Ohio State offers special program to help pet owners deal with the loss of their animal

For many people the sudden loss of a pet can be a traumatic experience. And Ohio State wants to help thanks to a special program.

The last thing we want to think about is the loss of a pet. Whether we are talking about a beloved dog or cat, just the thought of them passing away can be enough to stop us in our tracks. And Ohio State understands this feeling of grief and wants to help.

According to a press release from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, a new program is recognizing the strong bond that many pet owners have with their animals. In an effort to help when a pet comes to the end of their life, the college is offering grief support to pet owners needing help at this difficult time.

As Joelle Nielsen, a social worker and coordinator for the program explains, “if you go to a human hospital, you’re guaranteed to have the support of either a social worker or a chaplain. That’s rare in a veterinary hospital setting.”

While grief is different for everyone, the goal of the program from Ohio State is to offer support when needed. At this time, there are not many programs available to pet owners dealing with grief and loss, yet Ohio State wants to change that.

When asked what is needed to start more programs to help pet owners with their grief, Nielsen offered up a detailed explanation that touches on everything from de-stigmatization of this particular loss to having more attention brought to the grief we feel over losing a beloved animal.

According to Nielsen, “Understanding and acceptance the grief experiences after the loss of a pet is normal and to be expected.  De-stigmatization of this disenfranchised loss. This has been helped by social media posts and media articles by or about celebrities that have experienced this profound grief.”

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It is also important that people are aware of the fact that we are allowed to grieve the loss of a pet. While this might seem obvious, there is still a stigma around expressing this kind of grief in public.

Joelle Nielsen went on to say that in order to make sure there are more programs like the one at Ohio State there needs to be, “Knowledge that there are resources and professionals that specialize in this type of grief work, involved in movement to have standards of practice, etc. Education to the public as well as professionals. Funding (I wish this wasn’t an issue, but, as is all things in life, money is necessary to make things work) to pay professionals an appropriate wage to provide this important work.”

Everyone is different and we can’t compare our grief. But if we know that there are other people out there who understand us and what we are going through it can make a difference.

Hopefully the efforts that Ohio State are making to normalize grief over the loss of a pet can help make a difference.

What do you think of a program to help pet owners deal with end of life decisions, as well as grief over the loss of a pet? Do you think this is something that should be available in more places? Tell us what you think in the comments.