Rip Baby

[Babybunny]

I had a lop eared rabbit named Baby. He was with me for 8 years and passed away a little less than a month ago. He was very close to me and I loved him so much, but one day he started acting funny he wasn't hopping right and he was losing weight. I mentioned it to some of my family members and they said not to worry about it that it was just old age about a week later he started to have issues moving at all and I looked at him and burst out crying he looked like he was in pain and I was so worried I metioned it to my family again and we called the vet the next day.When we took him in the vet said exactly what I thought was happening he was having organ failure and we had to put him to sleep. I was crying for the rest of the week and I was and am scared to talk to my friends and family about it. I'm scared that they won't understand. I loved Baby so much and I'm not sure I can get over this and It hurts so much and i am still crying so much and I just dont know who to turn to.

[kayc]

I am so sorry about your rabbit. Our pets are our life, our companions, and we feel inconsolable when they die. I have suffered many losses, and I personally believe we will be with them again when our time comes to leave this world. I'm glad you had eight wonderful years together and had each other in your lives. I had a really hard time adjusting after my husband passed, it affected every aspect of my life and I still miss him after all these years, but I've learned he still exists in my heart and whenever I need comfort or encouragement, I draw from him, inside of me. I hope you will find as time goes by that the tears fade and their memory begins to evoke a smile...it takes a while, in the beginning it's just too raw. Hang in there, try to just do a day at a time.

It does help to talk to people about your feelings. I would try talking to your family and friends and see how it goes. I've found that by giving expression to what we're feeling it restores some of the power we feel we lost when we lost our loved one through no desire of our own. I don't know that we ever "get over" it so much as learn to cope and adjust to our new life without them...a tall order, I know, but it can be done, I and many others here are living proof. Coming here was a good start.

(((hugs)))

[MartyT]

Dear One, I don't know how old you are, but it hurts my heart to think that you don't have anyone to talk to about your bunny who died. If this is the first time you've lost someone you really love, it can be very hard to sort out what you're feeling, especially if you're scared to talk to your friends and family about it.

I invite you to read a letter I got a while ago, from a 10-year old girl whose kitty died, along with the message I wrote back to her. I hope it will help you understand better what you are feeling and why, and maybe give you some ideas that you can use to help yourself, too.

I also think it would be helpful to ask someone in your family to read this, too, so they'll have a better idea of what you're going through. Just click on this link, and you'll go right to it: Helping A Child With Pet Loss ♥

[Babybunny]

Thank you for helping. I have lost before, and it took me a long time to get over them, but then it seemed like I could talk to people around me about it like they understood. And now things have changed it just doesn't feel like anyone understands, like I tried talking to my cousin about it because I trust him and he basically said it was a rabbit go get a new one. And my mom tries to change the subject when I bring it up or give some really genaric answer, my dad isn't really home enough to talk about it he is home for an hour or two a day and is usaully too busy to talk to.

In the prior times when i lost a pet my family would get a new one a month later right now we have 8, and since I lost Baby no other animal has clicked with me which has never happened before. Usually I would get an animal and it would help me through the grieving process in its own way. Thats one of the ways Baby came around plus he just called to us in the pet store, as soon as we walked in he hopped over to the glass and stood up looking staight at us and even though my parents said no more pets (4-5 pets ago) my mom said ok maybe one more and we brought Baby home to my other rabbit Chester. At that point I had gotten 3 animals and that was when i was 5-6 which seems so long ago now and I had just lost my first pet ever, a mix breed dog named Bear, and I still was grieving and Baby helped the most out of all the pets it just seems like its easier to grieve with someone that won't judge like a dog, cat, rabbit, ect. I just trust animals more but now I can't connect with one anymore and my older animals just seem different like it didn't affect them even the dog that used to sit with him and play with him when i would get him out and I am not sure who or what to turn to.

[kayc]

If your mom changes the subject and your dad is too busy, maybe you could print out what you've told us and give to them, I'm sure they'd read it. It's probably not that they don't care but rather that they aren't getting how affected you are by Baby's death. Sometimes if a pet doesn't mean as much to one person, they miss seeing how much someone else is grieving the loss of them. Is there perhaps a teacher you could talk to or a school counselor?

[Babybunny]

My school isn't the best place to go for help, but i think printing this might actually make my parents understand it better thankyou.

[kayc]

Good luck to you, I think it'll be better for you once your parents understand how far reaching your loss and grief are.