If you’ve ever had the profound pleasure of loving a pet, you’ve undoubtedly experienced grief when they pass. But the loss of a pet is distinctive because our relationship with our pets is unique: non-verbal, ever-present, physical in nature, and full of unconditional love. We often have long-term and intense relationships with our pets that we have with no other human on earth. So to feel grief when our pet dies is real, wrenching, and normal. Laurie Levine helps us to understand how this loss can feel invisible in a society that has difficulty with death and dying, thus grieving the loss of a pet can feel very lonely. Laurie explains that grief is the other side of love. Pet grief is different; it is not a linear process, but a journey. In this episode we discuss the emotions of relief, guilt, and even embarrassment when our pet dies. Laurie discusses the importance of memorializing our pets and gives advice on rituals to help us through the grieving process. Sudden death vs. prolonged decline - how does this impact grief? Is there such a thing as anticipatory grief? What is a good death? How is euthanasia not only a responsibility, but also a gift? Finally, how can we support others who are grieving the loss of their pet?

Laurie offers phone, virtual, or personal sessions, as well as drop-in support groups in Arlington, MA, at SleepyDogVeterinary.
P: 781-350-8219
E: missmypets@gmail.com

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MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

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Horses are majestic beings that are uniquely equipped as highly intuitive, non-judgmental prey animals, to help humans be in the moment, less anxious, and even break through obstacles that may be holding us back in life. Kelly Dukarski, Certified Equine Gestaltist, explains Equine-Assisted Gestalt Therapy, which incorporates horses as a modality for profound healing and revelation of our true selves . Listen as Kelly delves into the details of this amazing therapeutic process with horses and humans.

To learn more about Kelly Dukarski and her work, please go to A Wild Omen.
For more information about Equine-Assisted Gestalt Method or to find a practitioner near you, please visit Touched by a Horse.

Support the Show.

Disclaimer

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

...

One of the most agonizing questions for any pet owner is how do we know if our beloved pet is in pain? And if they are experiencing pain, how much pain is it and where is it coming from? PainTrace can help to answer all of these questions and more. It is a non-invasive, wearable monitoring system that quantifies pain simply, objectively, and painlessly. Listen to Katie Hickey, BSc, MSc, describe how the game-changing technology of PainTrace has the potential to revolutionize how we care for our pets over a variety of species, settings, and scenarios. Be one of the first to learn that the seemingly impossible task of measuring chronic and acute pain is now possible!

To learn more about PainTrace, please visit paintrace.com
You may also email your questions or comments to info@paintrace .com or reach out to Katie Hickey directly at khickey@biotraceit.com.

Support the Show.

Disclaimer

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

...

The Handicapped Pets Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to provide wheelchairs (Walkin' Wheels) for pets in need whose caregivers demonstrate financial hardship. Suzi Langer brings us through her personal story of receiving a wheelchair from this charity for her pug, Maxwell, to becoming president of the organization. If her passion is any indication of their commitment to the health and well-being of elderly, disabled, and injured pets with mobility impairments, then it is a cause worth supporting. If you have the opportunity to witness a dog, cat, or rabbit get a new lease on life in their "wheels," you will immediately understand the joyful impact that mobility provides. It is truly a gift of life!

Click here to learn more about the Handicapped Pets Foundation.
Follow them on FaceBook @HandicappedPetsFoundation
For Walkin' Wheels and other products, click here.

Support the Show.

Disclaimer

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

...

Listen as Christina Powell tells us the story of Special Needs Animal Rescue League (SNARL). This SNARL is bound to make you smile! What started as a personal rescue of one wobbly German Shepherd became a multi-organization, multi-state/province, two-country machine that takes "red list" dogs from other shelters and finds them their forever homes. In other words, SNARL says "yes" to those who have been overlooked and placed in high risk situations due to their special needs, primarily neurological disabilities. Lee Ridings of Furgiven Animal Sanctuary joins us to elaborate on the collaboration of their two rescues to benefit the most dogs. As Lee says, these dogs may be different, but they are not broken. Each has so much love to give if just given the chance. Whether it's financial support, volunteerism, or foster/adoption, next time consider special needs dogs - they need us.

Click here to learn more about SNARL.
All social media is @snarlrescue
Click here to learn more about Furgiven.
All social media is @furgiven

Support the Show.

Disclaimer

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

...

Join us as we rewind to one of our most popular shows.

Should my pet get a ramp or steps to help him onto the bed? This a question that Cathy and Chris get asked all the time. Listen as they debate the pros and cons of each option to help you determine what is best for your pet. They cover what specifications to look for and offer some suggestions for making your own. In the end, they agreed that what is ideal for one pet or situation may not be for another. Listen to Chris and Cathy hash out the factors that every pet owner should consider when faced with this decision.

Support the Show.

Disclaimer

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

...

Our pet's are living longer, surviving illnesses and traumas that were unthinkable in the past. Couple this with our ever-growing attitudes that pets are full-fledged members of our families, then the fields of palliative care and pet hospice become vital. Cathy Symons, CVT, CCRP, deftly explains the integral role that physical rehabilitation plays to 1) alleviate symptoms and stress from medical conditions (palliative care) and 2) compassionately support owners and their pets, physically and emotionally, during their end-of-life journey, while preparing pet parents to let go of their loved one with dignity and grace when the time comes (hospice).

For more information, please click on the following links:

• International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care
• Lap of Love: Veterinary Hospice & In-home Euthanasia
• Pet Loss Support Hotline and other resources

Other related PetAbility Podcast episodes include:

• Pets Are Family - an Impactful Approach to Pet Loss with Erika Sinner, Dog Mom, Author, & CEO
• Pet Hospice with Dr. Becky Schoenberg
• Believing in Grieving with Laurie Levine, LMHC
• End-of-life Pet Photography I The Tilly Project with Lauren Kennedy

Support the Show.

Disclaimer

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

...

A healthy pet starts with healthy nutrition, naturally! After all, “you are what you eat." That same adage applies to both us and our pets. Judy Morgan, DVM, CVA, CVCP, CVFT emphasizes that food is food - there should be no need to qualify what we eat as "people food,” nor what we feed our dogs and cats as “pet food.” Many commercial dog and cat foods contain the bare minimum to qualify as "complete and balanced" - a true misnomer. Further, food choices can impact chronic illnesses such as hearth disease and cancer. In addition to medcial issues, proper diet can influence behavior, resulting in less anxiety and more contentment. The bottom line is food, not feed, will help your pet thrive. Listen as Dr. Judy Morgan of Naturally Healthy Pets dispels many myths and helps us better advocate for our dogs and cats by feeding them a proper diet.

Find vast information about food and other holistic topics at Dr. Judy Morgan's Naturally Healthy Pets.

Support the Show.

Disclaimer

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

MedcoVet (show sponsor) - the next generation in laser therapy by putting healing in the hands of the pet owner!

By using the Promo Code PETPOD22, when placing your first order with any of our affiliate partners, you will receive 10% off and PetAbility receives 10% .
Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips – dog nail grips to keep your dog from slipping! Extra love – use this link and the entire 20% goes to support our show!
HedzUpPets Watercollars – save your dog from drowning with this unique lightweight collar when around any body of water!
Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap - a must-have for cat owners and vet pros working with cats! Use PETPOD22 for $5 off your order.

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