Grief for animal companions and an approach to supporting their bereaved owners

Abstract

Bereavement as a result of pet or animal companion loss is a common experience but despite the evident bond between humans and their animal companions there is relatively little provision for bereaved owners. This article presents an overview of grief for animal companions and current approaches to bereavement support for bereaved owners. It presents a new resource developed by the author that helps vets introduce the topic with their bereaved clients and signpost them to further sources of information and support.

Keywords:

• animal companions
• pet loss
• veterinary practices