Pets become members of our family. They develop a connection with each and every single member. That makes it harder when they do pass. Everyone has its own grieving process to go through.

It is very shocking and traumatic moment to lose your pet. One way that people choose to handle losing a pet is by going out and getting another pet. It is not easy to say that a new pet is replacing old one.No new pet can ever take away the feelings that you had for the old one. But having a new pet allows you to continue sharing those feelings of love and kindness over to this new animal.

Animals are like humans, each has its own unique individual personalities. Feelings are not similar so the healing period is also different. Here are 3 tips to cope with your pet loss.

Set aside the time to grieve in your own way

We live in a very busy time, where there are always 20 things on the “to-do” list and the ability to only get five things done in a day. It is a time of constant distraction and people moving very quickly. Those experiencing grief can feel angry that life hasn’t slowed down on the outside, due to the painful feelings on the inside. You need time to grieve and to experience your emotions, fully. Give yourself the time to feel, experience, and let the emotions you are experiencing release at regular intervals along your journey through grief and on a daily basis in the beginning.

Make sure you continue to meet your basic needs

One of the most frequent complaints in the immediate phase of grief, or acute phase, is the complete loss of appetite. Sleep is also commonly very disturbed as our mind can be rapidly attempting to process through the experience. Guilt plays a role in this as well. Try, as best you can, to continue eating. Try, as well, to fill yourself with nutritious foods. Grieving is a lot of hard work, and can be taxing on the body. Fill yourself with nutrients to help your body process.

Maintain routines with your living animals as best you can

Animals thrive on routines and structures. While you’re grieving, your living pets are also experiencing the loss and absence of your pet and their companion. wolves experience grief and can search for their pack member. Cats may hide or spend more time alone, changing behavior while they process alongside you. Horses may run the fence line for some time and whinny, trying to receive a return call from their mate. Try to maintain walking routines and feeding schedules as not to disrupt their process or your own.