Pet loss and continuing bonds in children and adolescents

The Impact of Continuing Bonds Between Pet Owners and Their Pets Following the Death of Their Pet: A Systematic Narrative Synthesis

When a pet dies, owners can experience similar levels of grief as when a human dies. Previous research indicates the role of continuing bonds (CB) when a pet is alive. To understand the impact of these bonds after the pet has died, we conducted a systematic narrative synthesis according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). Findings were heterogenous, yet there were still parallels in the literature. CB can sometimes aggravate and intensify grief experiences, particularly when pet grief is perceived as disenfranchised grief. However, identifying appropriate bonds can be useful to moderate the intensity of grief and be a valuable mechanism of support. CB can also help post-traumatic growth of owners.

Life, Death, and Humanity in Veterinary Medicine: Is It Time to Embrace the Humanities in Veterinary Education?

Medical humanities is a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary field of study that has experienced explosive growth in the United States since the 1960s. Two key components of medical humanities include, first, the use of literature, poetry, and visual arts in the education of medical students, and second, the representation or examination of medical culture by scholars in the humanities, arts, and social sciences such as literary and film creators, sociologists, and anthropologists. The American Association of Medical Colleges recently reported that as of 2018, approximately 94% of medical schools had core or elective humanities offerings in their curricula. The examination of the medical milieu by scholars across the humanities has resulted in the emergence of important specialty fields such as end-of-life care, disability studies, and health disparities research. Veterinary medicine has been slow to embrace the humanities as relevant to our profession and to the education of our students. Only sporadic, isolated attempts to document the value of the arts and humanities can be found in the veterinary literature, and valuable observations on our profession made by scholars in diverse disciplines of the humanities are largely buried in publications not often accessed by veterinarians. Here a case is made that the time is right for the emergence of a more cohesive field of veterinary humanities. Embracing the observations of humanities scholars who engage with our profession, and appreciating the ways in which the humanities themselves are effective tools in the education of veterinary professionals, will bring many benefits to our evolving profession.

"Giving voice to the voiceless": An exploration of the grieving ritual for a therapy dog

The use of animal-assisted therapy with children who have experienced trauma is receiving increasing attention in the literature. However, there is a lack of attention given to the death of therapy animals. The scholarship on the death of animal companions highlights a varying depth of acknowledgment of children's grief. This article draws on the clinical experience of one therapy center's approach to the death of a therapy dog. Knowledge gained from this experience highlighted the necessity of acknowledging the death, the need for clear communication with children and young people, and the importance of involving children in a memorial ritual.

A Literature Review: Pet Bereavement and Coping Mechanisms

The loss of a companion animal results in millions of pet owners grieving annually. To date, little information has been synthesized on the grief response and coping mechanisms of bereaved pet owners. The aim of this review was to examine the relationship between pet loss and owner grief response. Major themes included: factors that influence the grief response, the disenfranchised nature surrounding pet loss, ambiguous pet loss and coping mechanisms used. Across the 48 studies included in this review, bereaved pet owners frequently reported feelings of embarrassment and loneliness following the loss of their pet. Types of coping mechanisms used by bereaved pet owners were identified and included: isolation, social support, continuing bonds, memorialization, religion, and relationships with other animals. Overall, this review was able to identify a consensus among the literature that bereaved pet owners are likely to experience disenfranchisement surrounding their loss. Based on the present findings, suggestions for future research include a focus on the effectiveness of coping mechanisms used by bereaved pet owners.