Can Your Veterinary Clinic Help with the Grief of Pet Loss?

Posted by Positive Impressions on Feb 14th 2017

Many people value their pets as much as they value other people. Some even celebrate their dog’s or cat’s birthday, provide their fur babies with the same comforts they would give their own kids, and carry photos of them in their wallets. Such is the devotion of people to their pets. This is why the loss of a pet, for a good number of people, feels like the loss of a friend or family member.

Can your veterinary clinic help your clients cope with the pain and the loss?

A Support System

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) shares that pet loss support helplines and groups for grieving pet owners can help people manage the loss. Pet loss support helplines work in the same way as do support helplines for people who lost a loved one.

Your veterinary clinic can offer these helplines, with the aid of volunteers who have trained with licensed mental health professionals. You, as the veterinarian, may also provide insight and guidance to people who call in. The AVMA provides a comprehensive guideline for clinics and other establishments that want to set up such a support system.

Convey Your Sympathy

Whether it was a natural death or euthanasia due to a progressive disease, a thoughtful sympathy card from you would go a long way. Positive Impressions has numerous designs, with customizable options for messages.

A simple card from your veterinary clinic tells clients of your commitment to helping them through their grief. It also helps them know you understand their pain and loss.

Aside from the sympathy card, you can also hold conversations which are appropriate to the specific client. For example, you would have a different conversation with a 12-year-old who lost his dog, than the one you would have with a 62-year-old lady whose cat passed away. A child might blame himself for the pet’s death while a senior might not ever want to get another pet.

People experience great pain when pets die. Your veterinary clinic can help ease their suffering.

To know more about our sympathy cards and other veterinarian products, call us today

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