Walking Beside Grief

How Vet Clinics and Crematoriums Can Support Every Stage

No one becomes a vet tech or crematorium staff member because it’s easy.

You’re in this field because you care. Because you believe in honoring the bond between pets and people. But when you’re the last stop on a client’s journey with their pet, it can be hard to know what to say or how to support someone as they fall apart in front of you.

The good news?

You don’t need to be a counselor to be comforting. You just need to understand that the grief you're witnessing is both deeply personal and completely valid.

Every stage of grief shows up differently. One client may lash out in anger, seemingly frustrated with your staff or procedures when in reality, they’re heartbroken and looking for something, anything, to direct that pain toward. Another client may be in denial, asking if maybe their dog will still recover, even as you gently explain the results again. These moments aren’t about logic. They’re about loss.

When you understand what grief looks like beneath the surface, you can respond with empathy instead of frustration. You can give people grace, knowing that their emotions aren’t a reflection of you. They’re a reflection of love interrupted.

Practical steps matter, too. Offering tissues without asking. Letting clients take their time in the room. Following up with a handwritten card or a phone call. Even small gestures like remembering their pet’s name or commenting on what a good companion they were can make a lasting emotional impact.

And don’t underestimate the power of information. Having a grief support handout or a list of local pet grief counselors or online groups shows that you see this as a real, significant loss. It tells your clients:

You’re not alone. What you’re feeling is normal. And you don’t have to carry it by yourself.

Grief won’t fit neatly into five stages. It won’t resolve in a week. But when people feel supported when they feel like their pet’s life mattered they're more likely to move through that grief in a healthy, healing way.

As professionals, your presence during those final moments becomes part of someone’s lifelong memory. Make it one that holds love, respect, and tenderness not just for the pet that passed, but for the person left behind.