This may impede the owner's letting go of the pet in a timely manner, and allowing it to be put out of its misery through euthanasia. Euthanasia is a gift we can give to our pets in return for the years of companionship the pet has given us. By allowing the pet to die with grace and dignity and to be alleviated from pain, we take back some of the control we feel we have lost to the illness. The pet owner may also project his own fears about death onto his animal. When the owner appears to be seeing his own death in the impending death of his pet, it is helpful for him to understand that people's greatest anxiety about death is the fear of dying, not death itself, and that animals do not have an awareness of death.
Resolution is the final stage in the death process.
The owner eventually comes to accept the inevitability of the pet's death and can then move on to help his pet. If euthanasia is to be the final step, it may be helpful for the owner to be present during the process in order to say his final good-byes and to feel that he has done all he can to comfort his pet. The veterinarian who is responsible for the pet's care may also suffer from having to euthanize the pet or from being unable to save a sick animal. Veterinarians experience the deaths of their patients five times more often, on average, as do physicians. It is known that the reaction to the loss of a pet can be extreme enough to precipitate severe depression and even suicide.