Grief for animal companions and an approach to supporting their bereaved owners
Keywords:
animal companions, pet loss, veterinary practicesAbstract
AbstractBereavement as a result of pet or animal companion loss is a common experience but despite the evident bond between humans and their animal companions there is relatively little provision for bereaved owners. This article presents an overview of grief for animal companions and current approaches to bereavement support for bereaved owners. It presents a new resource developed by the author that helps vets introduce the topic with their bereaved clients and signpost them to further sources of information and support.
References
Adams CL, Bonnett BN, Meek AH (1999). Owner response to companion animal death: development of a theory and practical implications. Canadian Veterinary Journal 40 33–39.
Adams CL, Bonnett BN, Meek AH (2000). Predictors of owner response to companion animal death in 177 clients from 14 practices in Ontario. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 217 1303–1309.
Adrian JA, Deliramich AN, Frueh BC (2009). Complicated grief and post-traumatic stress disorder in humans’ response to the death of pets/animals. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic 73 176–187.
Ascione FR, Arkow P (eds) (2000). Child abuse, domestic violence, and animal abuse: linking the circles of compassion for prevention and intervention. Lafayette, In: Purdue University Press.
Batchelor CEM, Mckeegan DEF (2012). Survey of the frequency and perceived stressfulness of ethical dilemmas encountered in UK veterinary practice. Veterinary Record170(1) doi: 10.1136/vr.100262.
Burne Jones P (2013). Interview. In: Today. Radio, BBC Radio 4. July 15. 08:19hrs.
Buzzeo J, Robinson D, Williams M (2014). The 2014 RCVS survey of the profession. Brighton: Institute of Employment Studies.
Blue Cross 2014. Pet Bereavement Support Service. Available from: http://www.bluecross.org.uk/2083/pet-bereavement-support-service.html [accessed 20 March 2014].
Casarett D, Kutner JS, Abrahm J (2001). Life after death: a practical approach to grief and bereavement. Annals of Internal Medicine 134 208–215.
Chur-Hansen A (2010). Companion animals and grief: people living with a companion animal, owners of livestock and animal support workers. Clinical Psychologist 14 14–21.
Crossley MK (2013). Pet loss and human bereavement: a phenomenological study of attachment and the grieving process. Thesis (PhD). North Carolina State University.
Dawson S, Campbell B (2009). Are we barking up the wrong tree? Questioning the appropriateness of human models for bereavement applied to the experience of companion animal loss by euthanasia. In: A Kasher (ed) Dying, assisted death and mourning. Amsterdam/ New York: Rodopi, 97–111.
Dawson SE (2010). Compassionate communication: working with grief. In: C Gray and J Moffett (eds). Handbook of veterinary communication skills. Oxford: Blackwell, 62–99.
Field NP, Orsini L, Gavish R, Packman W (2009). Role of attachment in response to pet loss. Death Studies 33 334–355.
Fraser D (2008). Understanding animal welfare: the science in its cultural context. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
General Medical Council (2010). Treatment and care towards the end of life: good practice in decision making. Page 7, and page 43 para 84.
General Register Office for Scotland (2014). Births, deaths and other vital events - preliminary annual figures 2013.
Gustavsson A (2013). Death and bereavement on the internet in Sweden and Norway. Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore53 99116. Available from: http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/issuedetails.aspx?issueid=1845406e-1079-415e-ab2d-f34cda31ce94&articleId=bec162bb-83c9-417d-8c77-b18c2075ee3d. [accessed 20 March 2014].
Henry CM (2008). Risk indicators for grief symptoms after the death of a pet: does quality of attachment make a difference. Thesis (PhD). Purdue University.
Hewson CJ (2013). The loss of your pet. CJ Hewson Limited. Available: from ch@carolinehewson.com
Kersting A, Wagner B (2012). Complicated grief after perinatal loss. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience 14 187–194.
Lagoni L, Durrance D (2011). Connecting with grieving clients. 2nd ed. Lakewood, Colorado: American Animal Hospital Association Press.
Linzey A (ed) (2009). The link between animal abuse and human violence. Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press.
McCallum F, Bryant RA (2013). A Cognitive Attachment model of prolonged grief. Integrating attachments, memory and identity. Clinical Psychology Review 33 713–727.
McCutcheon KA, Fleming SJ (2001). Grief resulting from euthanasia and natural death of companion animals. Omega 44 169–188.
Merrill E (2012). Companion animal loss: a disenfranchised formof grief and why it's relevant to social work. Unpublished report. St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas.
Morris P (2012). Managing pet owners’ guilt and grief in veterinary euthanasia encounters. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 41 337–365.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence (2004) Improving supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
NAVC (2014). North American veterinary conference 2014 program guide 18-22 January 2014, Orlando. Page 111. Available from: http://issuu.com/navc/docs/2014navc_opg_lowres [accessed 20 March 2014].
Neimeyer RA, Burke LA, Mackay MM (2010). Grief therapy and the reconstruction of meaning: from principles to practice. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy 40 73–83.
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2014). Annual Report of the Registrar General: Deaths.
Office of National Statistics (2013). Deaths Registered in England and Wales (Series DR), 2012.
Packman W, Carmack BJ, Ronen R (2012). Therapeutic implications of continuing bonds expressions following the death of a pet. Omega 64 335–356.
Peacock J, Chur-Hansen A, Windefield H (2012). Mental health implications of human attachment to companion animals. Journal of Clinical Psychology 68 292–303.
Pet Food Manufacturers Association (2013). Pet Population 2013, Available from: http://www.pfma.org.uk/pet-population [accessed 19 March 2014].
Pilgram MD (2010). Communicating social support to grieving clients: the veterinarians’ view. Death Studies 34 699–714.
Relf M, Machin L, Archer N. (2010). Guidance for bereavement needs assessment in palliative care (2nd edition). London: Help the Hospices.
Remillard LW, Meehan M, Coe J et al (2013). Exploring the impact of pet loss on pet owners and implications for veterinarian client communication. In: 7th International conference on communication in veterinary medicine4 – 6November2013 St. Louis. Hensall, Ontario: International Veterinary Communication Institute, 15.
Robson P, Walter T (2012). Hierarchies of grief: a critique of disenfranchised grief. Journal of Death and Dying 66 97–119.
Rosell Royal College of Nursing, Scotland (2010) Response to NHS Scotland consultation A framework for action for bereavement care in NHS Scotland. Dec2 2010. Available from: www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/336282/0110056.pdf [accessed 17 March 2014].
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2014). Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons. London: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Sable P (2013). The pet connection: an attachment perspective. Clinical Social Work Journal 41 93–99.
SECOB Project Research Group (2013). Socio-economic costs of bereavement in Scotland. Main Report March 2013. Available from https://pure.york.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/socioeconomic-costs-of-bereavement-in-scotland(2c2e6b41-c244-451a-ac05-31581faa0ea4).html [accessed 17 March 2014].
Stallones L (1994). Pet loss and mental health, AnthrozoosVII43–54.
Stroebe M, Schut H, Stroebe W (2007). Health outcomes of bereavement. Lancet 37 1960–1973.
Shaw JR, Lagoni L (2007). End-of-life communication in veterinary medicine: Delivering bad news and euthanasia decision-making. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice 37 95–108.
Taylor SC, Breen LJ (2013). Exploring pet loss for survivors of child sexual abuse: a hitherto unchartered terrain of trauma impact and recovery. Child Abuse Review DOI: 10.1002/car.2279.
Watters N, Ruff R, Weyer Jamora C (2013). Can post-traumatic stress disorder be caused by a traumatic injury to a companion pet?. International Journal of Psychological Studies 5 182–186.
Wilson CC, Netting EE (2013). Death in the family: normalising the relationship between pet owners and pet. In: 3rd international veterinary social work summit, 11-Knoxville 13 April 2013. University of Tennessee. Available from: http://trace.tennessee.edu/utvswsummit/Third/april11/17/ [accessed 17 March 2014].
Yeates JW (2009). Response and responsibility: an analysis of veterinary ethical conflicts. The Veterinary Journal 182 3–6.
