Grief Healing

Giving Thanks on Memorial Day

When I think of Memorial Day and what it means to me, I think of how blessed I am to live in this country, where freedom still rings, even though at times we may abuse some of the freedoms we have. I think of the fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate price so that we might continue to live free. I also think of the families, friends, and loved ones of the fallen — the unsung heroes struggling to survive in the face of unspeakable loss. Read on here >>>

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 22 - May 28

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Ann Faison: No Timeline for Grief, http://dlvr.it/TDMsB via @houstonfunerals

Deb Kosmer: The End of Winter Sometimes Comes Slowly, Open to Hope, http://bit.ly/kPMGXT

Coping with Disastrous Events, http://bit.ly/kf8kQ8 via HFA blog

Book review: 'Shift Happens': Making Sense of Life After Job Loss, aol.it/ldRKvk via @AOL @DrDignity

7 reasons why it's good to cry your eyes out, http://to.pbs.org/ihDxhs via @EmotionalLife

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Caregiving and Hospice, May 22 - May 28

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Virtual Support Group for Caregivers: 4 pm EDT, Sunday, June 26, http://bit.ly/ecn0626 via @jaykraker

Animal Assisted Therapy: Horses brighten lives of hospice patients, http://owl.li/534v7 via @PallMedBriefs

Pet therapy dogs at my hospice are called 'hospets,' via @michelleerfur

Washington Post review of HBO film, How to Die in Oregon, http://wapo.st/l2voMQ via @doctorfisher

Why does Medicare pay for procedures and devices with no benefit to patients? http://nyti.ms/il1E9k via @AAHPM

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Coping with Pet Loss, May 22 - May 28, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Managing your pet's last days through in-home hospice, http://ht.ly/51ax0 via @PetsforPatriots

Entire May 2011 issue of veterinary medicine journal is on Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care for Pets, http://tinyurl.com/3zna9f8 via @PetEndofLife

American Veterinary Medical Association's revised Guidelines for Veterinary Pet Hospice Care, http://tinyurl.com/3ttmmyc via @PetEndofLife

Heartwarming post on anticipatory grief and petloss, http://bit.ly/jSOnho

Helping Children Cope with A Pet's Euthanasia, http://bit.ly/iPJoT9

Planning ahead for the loss of a beloved pet: a helpful new checklist, http://ow.ly/525wy by @VetWisdom

Children and pet loss: Coping With Bereavement, http://bit.ly/fYqtYI by @SueAtkins

Pet Hospice overview from AAHA, bit.ly/mvvl95 via @jmedvm

Helping Children Cope with A Pet's Euthanasia

[Reviewed and updated September 7, 2025]

Choosing to euthanize a cherished companion animal is difficult enough for adults who are faced with such a horrible decision. What's even harder for many parents is finding a way to help their children understand and accept the fact that the time has come to help the pet to die.

Trying to overprotect their children from grief, parents may make the mistake of overlooking, minimizing or avoiding altogether the pain caused by the death of a family pet. Sadly, in so doing they will have missed a valuable opportunity to teach their children a very powerful lesson in coping with the painful reality of death.

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