Dealing with Guilt After Pet Euthanasia

Guilt is an emotion felt all-too-often by pet lovers who ultimately decide that euthanasia is the right course of action for a suffering pet. It’s an emotional response that occurs when a person feels they’ve violated some sort of moral or ethical code. Pet lovers are often overcome with the feeling that they’ve betrayed a beloved friend with the decision to end his or her life. It can accompany feelings of horror, helplessness and even anger.Choosing to end the life of a suffering pet is a traumatic decision. Even when made with the most compassionate of intentions, it’s quite natural to feel a certain degree of guilt. These feelings are a testament to the degree of love and devotion we felt towards our pet. On some level, it can even be beneficial as it is a normal part of the grieving process. When we continue to beat ourselves up over hypotheticals and “what-ifs”, it becomes problematic.Ultimately, we cannot change the past. We do ourselves and those close to us a disservice by harboring prolonged guilt. It’s important to remind ourselves that everything we did for our pets we did out of love. If feelings of guilt continue to overwhelm you, here are some suggestions to help cope:

• Talk through your feelings with someone you trust. Verbalising your emotions can often often lift a huge emotional weight.
• When you start replaying events in your mind, remind yourself that you did what was best for your beloved pet.
• Think about all the great things you gave your animal. The home you provided, the love you shared, and the care that you gave.
• Consult your veterinarian if you have any lingering doubts about your pet’s condition.
• Seek out a support group, grief counselor or call a pet loss hotline for support.

The capacity for love is tremendous in those who’ve shared a deep connection with an animal. While this ability to love can sometimes contribute to the sense of guilt we can feel when we aren’t able to make everything better, it should be treated as a gift. Harboring guilt inhibits one’s ability to spread that love to others. That’s the last thing your beloved friend would have wanted.