Losing a pet is hard we build up really close connection to our pets whether big or small they’re our family and close to our hearts. They make us laugh , they’re there to listen when we’re sad or to sit with us when we cry and really guinea pigs are equally as special little peeps and they touch our hearts in amazing ways.
When they pass away whether you have to make the tough decision due to health problems with euthanisation or if your piggie passed in the night its really hard to deal with the emotional trauma and stress of it all. I lost Cookie two weeks back in a very stressful situation where no matter how hard I tried and rushed him to the vets he ended up passing in my arms .
Dealing with losing your guinea pig or any kind of pet is hard and I felt really down for a number of days after Cookie passed away but here’s a few things I did to better cope with it all:
1. Acknowledge how you’re feeling and embrace all the emotions to cope the best way you can . It’s good to cry and get your feelings across in times when you’re feeling really distressed and be around people who will listen to you and support you when times feel really hard. My mum was amazing when I lost Cookie, she tried to resuscitate him and comforted me when he stopped breathing. Everyone knows it hurts to lose something precious to you and being upset just shows how special something was to you and that’s nothing to be ashamed of or something you feel you have to keep to yourself.
2 . Keep busy and be good to yourself because I noticed a few days after Cookie passed I had this really heavy heart, I couldn’t concentrate and I thought about him all the time, it’s all to easy to just sit around and not do a lot at all. However keeping busy and having something to focus on is super important and also self care to so have a bubble bath, pop on a face mask, grab an early night and have a warm drink before bed anything you feel that’ll help you cope through the day and minimise further stress on your body is best to coping through the loss and grief you might be feeling.
3. Find ways to treasure the importance of your pet in your own way and have something to cherish. You’ll move forward in your own time and for many of the lovely people who reached out to me when cookie died its different for everyone some people heal at different paces and that’s totally ok. Remember though you’ll never forget your pet or how special they were to you and find ways to have something to hold onto in memory of them. This can be a drawing, framed photo, painted pebble like the ones my friend Vanessa of Cobble creatures makes or having a memory bead made from cremated ashes ( which you can see above I had made of cookie) if you have this done for your pet.
I hope you find this little piggie post helps you in coping with your pet loss and also if you’ve gone through this to and found your own special way of coping feel free to share it in the comments below! Wheek to you soon my lovely friends.
Katie and piggies x
