Pet+Loss+-+Jenny+Kenyon


 * People who lose an animal companion **

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 62% of households in America have pets. There are approximately 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats in the United States (ASPCA.org). With so many pets in American households, it would seem there would be a greater emphasis to support those who experience the death of an animal companion. This is not always the case. The grief that people face when they lose an animal is similiar to grief experienced when losing any loved one except it is often not recognized by society and therefore, there is a need for special consideration in working with clients who lose an animal companion. __**Primary Loss**__ The primary loss is losing the animal companion. **__Case 1__** Betty is a 60-year-old professional woman who six months ago had to euthanize her dog, Trudy. Trudy had been a member of Betty's family for 13 years. Betty's husband, Frank, travels a great deal of the time. Betty developed a special bond with Trudy, since much of her time at home was spent with just Trudy and herself. As Trudy aged, her health began to deteriorate. One morning, Trudy did not get up to greet Betty. Betty took Trudy to the family veterinarian and left for work hoping to pick up Trudy after a round of antibiotics. The vet called Betty to let her know that Trudy's condition was worsening, and she needed to make some decisions about the quality of Trudy's life. Betty worked in the medical field, and understood the meaning of quality of life. Betty began to experience anticipatory loss feeling a sense of loss before the actual loss occurred. After two days at the vet, Betty struggled with the decision to continue treatment or end Trudy's suffering. Frank was away on business, leaving Betty with a difficult decision. On the third day, Betty received another call from the veterinarian, and she left work to say goodbye. Betty described the experience with tears streaming down her face. She was there when Trudy died and was allowed to remain with Trudy alone in the room for a period of time. She questioned her decision, "Did I decide too quickly?" Betty felt intense sadness and guilt. She called a co-worker to take her and home. Betty took a few days off work to mourn her family member and make arrangements for cremation. She described feeling guilty about missing work. She felt her employer did not understand her pain, and felt forced back to work when she was not ready. When she went back to work, she could not concentrate. She felt as if she were being forced to "get over" her grief quickly and move on with life. Betty apologized for feeling so down, but was angry that people did not recognize her pain. Six months later, Betty was still having trouble moving past her grief. Frank suggested they get a new dog, and reluctantly Betty agreed to go and look at puppies. Betty was angry with Frank, because she felt he, too, was asking her to forget the love she felt and replace that with a substitute animal, one that she had no attachment with. People often inquire about the "right" time to get a new pet. For Betty, she did adopt a new puppy that was the same breed as Trudy. She loves the new puppy, but still feels a great void that Trudy filled in her life. There is no right or wrong time, only the grieving person can determine.

What Betty was experiencing was disenfranchised grief. Disenfranchised grief is defined as grief that cannot be openly acknowledged, publicly mourned or socially supported according to Doka (2002). The ability to confide in others is an important factor in overcoming bereavement. Without social support, people may question the legitimacy of their grief reactions (Kauffman, J, 2002). Disenfranchised grief increases the risk of developing complicated grief that could result in major depressive episodes or severe anxiety (Walsh, 2002). Losing a beloved pet can be a painful and sometimes lonely experience. Much of society devalues the relationships between humans and their animal companions despite the vast amount of households that have pets. Several factors determine the depth of grief an individual may experience after losing an animal companion:
 * Length of membership in the family
 * The circumstances surrounding the loss
 * Perceived lack of social support
 * Association with past losses

** __Length of membership in the family__ ** The relational bond that develops between humans and their animal companions is like any other relationship that develops over time. Animals that have been in the family for many years pose a greater risk for intense grief reactions (Durkin, A, 2009). Trudy had been a member of Betty and Frank's family for 13 years, and she felt a greater sense of loss because of the length of time and extensive shared memories.

** __Circumstances surrounding the loss__ ** A loss can occur through natural causes, disease requiring euthanasia, accidental death, or even wandering away. Feelings of guilt are often associated with grief experienced by people who must make the decision to euthanize their pet. The decision for an appropriate time must be weighed against the quality of life. For many, this is an agonizing process, and often people struggle with uncertainty of their decision or whether more could be done to save their animal. Guilt is also commonly associated with accidental death and wandering pets who become lost (Clements, P, Benasutti, K., Carmone, A, 2003). Clients may feel they could have done more to protect the animal. Anger can also be closely associated with the loss as well. Clients may become angry with their veterinarian for not being able to do more or become angry at the person who caused an accidental death.

** __Perceived lack of social support__ ** An important element of the greiving process is social support. Clients who lose an animal companion may experience disenfranchised grief because they lack the social support afforded to people who lose a human family member (Pilgram, M., 2009). The inability to openly acknowledge grief and publicly mourn their loss may result the individuals questioning the validity of their grief and cause further isolation. There is a barrier to how people process grief when a family pet is viewed as property and not as legitimate family members (Pilgram, M, 2009). There are no socially sanctioned mourning rituals that take place when an animal companion dies (Margolies, L., 1999). In Betty's case, she felt a lack of social support with her employer, and to some extent, her spouse for not recogizing the depths of her grief in suggesting getting a new puppy.

** __Association with past losses__ **

Losing an animal companion can trigger feelings of sadness and despair felt from previous losses, especially if there is unresolved or delayed grief. Liz Margolies, CSW studied the effects of women losing a companion animal with early maternal loss. What she found was a heightened sense of attachment with women who had experienced early maternal loss (1999). She found that animal companions often provide a opportunity for intimate bonds. A child's assumptive universe is shattered following a maternal loss, and this may cause a heightened sensitivity to losing an animal companion as an adult (Margolies, 1999). Although not all children who lose their mother will experience such a heightened sense of attachment to their animal, their risks is greatly increased.

__**Case 2**__ Maria is a 44-year-old woman whose dog, Fred, died of natural causes at the age of 14. Maria and her husband Mark adopted Fred from an animal rescue when Fred was 2 years old. Maria was adopted as a child by her birth mother's family after she died. Although she reports a happy childhood, she felt a great sense of loss associated with her mother's death. Maria reported that when Fred died, she kept thinking about her mother. She associated adopting Fred at age 2 with her own adoption. Maria's association with past losses was triggered by Fred's death.

** Secondary Loss ** The loss that results from the primary loss is the secondary loss. According to Dr. Michael Sanger, grief related stressors are reactions to loss that are similar to grief, and grief oriented processes are steps clients take to address the grief stressors (2012). The following rubric is an example of how clients may react to losing an animal companion:
 * An example of a secondary loss that occurs following the death of an animal is companionship. For many older adults, their animal companion may be the only source of social interaction that is consistent and meaningful (Durkin, A, 2009). Children may also fall into this category because they often view their pet as a friend of playmate. For some, a secondary loss can be a loss of daily routines or rituals like feeding, bathing, taking walks or playing fetch. As a result, daily exercise may also be a secondary loss for clients. For others, a secondary loss can be a sense of feeling safe and protected. || [[image:vsu7840/home-aged-tn.jpg width="141" height="160"]] ||
 * **__Grief Related Stressors__** || **__Grief Oriented Processes__** ||
 * 1. Sadness over the loss || * Crying
 * mourning
 * missing work ||
 * 2. Guilt ||< * Questioning the decision making process
 * Blaming yourself for the death/loss ||
 * 3. Anger || * Suing the person who injured the animal.
 * Changing veterinarian who couldn’t save the animal ||

How clients move on following a loss that are unrelated to grief are Life Oriented Stressors, and Life Oriented Processes are how we address those stressors. The following rubric is an example:
 * **__Life Oriented Stressors__** || **__Life Oriented Processes__** ||
 * 1. Deciding what to do with the body after euthanasia || * Speaking with the veterinarian to find resources for support
 * Burying the Animal or making arrangements for cremation ||
 * 2. Taking legal action to get vet bills paid by someone who accidentally kills the pet ||< * Calling an attorney for advice
 * Calling the responsible party to request assistance in paying for the bills
 * Talking with the veterinarian to get an understanding of what happened to your animal ||
 * 3. Replacing protection in the home and feeling safe again || * Call a home security agency to put in an alarm
 * Adopting another pet
 * Becoming a foster home for rescue animals ||

Social Workers need to recognize the difference between functional versus dysfunctional mourning and assist clients in finding ways to normalize their grief to avoid maladaptive processes. Normalizing the clients feelings will help them understand what they are thinking or feeling is normal under the circumstances and help develop coping skills. Because of the stigma many clients feel about opening up themselves to people about their feelings of sadness, it is important to find adaptive ways to cope with disenfranchised grief. The following are examples of adaptive and maladaptive life processes. ** Interventions ** After a loss occurs, the first essential step is a thorough assessment that includes inquiring about the entire family system, including pets. People may be reluctant to talk about their feelings because they are embarrassed and feel marginalized for their grief reactions. Inquiring into the entire family structure, including pets, can uncover key information and the effects on psychosocial functioning (Donohue, K, 2005). Finding out the circumstances that the loss occurred can uncover feelings of guilt that can later be addressed. It is important to find out if the client has experienced any past losses and how they were addressed, which may provide insight into whether there is any unresolved grief from past losses. Equally important is to assess whether the client lived alone with their pet. People who live alone have a deeper attachment with their animal companion since they may be the only source of social support. Gathering as much information as possible will help the social worker to develop a treatment plan based on the information obtained (Donahue, K, 2005). Using active listening can allow the client to open up and begin to normalize their feelings by telling their story in a safe environment. Empathetic listening is probably one of the most important tools a social worker can use in the case of disenfranchised grief. It serves as an outlet for clients who may otherwise suppress their grief. If complicated grief is discovered during the thorough assessment due to unresolved grief from past losses, a referral to someone who specializes in grief pet therapy can be helpful.
 * Adaptive Processes to Stressors || Maladaptive Processes to Stressors ||
 * Contactin Contacting an online support group rt group ||  Isolating f Isolating from family and friend ro family and friends  ||
 * Consulti Consulting an attorney for restitution for vet bills ney to get resttution for vet bills ||  Attact Attacking the person that killed your animal h person who killed your animal  ||
 * Op Openly discussing and reminiscing about your animal ussing and reminiscng about your animal ||  Avoiding emo Avoiding emotions tios  ||

Before clients euthanize their animial companion, it would be helpful to provide education about loss. Clients who have to make decisions about euthanasia can become conflicted about their role and experience intense feelings of guilt (Pilgram, M., 2009). Collaborating with veterinarians and their staff to provide education about the process may decrease some stress associated with euthanasia. Another helpful tool before the loss occurs is to assist the client in making arrangements for their pet, discussing the grief process, and providing website information that will connect them with other people experiencing similar circumstances.

There are many online support groups for people who lose an animal companion. The following links are a resource guide for clients who experience losing an animal companion:

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Clements, P., Benasutti, K, Carmone, A. (2003). Support for bereaved owners of pets. //Perspectives in Psychiatric// //Care//, (pp. 49-53)
 * __References:__**

Doka, K. (2002). //Disenfranchised grief: New directions, challenges, and strategies for practice//(pp. 5-20) Champaign, IL. //Research Press//

Donahue, K. (2005). Pet loss: Implications for social work practice. //Social Work (pp. 187-190)// Durkin, A. (2009). Loss of a companion animal: Understanding and helping the bereaved. //Journal of Psychosocial// Nursing. Vol 47 (pp. 27-31)

Kauffman, J. (2002). The psychology of disenfranchised grief: Liberation, shame, and self-disenfranchisement. (pp. 61-78) Champaign, IL Research Press.

[]: Retrieved: March 13, 2012

Margolies, L. (1999) The long good-bye: Women, companion animals, and maternal loss. //Clinical Social Work// Journal. Vol 27(3)

Pilgram, M. (2009). Communicating social support to grieving clients: The veterinariarns' view. //Death Studies,// //Department of Coumminication, Washburn University// (pp. 699-711) Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Topeka, KS

Sanger, M. (2012) //Seminar on loss and bereavement,// Valdosta State University

Walsh, K. (2006). //Greif and loss: Theories and skills for helping professions// (2nd Ed.) Upper Saddler, NJ, Pearson Inc.