in-house memorialization services, including cremation services and a selection of memorial objects, from small cedar boxes to urns, to help you create a beautiful memorial to share your fondest memories with.
Self-Care & Communication
Losing a loved one is never easy and it is no different for our family pets. At Napanee Veterinary Hospital, our team is here for you to provide some strategies for thinking about and communicating with loved ones while they are grieving.
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Asking for Support from Loved Ones
We are here to help you speak with your friends and family about your loss.
Not everyone that you interact with will understand how you are feeling during this time. They may diminish how you feel (intentionally or not) and suggest you should "just get a new pet".
We are here and will help you navigate conversations about your loss with the people in your life, and give you the tools to politely but firmly insist on your right to take your journey through the grieving process as you need to.
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Communication With Children
We are able to help you talk to your children about the grief and loss of your family pet.
While your first thought may be to lie to your kids about where your pet has gone, you should consider it an opportunity to teach them a valuable lesson about mortality and the grieving process.
Pet loss can show your children what your family does when something sad happens, and that grief and loss are normal parts of life. During this time they should learn that they can grieve and that this is a normal emotional process and that everything will be okay in the end.
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Self-Care
We are here for you and will help you care for yourself during this time.
Although you may find this very difficult, you need to take this time to grieve and reflect on the wonderful time you shared with your pet. You may want to suppress the grief and keep up appearances, but your to-do list can wait and your loved ones will respect you while you take this time to heal.
Be kind and gentle to yourself, and remember that sadness is not a weakness, but a part of life. Suppressing your feelings will only create more intense feelings down the road.
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Additional Resources
Here are some additional resources if you're looking for extra support: