A National Survey of Companion Animal Owners' Self-Reported Methods of Coping Following Euthanasia.

Rachel Park,Kenneth Royal

doi:10.3390/vetsci7030089

Abstract

(1) Background: The human–animal bond is often regarded as a special relationship in which owners benefit from unconditional love and perceived understanding from their companion animal. Thus, end-of-life decisions such as euthanasia may inflict significant emotional impact upon the companion animal owner and result in a complicated grief response. The purpose of this study was to examine the methods American companion animal owners utilize to cope with loss following companion animal euthanasia. (2) Methods: A total of 340 companion animal owners with experience euthanizing a companion animal completed an online survey asking how they found comfort after the loss of their companion animal. (3) Results: A total of 74.7% noted that they mourned privately, 58.2% sought social support, 32.1% adopted a new companion animal, 12.4% relied on faith or prayer and 0.9% participated in a support group. (4) Conclusions: Grief associated with companion animal loss is important. As a majority of clients that euthanized their companion animal mourn privately, the veterinary community must work towards identifying and providing appropriate, accessible social resources for bereaved companion animal owners to utilize, if desired.

Highlights

In Western culture, companion animals are often considered integral members of the family.Through this in-group membership status, companion animals may facilitate social support [1] and enhance physical and mental well-being for their owners [2,3]
(3) Results: A total of 74.7% noted that they mourned privately, 58.2% sought social support, 32.1% adopted a new companion animal, 12.4% relied on faith or prayer and 0.9% participated in a support group
The human–animal bond is often regarded as a special relationship, where owners benefit from unconditional love and perceived understanding from their companion animal

Summary

Introduction

In Western culture, companion animals are often considered integral members of the family. Through this in-group membership status, companion animals may facilitate social support [1] and enhance physical and mental well-being for their owners [2,3]. As our four-legged companions have relatively short lifespans, an inevitable aspect of companion animal ownership is companion animal loss and millions of Americans will mourn for their companion animals annually [4]. The grief experienced by bereaved companion animal owners may mirror that of a human loss [5], for companion animal owners with strong attachment to their companion animal [6,7]

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Discussion

Conclusion