Speaker 1: The content of this podcast is provided for general informational
Speaker 1: purposes only and is not intended as nor should it
Speaker 1: be considered a substitute for professional medical advice. Hello, this
Speaker 1: is Karen Nickel, family nurse practitioner, and you are listening
Speaker 1: to Itchy and Bitchy, a podcast that provides answers to
Speaker 1: your many unanswered health questions. Before I get started on
Speaker 1: today's episode, I want to share a recent podcast review
Speaker 1: with you. This is from Cindy, and she says Karen
Speaker 1: has a true gift for putting the cookies on the
Speaker 1: bottom shelf. She breaks things down in a way that's clear, accessible,
Speaker 1: and genuinely helpful for the average woman navigating today's fast
Speaker 1: moving world. She stays right on the edge of the
Speaker 1: latest trends, brings fresh insights without ever overwhelming her listeners.
Speaker 1: What I love most is her balance. Every episode comes
Speaker 1: with well thought out pros and cons delivered with honesty, warmth,
Speaker 1: and a touch of humor. Whether you're looking to stay informed,
Speaker 1: make smarter choices, or just feel understood, Karen's podcast is
Speaker 1: the one you want in your rotation. Highly recommend. Okay, Wow, Cindy,
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for leaving review and for your
Speaker 1: kind and thorough assessment of the podcast. Now onto the episode,
Speaker 1: because of a recent and significant happening in the lives
Speaker 1: of myself, my husband, and our son Forest, I want
Speaker 1: to talk about the strength of the human animal bond
Speaker 1: and the reasons why the loss of a pet can
Speaker 1: be especially heartbreaking, and how to deal with the grief
Speaker 1: we experience with such a loss. Our pets are always
Speaker 1: there for us, even when we're in a terrible mood.
Speaker 1: When I'm tired and in a poor I know it's
Speaker 1: hard to believe I could be in one, but when
Speaker 1: I'm tired in a poor mood, I couldn't help but
Speaker 1: approach our love bird named Saki and talk to her
Speaker 1: in a happy, playful voice. For example, I would say,
Speaker 1: how's my baby doing?
Speaker 2: What are you up to?
Speaker 1: What you doing? There is no other relationship like the
Speaker 1: one we have with our pets. The bonds are very
Speaker 1: special and they offer us unconditional love and support. Now,
Speaker 1: in the case of Saki, she was so sweet, but
Speaker 1: she could and did crush your finger with a powerful
Speaker 1: beak if you wanted her to do something she didn't
Speaker 1: want to do. Our animal buddies are often there throughout
Speaker 1: different phases of our life. We got an orange and
Speaker 1: white tabby cat for the family when Forrest was four
Speaker 1: years old. Forrest named him John, and we lovingly called
Speaker 1: him John Kitty Kitty, or JKK for short. He was
Speaker 1: an amazing pet. He lived for twenty one years, so
Speaker 1: he saw Forest through preschool, grade school, middle school, high school, college,
Speaker 1: and into his adulthood following college. Amazing John was a
Speaker 1: constant presence and dependable relationship through many major changes in
Speaker 1: Forest's life. For some people, the amount of time they
Speaker 1: spend with their pets is greater than with anyone else.
Speaker 1: Since a bird, cat, dog, or any other animal companion
Speaker 1: can bring out the best in us, we can feel
Speaker 1: like we have lost part of ourselves when we lose them.
Speaker 1: They teach us how to open our hearts to be
Speaker 1: more loving and giving. Saki not only pierced our fingers
Speaker 1: a time or two, she pierced our hearts and made
Speaker 1: us better people. Our pets become part of our family
Speaker 1: and identity. Key is Forest's lubbird, whom we adopted seven
Speaker 1: years ago when Forest's housing situation changed. So Andy and
Speaker 1: I are Granddad and Grandma, and we refer to ourselves
Speaker 1: in that way when we chatted with her, she became
Speaker 1: a beloved member of our family and brought fun and
Speaker 1: joy to our lives. Your pet can also add structure
Speaker 1: to your day, keep you active and social, and help
Speaker 1: you to overcome life's challenges. Because our furry, feathered or
Speaker 1: scaled friends depend on us for all their needs, they
Speaker 1: can give us a sense of purpose and meaning. Many
Speaker 1: pets help fill the human basic need for physical touch
Speaker 1: and affection. We know that cuddling or snuggling with our
Speaker 1: pets not only makes us feel better, it actually improves
Speaker 1: our health. We have studies to prove it. Now that
Speaker 1: being said, Saki loved to snuggle with Forest was not
Speaker 1: her favorite thing when it came to her grandparents. I
Speaker 1: have been referring to our love bird sake in the
Speaker 1: past tense because she passed away recently on January fifteenth,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, after a very brief illness, and the
Speaker 1: grief and sadness is real. She filled this home with
Speaker 1: her chirps and clicks, and now it is filled with silence.
Speaker 1: After this quick break, I'll review some of the ways
Speaker 1: you can process the loss of a pet, and some
Speaker 1: of the ways we have been processing Saki's death.
Speaker 2: I'll be right back, Welcome back.
Speaker 1: A pet loss can be extra difficult because some of
Speaker 1: our friends, family, and coworkers might not understand. They might
Speaker 1: say something like, get over it. It's only an animal.
Speaker 1: This has happened to me in the past, and if
Speaker 1: this happens to you, it is best not to argue
Speaker 1: with that person or person's about whether your grief is
Speaker 1: appropriate or not. Rather, it's best to realize and accept
Speaker 1: the fact that the best source of support may come
Speaker 1: from outside your usual circle of friends and family members.
Speaker 1: You can seek out others who have lost pets, as
Speaker 1: they are likely to be able to appreciate the magnitude
Speaker 1: of your loss and can share methods they used to
Speaker 1: work through their grieving process. While some people may not
Speaker 1: understand the depth of feeling you had for your pet,
Speaker 1: you should never feel guilty or ashamed about grieving for
Speaker 1: your beloved animal companion. Let yourself feel whatever you feel
Speaker 1: without embarrassment or judgment. It's okay to be angry, to cry,
Speaker 1: or not to cry. I have done plenty of crying
Speaker 1: for our little Saki in front of all kinds of people,
Speaker 1: and I'm not much of a crier. It's also okay
Speaker 1: to remember your pet joyfully and to let go when
Speaker 1: you're ready. Your journey of grief will not take on
Speaker 1: a prescribed pattern or series of changes. Here are some
Speaker 1: of the things to consider while you are actively mourning
Speaker 1: your loss. Acknowledging the full reality of your loss may
Speaker 1: take weeks or months, and will happen in a time
Speaker 1: that is right for you. Be kind to yourself as
Speaker 1: you adjust to life without your sweet pet. The stress
Speaker 1: of losing an animal friend can quickly deplete your energy
Speaker 1: and your emotional reserves. Looking after your physical and emotional
Speaker 1: needs will help you get through this difficult time. Spend
Speaker 1: time face to face with people who care about you.
Speaker 1: Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, and exercise
Speaker 1: regularly to boost endorphins and help improve your mood. I
Speaker 1: can tell you right now there are listeners out there
Speaker 1: who know me, and I can hear them saying to me,
Speaker 1: write Karen, take your own advice, and I promise that
Speaker 1: I am trying to do so. Remember that just as
Speaker 1: it took time to build the relationship with your pet,
Speaker 1: remember when you first got them, it will also take
Speaker 1: time to get used to them not being there. Take
Speaker 1: your time to work through your feelings. Rather than trying
Speaker 1: to push them away or ignoring them. You can continue
Speaker 1: your relationship through your memories, which allows your pet to
Speaker 1: live on in you. Embracing these memories, both happy and said,
Speaker 1: may require small steps, but they are important steps.
Speaker 2: Take time to.
Speaker 1: Look at photos or write about the time you had together.
Speaker 1: Remembering the fun and love you shared with your pet
Speaker 1: can help you to eventually move on. A funeral can
Speaker 1: help you and your family members openly express your feelings.
Speaker 1: Rituals like this can aid healing for Saki. I made
Speaker 1: a burial wrap of beautiful handmade paper and decorated it
Speaker 1: with one of Saki's feathers. My husband and I stood
Speaker 1: beside her grave and thanked Saki for all she gave
Speaker 1: to us and to forest. I marked her grave with
Speaker 1: the pink bell that she loved so much. It was
Speaker 1: her absolute favorite toy, and it was big enough for
Speaker 1: her to stick her head into and listen to herself
Speaker 1: chirp away. I also have saved some of Saki's feathers
Speaker 1: to help us remember her gorgeous green, peach and blue plumes.
Speaker 1: When a pet dies, it's natural to question the meaning
Speaker 1: and purpose of pets in your life. Do I want
Speaker 1: another pet? Why do I have a pet? Coming to
Speaker 1: terms with these questions is another need you must meet
Speaker 1: during your grief journey. Be aware that it's in the asking,
Speaker 1: not the finding of concrete answers, that is important. Accept
Speaker 1: the love and support of others, because you never just
Speaker 1: get over grief again. You can meet this need by
Speaker 1: talking to other pet owners who have experienced the death
Speaker 1: of a pet. The experience of loss is different for
Speaker 1: everyone and can present unique challenges. Sometimes we can overthink
Speaker 1: things during morning rather than listening to our hearts. If
Speaker 1: you find yourself comparing your level of grief to others
Speaker 1: who have what you might consider to be a more
Speaker 1: significant loss, remember that your grief is your grief, and
Speaker 1: you are as deserving of the care and attention as
Speaker 1: anyone else who has experienced loss. If your grief is
Speaker 1: persistent and it interferes with your ability to function, it
Speaker 1: is important to seek professional help if needed. If you
Speaker 1: don't already have a mental health professional to contact, reach
Speaker 1: out to your primary care provider for an appointment to
Speaker 1: discuss treatment options. I will post some pictures of Sake
Speaker 1: and how we memorialized her on our website and Facebook
Speaker 1: page if you want to see our precious bird Minnie.
Speaker 1: Thanks to all of you for listening. Wherever you listen
Speaker 1: to this podcast, please leave a review and rate the podcast.
Speaker 1: Your reviews and ratings really matter, and thank you Cindy
Speaker 1: for your review. Also, make sure you follow the show
Speaker 1: so that it will be automatically downloaded. That matters too.
Speaker 1: I encourage you to visit our Facebook page I and
Speaker 1: B Podcast, where you can give us a like and
Speaker 1: leave comments or questions for me. Our website is Itchy
Speaker 1: andbitchi dot com, where there are blogs with some of
Speaker 1: our subjects available for you to read. As I mentioned,
Speaker 1: I will share some pics of our sweet lovebirdsake on
Speaker 1: the web, website and Facebook page. Thank you to Forrest
Speaker 1: winsl my son Saki's dad, our producer and composer of
Speaker 1: our theme music, and the person who does all the
Speaker 1: behind the scenes work to make this podcast possible.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: Forest Forest continues to thrive at Peabody Music Conservatory and
Speaker 1: started his final semester of the Master's program. If you
Speaker 1: want to listen to what he's creating, you can go
Speaker 1: to his website Forestwinsole dot com. Remember that your health
Speaker 1: is in your hands.