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Home › Articles › General Health › Ah-choo!

Ah-choo!

When the Family Pet Makes Your Child Sneeze

By Shel Franco

Pages:  1  2  3  

The first step towards lessening the blow of removing a pet from the family is communication.

"It's important to talk to the child," says Dr. Emily Soiderer, a veterinarian, in West Lafayette, Ind. "Tell her exactly what is going on, and what is going to happen to the pet."

girl with dog Another way to alleviate separation stress is to get the child involved with finding the animal a new home. "[My kids] made the final decision on where each animal would go," says Boetig.

According to Dr. Soiderer, the ideal situation for both the children and the animal would be for a relative or family friend to take the pet. "That way they can maintain contact, and they know the animal is in a good home."

Another child friendly option would be a "no-kill" organization. Dr. Soiderer uses Animal Aid, a group in Brighton, Mich., as an example of a "no-kill" organization that will foster an animal until an appropriate home is found. She points out that these organizations are volunteer run, and their resources are limited. Because of this, non-profit organizations like Animal-Aid should be a last resort.

By knowing the people who will adopt your pet or by utilizing Animal Aid-type organizations, a family can rest assured that their pet is not being mistreated.

Sometimes, despite logical measures, a child is not able to emotionally cope with the separation on his own. In this case, grief counseling may be necessary.

"Even though the pet doesn't die it's still a major loss," says Dr. Soiderer. She points to telephone hotlines and family counseling as ways to deal with separation grief.

A list of grief and loss support hotlines is available at the American Veterinary Medical Association's Web Site

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