Death: When A Dog Leaves This World
The death of a pet is not simple, especially if it is a dog that has been with you for several years. Children are often the ones who suffer most from this absence. If you are going through this difficult time, below we will share some advice that could possibly help you.
If you have children… how do we explain your dog’s death?
If your son or daughter is under 7 years old and feels sad, don’t prevent the little one from experiencing that sadness. Sadness is part of life, so it is convenient for him to learn to overcome it. In this way your emotional development will be much better.
Don’t sweeten reality. Less is more. Give your child simple, clear information. Answer all the questions, simply tell him the truth. With a boy or girl, be careful to use words like “sleep” or “sleep”. Your little one may not understand and may soon develop a fear of sleep.
If your dog has shown signs of aging or illness, you should tell your little one that the veterinarian will take care of it. If he asks you if the dog is going to die, he can answer that he doesn’t know, but that the vet will try to help him so he can feel better.
Even though you know your pet is leaving, it’s best that you let your child know the animal’s condition and let him know the news bit by bit. Remember that you are to your daughter or son a role model for how to react and behave. So your own expression, if it is one of sadness, allows your child to feel sad too.
If your child asks you what you’re going to do with the dog, depending on your plan, it’s a good idea to tell your vet that you have a place to put the body. Together they can process his death by remembering how they were friends with the dog.
Do not quickly remove belongings that belonged to the dog, such as the food plate and toys. The presence of their objects will allow them to remember how much they loved him and how much they miss him. Time, after all, helps to heal.
Finally, wait a while before getting a new pet. Children need to know that we cannot replace their loved ones.
immediate considerations
If your pet has died inside your home, depending on your decision, it may have to keep the body for a short period of time, especially if the death occurred at night. A well-refrigerated body can be kept for a maximum of 24 hours.
Although it is difficult, you should wrap the animal and place it in the refrigerator. If you want an autopsy performed to determine the cause of death, the body should not be frozen and you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
If your pet is too big to be placed in the refrigerator, you can place the body on a cement floor. In this case, do not cover or wrap the body. If you do, the heat will not allow your body temperature to drop.
As a last resort, if you don’t have proper cooling or cement floors, you can keep your body in the coldest area of your home, out of the sun, full of ice packs. In this case, the body must be placed in a plastic bag to prevent it from getting wet.
The body doesn’t decompose right away, so you don’t have to worry about the smell.
Individual or community cremation
It is very common that pet owners, as soon as the animal dies, choose to cremate the body. There are places that offer this service, which your veterinarian will possibly also offer.
Right after cremation, you may choose to keep your dog’s ashes as a keepsake. If so, you will have to decide this beforehand and will have to choose a private service, which will ensure that the returned remains really belong to your pet. In general, companies that offer individual cremation also offer urn options so you can put your pet’s ashes.
