Do’s And Don’ts When Talking About The Dog Euthanasia With Kids
It is already hard to hold when you lose your family pet. It becomes even more challenging when breaking this news to your children. Dying and death are two of the harshest facts of life to explain to children. The typical question veterinarians’ face has how they should tell their children about putting their pets down.
Sometimes, dog euthanasia at home is the first time a child encounters the unchangeable law of nature. Zen Dog Veterinary Care PLLC is veterinary care offering comprehensive veterinary care at the amenity of your house. Zen Dog Veterinary Care PLLC knows how hard it is for you to decide to euthanize your pet. So, they aim to make it less difficult for you by ensuring you spend the final moments comfortably at home with your furry friend instead of in a veterinary hospital.
How you handle this occurrence will significantly impact your children in understanding the circumstance of death. In this post, let us talk about how you can break the news about the demise of your pet to your children without scaring them or leaving a negative impact on this news.
Let us start with knowing the do and don’t when you talk about it to your kids.
Do’s and Don’t
The do’s and don’ts of telling your kids about the death of your family pet include –
- Being open and talking honestly
- Make sure the kids get the meaning of death or dying
- Be there for them
- Showing your actual feelings
- Discussing it with the teachers
- Reframe from blaming the veterinarian
Children are very resilient, and they learn to accept the fact that their friend is no more. If your child cannot cope with the loss of their furry friend or persists in nightmares, it is essential to discuss it with a counselor.
How to put it forward?
Sometimes, when a family pet dies, it is the first exposure to the death of kids. If the adults manage the situation carefully, the kids will be better ready to deal with despair in the future. When explaining euthanasia or a dog’s death to a kid, it is better to talk honestly. At the same time, it is crucial to use the correct terms while talking.
Reframe yourself from saying terms like putting the pet to sleep. It may confuse the kid as parents always tell the babysitter or other helpers to put the child to sleep. Some people try to avoid dealing with such a situation by telling their kids that their pets got a new home or have run away. In such cases, children always wonder why their pets ran away, leaving them or why their parents have passed their best friend to someone else.
When people plan cat euthanasia at home, they should talk about this before it occurs. It is best to involve your children in the process. You can present it in the form of helping your pet die because you do not want the pet to suffer. You do not want them to suffer in pain any longer.
Often, shelters around your area have support groups. They also organize workshops to help people overcome the sorrow of losing their pets.
