Pet Loss: A Young Teen Loses Two Best Friends

Image by ThePixelman from Pixabay 

[Reviewed and updated October 17, 2020]

The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief. But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love.   ~ Hilary Stanton Zunin

A reader writes: I am 13 and recently lost my two best friends: a 19-year-old cat named Sandy, and a 3-year-old Guinea pig named Teddy. Obviously, my cat had been with my family long before I was born. I loved her as I loved a family member, because she was always there with a lick and a purr. Two weeks ago, she stopped breathing and we rushed her to the hospital. We figured she would come out ok and come home but she didn't get better. When I came home from school, I knew that by the look in my mom's eyes, she had to put Sandy to sleep. On Friday, my mom and I buried her with some flowers and a can of her food. Then, just when the huge hole in my heart had just about begun to heal, on fateful Friday, my Guinea pig took sick for the last time.

Pet Loss: When A "Pocket Pet" Dies

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[Reviewed and updated December 2, 2025]

A person's a person, no matter how small.  ~ Dr. Seuss

A reader writes: I had a sweet, loving Guinea pig for over three years. Her name was Pippin. She would cuddle up on my lap almost every night and squeal happy squeals and stand up on her hind legs when I walked into the room. We had been taking care of our son's dog for three weeks. The dog was blind and had many maladies, but was so sweet, always wagging his tail. When my son returned last Friday, the dog had developed a huge hematoma on his ear. My son couldn't afford the vet bills so he was going to put the dog down the next day, last Saturday. We said we would adopt the dog and take care of the vet bills so we cancelled the noon euthanasia appointment. About 4 hours later we left to run errands. That was our mistake, that I am feeling so guilty for.

Children and Pet Loss: A Family Deals with An Accidental Death

Photo credit: Wikipedia

[Reviewed and updated December 2, 2025]

Children aren’t as affected by pet loss as grownups are – they’re young and they’ll get over it faster. ~ A common myth about pet loss

Contrary to what some people believe, the death of a family pet is a significant event, and often it is the child's first real encounter with a major loss. Suddenly all that friendship, companionship, loyalty, support and unconditional love are replaced with overwhelming and unfamiliar feelings of loss, confusion, emptiness, fear and grief. Far from being a so-called dress rehearsal for the real thing, for most children pet loss is a profoundly painful experience. The following case offers one example.

Memorializing Pets We Have Lost

[Reviewed and updated on January 12, 2025]

A colleague writes: I am a veterinarian and would like to memorialize the pets we have lost in the past year. Does this seem appropriate, and do you have any specific suggestions which could be helpful? I plan to plant a tree and maybe provide garden stone marker engraving with the lost pet's name, but beyond that I'm open to suggestion.

My response: I think your idea of memorializing lost pets is most appropriate, and I applaud you for your sensitivity and caring. I'd like to offer some suggestions and point you to some resources that might be helpful to you as you develop this wonderful plan, and if I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.