This is the tough, heartbreaking part of being a dog parent — preparing and for and helping your dog at the end of life.
Death is a tough subject to cover for anyone in your family, including your furry best friend. Your dog is someone you’ve been with since the beginning and together you’ve likely gotten through some rough patches and experienced some really fun ones too! It’s hard to think that their time here is so short, you want them to be around forever to hug, snuggle, and play with, but unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
If your dog is at the end of life, Vet Set is here to help provide care and act as a resource for all your needs in this extremely difficult time. Our vet hospital has empathetic staff members in an environment that is calming. Take a moment, sit with your dog, and read more about how you can better prepare for your dog’s death.
Preparing For The Day
If your dog is in the last stage of their life, you know the day is coming, but how do you prepare for it? Below we’ll touch on some considerations, but everyone grieves and handles things differently, so there is no right or wrong way.
Plan for arrangements
Just as you would with a human, making arrangements is a large part in the end-of-life care. Although this is the last thing you want to think of, you want to arrange what you’ll do with the body after your dog passes.
Doing this ahead of time takes some of the stress out of the equation so you have more time to grieve rather than spend energy trying to make decisions. Many options are available including burial, cremation, and veterinary disposal. If you have any questions about what these entail, you can connect with your local vet for more information.
Keep in mind that each option may come with additional decisions or tasks such as health department approval, burial urns, or special caskets, so doing this ahead of time can make things easier.
Talk with all the members in your family, and together, come up with the ideal way to honor your dog after they pass.
Make Your Dog Comfortable
Depending on where they’re at, make your dog feel as comfortable and cherished as possible. This is giving them all the TLC in the end stages with lots of blankets, delicious treats, and helpful pain management products such as CBD.
Connect with your vet and discuss other ways to make your dog comfortable or if any other measures may be needed.
Prepare Emotionally
This is the step that none of us will ever get right because there is no right way, and even trying to prepare yourself we’ll never be the same as the day it happens.
So, in all the sadness and grief, allow yourself to feel all the feels. Truthfully, you may feel ready and prepared, and then the day comes and you realize it’s completely different than you thought.
Look into the stages of grief and look for support from your family and friends — be with those who loved your dog and reminisce over funny stories and photos.
Inform Your Children
Whether your kids are young or are away at college, it’s important to talk to them about where your dog is at and to help prepare them for the death. It’s important to talk about it beforehand so they can also have a chance to prepare and say their goodbyes.
Depending on the age of your children, you may have to answer some heavy and big questions, so it’s important that you prepare ahead of time, yet still talk openly and honestly with them.
Make Time
Our lives are stressful and hectic and in these moments, remember to pause and take time away to spend them with your dying dog. In the end, no one ever laments that they spent too much time with them at the end, so get some quality time in. If they’re up for it, take them on their favorite walk or play with them in the yard and enjoy these last moments.
Feeding them their favorite treats and just snuggling with your furry friend is cathartic for you both — being present with your dog and nearby can be comforting as you let them know that you’re by their side.
Create Keepsakes
When your dog is near the end, this is the time to take some photos and make some keepsakes. Oftentimes, people will have a cast of their paw print made, or if your dog has long hair, collect it and make it into a hat or scarf. Whatever makes sense for you, create a memento that you can remember your dog by.
Planning for and making arrangements for the death of your dog is one of the toughest and most painful experiences to go through, but it’s important to help guide and comfort your companion in this time.
Once they are gone take the time and remember the good and cherished time you had with them. Look at pictures and surround yourself with loved ones to tell tales of the good ol’ days or grab a box of tissues and watch Marley and Me!