 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
SAYING
GOODBYE
Written by Beverley Williamson, VN
Part
of the responsibility of caring for your pet means making the difficult
decision to have him put to sleep if and when he becomes too ill to
enjoy a meaningful quality of life. The vet will advise and help you
when the time comes to say goodbye but you can be reassured by the fact
that it will be done very quickly and sympathetically, either at the
surgery or in your own home (subject to arrangement). Every care is
taken to ensure that your pet does not become distressed and, if necessary,
a sedative is given first to keep him calm and peaceful. The vet will
then carefully inject the animal with an overdose of anaesthetic and
he will drift off to sleep.
Most owners take the option of leaving their pet with us to arrange
cremation. It is possible to request that your pet’s ashes be
returned although an additional charge has to be made for this. Alternatively,
many owners prefer to take their pet home to bury in the garden and
are comforted by remembering their pet with a permanent reminder such
as a plaque or plant in a favourite place in the garden.
Perhaps, however, the greatest comfort to any grieving owner is the knowledge that they have done the best for their pet throughout his life and helped to provide him with a dignified and peaceful end to his old life. We now offer a bereavement counselling service to owners who are over-whelmed by the emotions they experience. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you feel you are not coping well with your grief.
There is also some evidence that cats and dogs from multi-cat/dog households go through their own grieving process at the loss of a companion so try and offer them lots of reassurance and attention to help compensate for their loss too.