Instructions
Talk to someone. Upon witnessing the violent death, or the results of a violent death, of a pet, some level of shock is likely to be present in your system. A study by anthro-zoologists published in the June 2008 issue of "Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People &Animals" concluded that the psychological effects on people who lost pets in Hurricane Katrina were often severe and even contributed to post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to Medicine.net, if you feel a deep depression and have sleep deprivation and/or hallucinations, you should seek a mental health expert to prevent further psychological damage
Recognize the grief, and share it with a friend. If you were close with the pet, it is likely you are experiencing the typical stages of human grief, which are the following: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Sometimes, it is easy to get caught in the earlier steps, and reaching out to a good friend will propel you past the isolation step. If you do not have a sympathetic friend, which are sometimes difficult to find in the cases of pet loss, seeking a counselor is an option. The key is to talk about your loss with another person.
Write out your anxieties. Writing can be a powerful release for pent-up, destructive thoughts. Starting a small grief diary may prove helpful, as it will also allow you to memorialize the lost pet by writing a permanent testament.
Stay active. According to grief counselors at Memorial Hospital in Towanda, Pennsylvania, an important part of getting past the grief involves exercising and keeping your body active. Even a little light exercise will help and might take the mind off the grief for a little bit each day.
Sleep good hours. The grief counselors say that plenty of rest is essential to recovery. The mind cannot heal itself if it does not have time to recover using REM cycles. Poor sleeping habits will only exacerbate the suffering.
How to Deal With a Violent Death of a Pet
Dealing with the death of a beloved pet can be as difficult as losing an important person in life. You need to be aware of the mental state you inhabit after such a trauma, and seek help if you need it. The Humane Society points out that fellow humans may not be as sympathetic to the loss of a pet as they are to the loss of a human, leaving the aggrieved to feel lonely and isolated, but you must recognize and deal with the grief and trauma if you are ever to overcome it.