#TIME TO SAY GOODBYE HOW TO#
It offers understanding, compassion, and practical guidance, including activities about how to talk to your vet in the section on “Preparing for Pet Loss”.įrom Chapter 2: Talking to Your Vet about Possible End-of-Life This book was written so that no one has to feel totally alone on this journey. I was aware and grateful that I had my husband and friends with whom to talk things through, but I know from supporting guardians over the years that some people have to go through this on their own. This personal experience reminded me how important the subject of this book is for guardians trying to find their way through such a confusing, emotional, and stressful time. This meant asking our vet some pertinent questions. To stop my mind racing from one potential outcome to another, I knew we needed to find out more about his condition and prognosis so that we had more facts with which to work.
It was a roller-coaster of emotions that I simply had to ride out-and it hurt. I dreaded having to say Goodbye but desperately wanted to avoid him suffering if his death was inevitable in the near future. I began to feel the stability of my life as I knew it, in which our little dog was central, falling apart. When he was kept at the vet practice to have intravenous fluids the house felt hauntingly empty, and each night as I lay in bed listening to his breathing, I wondered if it was our last one together. Initially, clinical examination could only hone the problem down to his lungs, and although he was put on antibiotics and pain relief I did not know if the medication was really helping him.Įverything in me was screaming to understand-was my dog suffering and could anything be done to help him? I found myself see-sawing between despair and hope with an increasing anxiety about wanting to do what was best for this beautiful little dog who had graced our lives for 13 years.
My elderly dog became seriously ill-lethargy and refusing to eat were the first flashing red warning signs that all was not well and so the vet visits began. ExcerptĪs I finished writing this book I found myself suddenly immersed in some of the issues it covers. Offering step-by-step support throughout, this guide brings hope and reassurance that, while grief may feel insurmountable, you will come out the other side to once again reengage with life. Sharing her own experiences and those of others, she explores practices to help you cope with fears and overwhelming emotions, retain a center of inner calm when making crucial decisions, and find the courage to say goodbye when it is time.Īngela Garner also addresses the different emotional components of the bereavement process-fears beforehand and guilt and anger afterward-and includes a compassionate discussion about children and pet loss as well as how to support a grieving companion animal in the family. She discusses natural death and euthanasia and offers exercises and activities to help you work through difficult issues, such as what to discuss with the vet and how to stay focused on your pet’s welfare when euthanasia is anticipated.
The author explores how best to prepare for the death of your beloved pet, including recognizing changes in your pet’s well-being, palliative care at home, taking care of your pet’s remains, ceremonies, and more. In this compassionate guide based on 20 years' experience helping individuals and teaching veterinary professionals, Angela Garner offers practical support and guidance to help you prepare for your pet’s death ahead of time, do your best by your animal friend when the time comes, and work through your grieving process afterward. The death or separation from a beloved animal friend-whether anticipated or unexpected-can unleash a roller coaster of emotions.
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