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Christmas Donation
Pet Portal reminder
Pet Loss - Dealing With Grief
Children and Pet Loss
Do Animals Grieve?
When Should I Get Another Pet?
Pet Loss Resource Information
Rainbow Bridge
Our Christmas Donation
We are excited and pleased to report that the staff of East Hilliard Veterinary Services along with many of our clients (via a donation box in our reception area) have donated $825.00 to the Military Working Dogs Cooling Vest Project. Our staff chose this project for our annual Christmas donation as soon as we heard about the difficult working conditions the military dogs have to endure in Iraq and Afghanistan. This program was created by Starline Nunley of Donnelsville Ohio. She received a letter from her son telling her how  hard it was for the military working dogs to do their job in the extreme conditions of the Middle East. The money collected will go to purchase “kits” which include a cooling vest, one pair of doggles (eye protection), one set of muttluks (footpad protection), and a toy for downtime. The cost of each kit is $300.00. These dogs have been responsible for saving the lives of many of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan and we are proud to participate in this very worthy project.
Your Pet Portal
Now more than ever, we all use the internet and our e-mail to manage much of our everyday lives. Your Pet Portal allows you to access your pet’s medical records, order pet food and medication refills, and schedule appointments for your pet(s), all from your computer. It is quick, convenient, and you don’t have to try to remember to call during office hours. Just hop online, go to our website, click the Pet Portal log in box on the front page of our site, and sign on to your Pet Portal. But wait! There's more! Pet Portal also offers helpful information on pet care, behavior, and diseases and conditions, and you can take the client survey to let your voice be heard. Please follow this link for more information about what all Pet Portal has to offer.
Pet Loss – Dealing with Grief
Coping effectively with grief..."is not the process of forgetting, it is the process of remembering with less pain and more joy.” – Author unknown
Loss of your pet can be a life-changing event. Adults deal with the loss of a pet in many ways. It is important for those suffering from the grief of losing a pet to understand that what you are feeling is normal. There are different stages of grief and a succession of emotions that are completely natural. Sadly, there are people who feel that pet loss is nothing to get upset about. “It was just a dog (or cat, or ferret, etc),” is a comment often heard by people dealing with the loss of a pet. These remarks can  be very painful. It often takes courage to grieve, but it is a journey that is best not taken alone. Find someone who understands and will allow you to go through your emotions with patience and compassion. If you have no one, it is a good idea to contact a grief support group. In central Ohio, contact The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine's Honoring the Bond program at 292-1823. This line is answered by volunteers who have had special training in pet loss support. There also is a local support group that meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. They meet at the Quest Business Center at 8405 Pulsar Place, just off Polaris Parkway from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. This group is sponsored by MedVet and the Columbus Academy of Veterinary Medicine. For more information contact Dorothy Hall at 895-3416.
Children and Pet Loss
Losing a family pet can be difficult for all members of the family. Children do grieve. How you approach pet loss with a child depends largely on the age of the child, their development and personality, and your religion and culture. Very young children may feel abandoned and need reassurance that there is someone there that cares about them. Slightly older children somehow believe that death is only a temporary situation. Read an age-appropriate book about pet loss with your child and assure them that their world will remain secure. Drawing pictures can be very helpful for pre-school age children.
 Generally, elementary school-age children do understand that death is final but have difficulty understanding it. Anger is a possible emotion in this age group. This child needs to be reassured that it is OK to be angry. Assure them that their pet loved them and didn’t want to leave them. Be patient and supportive. Simple and direct answers to their questions are best at this age.
Middle school age children often have a morbid curiosity about death. They may keep their feelings hidden while giving the appearance of coping. Give them the opportunity to express themselves and ask questions.
Clinical studies have shown that teenagers have more intense grief than any other age group. They often attempt to mask their emotions. It is important to encourage and respect their response to the loss of their pet.
Allow your children to see your emotions over the loss of the pet. Be honest and include them in the decision making process. When you discuss death with a child, don’t use the term “put to sleep.” Since we all go to sleep every night, associating sleep with death can be very frightening for a child. Plan a memorial. Make a clay paw print and keep a lock of their hair. Encourage activities to help them express their love and their grief. Drawing pictures, making a scrapbook or memory box, writing stories, reading books on pet loss, making a memorial garden or planting a tree, donating time or money to a humane organization, are all things you can do individually or as a family to memorialize your pet.
Do Animals Grieve? 
Since pets cannot directly communicate their thoughts and feelings, we can only guess what they are thinking when there are behavioral changes after a fellow housepet has died. These behaviors include panting, pacing, whining, howling, and barking. Are they actually responding to the loss, or are they responding to the family’s sadness and distress? We can never rule out an underlying medical condition either. Try to keep the surviving companion’s routine as normal as possible. Be careful not to reward or encourage the behavioral changes. Wait it out and reward normal behavior. Exercise is the best stress reliever (also true for humans) and can help manage the behavioral changes.
There are now pheromones available that can help reduce your pet’s anxiety. DAP for dogs and Feliway for cats come in sprays and plug-ins. DAP makes a collar impregnated with the pheromones for use in dogs only. Some pet owners have chosen to have their other pet(s) present during a euthanasia procedure. In our experience this has been a good thing but we would like to note that sometimes this doesn’t work out well at all and adds to the family’s stress. We will accommodate you if this is something you’d like to do.
Pet Loss Resource Information
Links
Tufts University Pet Loss Support
Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
Rainbow Bridge
Cornell University Feline Memorial Program
Reading list
The list is lengthy as there are many informative books available to help you and your family through this difficult time. There are many more listed on pet loss websites.
- Because of Flowers and Dancers - Sandra Brackenridge (age 5-11)
- Jim's Dog Muffins - Miriam Cohen (age 4-6)
- Rosalie - Joan Hewett (age 4-8)
- The Black Dog Who Went into the Woods - Edith Thatcher Hurd (age 5-10)
- When a Pet Dies - Fred Rogers (age 3-8)
- Growing Time - Sandal Warburg (age 8-10)
- I'll Always Love You - Hans Wilhelm (age 4-8)
- The Tenth Good Thing About Barney - Judith Viorst - (age 5-adult)
- The Fall of Freddie the Leaf - Leo Buscaglia (all ages)
- Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
- Mustard - Charlotte Graeber
- Goodbye My Friend - Mary Ann Montgomery
- Pet Loss: A Thoughtful Guide for Parents and Children - Herbert Neiburg (all ages)
- When Your Pet Dies, How to Cope With Your Feelings - Jamie Quackenbush and Denise Graveline in association with the American Animal Hospital Association (age 11-adult)
- Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul - Jack Canfield, Editor
When Should I Get Another Pet?
The time to get another pet is a very personal decision. Most people wait until they feel the whole family has had enough time to grieve. Some people get another pet right away. Remember that you cannot replace the pet you have just lost. Each animal will have it’s own unique personality. Consider the needs of the entire family as you chose which pet to purchase or adopt. Remember that bringing another pet into your home and your heart is not an act of unfaithfulness to the deceased pet. They were always happiest when you were happy.
Rainbow Bridge
 To honor the memory of the pets that have gone on to the Rainbow Bridge this year...
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the pets who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special, someone who was left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Their bright eyes are intent. Their eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly they break from the group, flying over the green grass, faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into those trusting eyes, so long gone from your life, but never from your heart. Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together…
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