When you first bring home a new kitten or puppy, the last thing on your mind is thinking of him or her dying. New life doesn't lend itself to the end of life. But, death does come. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later. When it does happen, it is important to deal with it in ways that work for you and your family. When you have to choose between your desire to keep your companion animal with you for just a bit longer and the need for her to be released from her pain, it's a terrible decision to make, one that pet owners dread, fear, and/or put off. Some will ask their veterinarian for advice, medical and emotional, on how best to choose. But ultimately it is up to the owner. No one can decide but you.

Once a decision is made, owners set up a time they can bring their pet in to the clinic to euthanized. Some choose to stay with their animals while others simply cannot; sometimes whole families are present. Some people want to take the body home, others choose cremation. There is also the option having ashes returned to you. We try to provide these services at a time that is convenient, expedient, quiet and private as possible. Let us know your needs.

It is important to know that not everyone shares your deep attachment to your pet. If you tell an acquaintance that you are sad because your pet just died, you may not receive the same response that you would at your veterinary clinic or with another pet lover. Owners often feel guilty and say "Isn't it awful, feeling so broken up over an animal?" This is not awful: it's normal. This other being has lived with you for 8, 12, 15 or more years. You've fed and watered him, played with him, gone for walks, and drives, gone hunting, fishing, swimming, scolded him and loved him. He's been a large part of your life. When he is suddenly gone, there is a large hole where your companion animal was and no longer is. The grief that owners feel when a pet dies is much the same as when a human loved one dies. Yet, too often, that grief is dismissed as silly, extravagant or beneath us because "It was just an animal".

It is important to allow yourself to be sad, to miss your pet. Talk about him with someone who would understand. Sometimes, it helps to gather pictures you've taken through his life and put them into an album or set them up in his favorite corner. Some people plant a tree or set up a stone outside in his memory. Draw a picture, or keep tags on your key ring. Use your imagination and find what works best for you to remember, and to heal the hurt of loosing your pet.

There are a number of resources available, both for children and adults, to help process the death of a companion animal. Please don't hesitate to call if there is anything that we can do to help.