Losing your pet, a member of your family.

Our son, Daniel, lost his pet, Rusty, a Saint Bernard to bloat, when he was fifteen. It was one of the most traumatic and emotionally devastating experiences he had been through. He cried for days. This experience triggered a need to become a veterinarian to help  pets get better. Today, Dr. Daniel Slaton is a respected veterinarian and one of two owners of Westlake Village animal Hospital in Westlake Village, California.

In  2001, in his first year, at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Slaton decided to get a puppy. He decided to get a large breed, an English Mastiff and named him Disco. They became inseparable. They were seen everywhere on the island, always together. Disco would sleep on the same bed. Disco was his loyal companion, his family away from home. Disco became his best buddy, his first "baby", his first patient when he was sick. They grew and learned together.

On Sunday October 9, 2011, Dr. Daniel Slaton gently put to rest his beloved sweet giant, Disco. It was the most painful decision he had to make.  Everyone at Westlake Village Animal Hospital was crying. Disco had become a member of the whole Westlake Village Animal Hospital Family.  Grief had begun many months earlier when we all realized that Disco was approaching the end of his life. He went through massage therapy, and many sessions of hydrotherapy. The final decision took place when Disco could not walk anymore. The time had arrived.

Disco has had a wonderful long life. He was a loving family member and friend to all who met him. We all, family, staff and clients, will miss him dearly. He will never be forgotten.

Losing a pet, a family member is not easy.  We are going now through the various stages of grief.  Disco died peacefully at a ripe old age for his breed. The shock, the grief we feel is probably less than if he had died of an unexpected illness at a young age. Dr. Slaton is feeling Disco's absence, his beloved companion, more keenly and painfully since Disco was his only pet for many years and their relationship was special and unique. The length of time grief will last will vary from person to person. Dr. Slaton's grief will last for several weeks. The fact that Dr. Slaton has three more dogs now and that he is staying very busy with his practice will help ease the loss.

I am glad that Dr. Slaton is acknowledging  his emotions. That is a most important step in coping with the loss. We, his family and friends, all are grieving with him and accept his sadness and anger and that it will take time to heal.

One phenomenon that did not exit before is the social media support that he got on his Facebook page after the announcement. The whole "world" found out about Dr. Slaton's loss. His friends, his clients even people he did not know personally showered him with warm and tender messages as well as tasty treats! That surprising and overwhelming support is very helpful for his healing. It allows all of us not to repress our emotions. Yes, time will heal and life will go on but Disco will never be forgotten; Disco will always be in our hearts and as Noah, Dr. Slaton's four year old son says "Disco is in Heaven now!"