Pet Loss and Children: A Guide for Parents

This book is a much-needed resource for parents of pet-owning children. It contains information on the grief process in children as it pertains to pet death but also gives the most effective methods of explaining the pet’s death and what comes afterward with regard to burial, cremation, and memorialization of pets. The pain suffered when a much-loved animal dies is unique and must be dealt with sympathetically. Not everyone has loved a pet and many people don’t understand the pain of having to say goodbye to one. A pet’s death though can be a valuable life teaching experience and when handled knowledgeably, helps to promote a healthy attitude towards the cycle of life and death. The author knows personally of the grief ensuing when a pet dies. However, she is also a vastly experienced veterinary nurse and has worked within the veterinary profession for many years, in several different fields of expertise, including general, exotic, and emergency medicine and most recently hospice care. Such experience brings with it a superior knowledge of pet disease, end of life decisions, the euthanasia process, and the pain of pet bereavement. Early on, the author states that she did not want to write a cold sterile textbook but she wanted to help distressed parents by sharing some stories and experiences from her own life. These experiences will help to portray how hard it is to say goodbye to a beloved furry friend and Mary is also truthful enough to confide that losing a pet can be almost as painful (sometimes more so) as losing a close relative. It is filled with the wisdom and knowledge that can only be gained through experience. This little book is a must-read for parents who are contemplating the euthanasia of their family pet or for those who have already had to let go of a furry family member.