Guilt may occur if you feel you were somehow responsible for your pet's death - the "if only I'd been more careful" syndrome. It is pointless to burden yourself with the responsibility of the illness or accident that claimed your pet's life. Weighing yourself down with guilt only makes it more difficult to work through your loss.

Denial is difficulty accepting that the pet is really gone. It's hard to imagine that she won't come to greet you or that she won't need her evening meal. Some pet owners carry this normal reaction to extremes, and worry that the pet is still alive and suffering somewhere. Others find it difficult to bring a new pet into their life because they feel it violates the memory of the deceased one.

Anger may be directed at the illness that killed the pet or any people associated with the pet's death. Sometimes anger is justified but, carried to an extreme, it only distracts you from the important task of resolving your grief.

Depression is a natural consequence of grief and, if unchecked, can leave you powerless to cope with your feelings. Extreme depression robs you of energy; even the energy to get up in the morning. Dwelling on your sorrow without working on its resolution can spiral into a painful trap in which your grief only becomes more bitter.