Laurel Lagoni

The owner of the pet with cancer.

Cancer is an emotionally charged disease. During treatment, it is not uncommon for pet owners to engage veterinarians in frank discussions and emotional confrontations based on their fears and anxieties about cancer. Pet loss counseling skills are invaluable when dealing with clients after the death of their companion animal. Incorporating pet loss counseling into a veterinary practice is pragmatic as well as compassionate because clients who feel that they have received good emotional care in addition to medical care return to the veterinarian with new pets and recommend the practice to others.

Family-Present Euthanasia: Protocols for Planning and Preparing Clients for the Death of a Pet

Anticipating the euthanasia of a beloved companion animal can be a nerve-wracking experience. This is especially true if owners or entire families wish to be present when their pets die.

The “Ripple Effect” of a University Sponsored Death and Dying Symposium

A follow-up study of a three-week, university sponsored death and dying symposium was conducted in order to measure attitudes of nonattendees toward the symposium and the impact that they felt the symposium had on them personally. The findings showed a declining taboo regarding death education. In addition, the results of the study indicate a “ripple effect” in which individuals are affected by a death education program even though they do not attend it. In the present study, these effects were different for students than for faculty and staff. Implications for death educators are discussed.

Stepfamilies: A Content Analysis of the Popular Literature, 1961-1982.

A content analysis was performed on 30 stepparenting articles published during the years 1961-1982 in five major parenting magazines. This was a period when, due primarily to the rising divorce rate, stepfamily formations increased. Chi-square analyses were used to determine if significant changes occurred in the number, content, and type of stepparenting articles appearing in the five magazines over this period. No significant shifts were found to occur. It was concluded that the popular literature dealing with stepparenting may be dependent on professional research for its growth and evolution. While not paralleling divorce and remarriage rates, the popular literature examined in this study did seem to reflect the quantity and content of the professional stepparenting literature.

Grieving the Death of a Pet Betty J. Carmack

Grieving the Death of a Pet Betty J. Carmack. Minneapolis, MN:Augsburg Books, 2003. 120 pages. ISBN: 08066-4348-X (paperback). feel honored to have the opportunity to alert the readers of Anthrozoös to a new, important resource now available to pet owners. The resource is a book entitled Grieving the Death of a Pet by Betty J. Carmack. Dr. Carmack has been a guiding force in the pet loss counseling field for twenty years. My own professional experience with providing grief education and support for pet owners also spans the past two decades. Since Dr. Carmack and I have taken similar professional paths, I feel I can unequivocally substantiate every point and “pearl of wisdom” she includes in her book and, thus, feel more than comfortable recommending it. This book has two of the most important features I look for in a resource. The content is broad and unbiased, without a particular religious or therapeutic perspective. While there are references to scripture and to a “higher power,” these comments are made in the context of actual pet owners’ stories and are used to demonstrate how people can access their inner resources and belief systems as a way of coping with their pets’ situations. This non-judgmental voice makes the information comforting for a wide range of pet owners. The other feature I like is that the book includes a great deal of information about anticipatory grief and the decisions pet owners face during their pet’s dying process. Too many books already on the market only address the feelings and behaviors that occur after a pet has died. When the feelings and behaviors that occur before, and even during, pet loss are described in a book, I believe it more than doubles the audience for which it can be helpful. If you do not work with companion animals and their families on a daily basis, you may not realize how crucial it is to educate and support pet owners before their beloved pets die. In her book, Dr. Carmack recounts one of her own poignant experiences with losing a pet where she, in fact, had no time to prepare or to make decisions. Certainly, these situations occur. However, the vast majority of companion animal deaths are due to illnesses or problems that involve a relatively long timeline of treatment and many, many decisions and choices along the way. The choices that are made during the time leading up to a pet’s death can significantly affect a pet owner’s grief outcome. This book helps pet owners become more informed about how to face their decisions. Without knowledge of these IN THE LITERATURE