How to Help a Pet When Its Human Dies

It is normal for an animal to experience grief when its owner dies.

Most people are familiar with how a beloved pet's death affects its owner or family. However, not many people realize it's just as difficult for a pet to adjust to the death of its owner. Animals may be unable to express themselves as humans, but they do experience grief, according to a Daily Mail website article. It is difficult to know exactly how to help a grieving pet, especially if you're experiencing grief as well.

Instructions

1. Give the pet lots of love and attention. Depending on the type of animal, give it plenty of hugs, cuddles or pats. Try talking to the pet; just making the pet your primary focus for a short time will help it feel loved. Giving the grieving pet some attention can lift its confusion and grief, if only for a short time.

2. Play with the pet. Make the time to keep it occupied by doing things it enjoys, recommends veterinarian Dr. Dawn Ruben in the website Pet Place. Whether taking it for a long walk, playing ball with it, or enjoying a run around the garden, these distractions give the animal a break from pining for its owner.

3. Stick to the pet's usual routine as much as possible. If the animal is used to meals and exercise at a certain time and in certain places, keep this the same as much as possible. You should try to give it the same food, too. The pet is already going through the emotional upheaval over the sudden loss of its owner; a change in the animal's routine is just adding to the stress.

4. Check whether the owner had a pet trust in place regarding the care of his pet. A pet trust is a legal document explaining the owner's wishes for the pet in the event of his death, explains an American Bar website article. If there is one in place, it will not only explain where the pet is to live, it should also outline any special requirements regarding the pet's care. This is useful for those in charge of the owner's estate to know exactly what the deceased owner requested for his pet.

Tips & Warnings

• Crying, whining, barking or growling are ways an animal can let you know it is not happy. Avoid using food to distract the animal from making these noises as you are inadvertently rewarding the animal, advises Ruben.

• Understand the pet's behavior is likely to be strange, or at the very least unusual, for quite a while. Loss of appetite and increased sleeping are both signs of a grieving animal. As long as the animal is healthy and does not show signs of illness this behavior should pass with time.

• It is not unusual for a grieving animal to develop symptoms of depression, says a Daily Mail article. If the pet continues to refuse food or begins pulling out its fur or feathers, you should consider seeking the advice of a vet.

References

• American Bar; Estate Planning Issues Involving Pets; Rachel Hirschfield;
• Daily Mail; Parrot Traumatised by His Owner's Death; November 2008
• Pet Place; Grief in Dogs; Dr. Dawn Ruben, DVM

Resources

• "When Your Pet Outlives You; Protecting Animal Companions When You Die" ; David Congalton, et al.