If you've ever been on the edge of saying goodbye to your beloved animal and suddenly witnessed a surprising burst of energy, you're not alone.

One day they’re withdrawn, tired, not eating… and the next? They seem like their old self again—alert, joyful, even playful. It can feel like a miracle. It can feel like hope. And it can also be confusing, even heartbreaking, if you're already preparing for their transition.

As an Animal Communicator who has walked this road with many clients—and with my own animals—I want you to know:
This is something real. And you're not imagining it.

A Final Gift of Love

It takes an incredible amount of energy for the body to begin the process of releasing the spirit. For many animals, this release doesn’t happen all at once. It unfolds gently, in small increments—like a tide slowly pulling back.

This rise and fall in energy, those “ups and downs,” are part of that sacred rhythm.

And sometimes, there is one final burst of energy or clarity near the end. A rally. A moment where your pet might surprise you by eating again, playing, or wanting to go for a walk.

This is known as a pre-death energy surge in hospice and end-of-life care. It’s well-documented, but when you’re in it, it can feel like a twist in the story you thought you were already writing the ending to.

Read more…

For some, there isn't any time between diagnosis and compassionate euthanasia. The diagnosis is the end. Those moments come as a heart shock, a surreal wave of disbelief and urgency as you try to grasp what's happening. Your head swims with questions, and you're trying to make sense of the news. Your nervous system naturally kicks into overdrive, doing its best to keep you moving through something that feels impossible to process.

If you've experienced this type of loss, I am genuinely sorry for your loss and experience. This loss is where everything happened too fast, where you barely had time to say goodbye—please know you are not alone. This kind of grief is complicated to process, as the reality of what happened often takes time to settle in fully; each moment brings a new layer of a deeper awareness of your pet's loss and, with it, a fresh wave of grief as the loss of your pet lands more deeply and integrates into reality.

There is no perfect way to move through this kind of loss. There is only the deep, tender attempt to show up in love while holding the weight of heartbreak and shock. Please know that at the time, you did the best you could with what you knew, in the time you had, given your circumstances, and all of this under an urgency you never suspected and immense pressure.

Read more…

There is no roadmap for the end-of-life journey with your beloved animal—no absolute signpost that tells you when the "right" time will be. The road isn’t a straight one. And even though it’s now a one-way road, you can still stop and make memories. You can still feel connection. You can still be deeply present.

But let’s be honest: this is one of the hardest places you’ll ever stand in as a pet parent.

You may be feeling unsteady right now—holding so much love, layered with fear, worry, grief, doubt, and the aching question: How do I know when it’s time?

Read more…

I still remember the moments I first began to notice Boshporus slowing down. How he hesitated before jumping onto the bed and in the car, how our long walks started became shorter, his naps longer, his sleeps deeper and snores louder and his once boundless daily energy now ebbing with the days. At first, I brushed it off—a bad day here and there, maybe a little stiffness. But deep down, I knew he was shifting and changing with age. And with that realization, an ache settled into my heart, a grief landing inside for what was changing before my eyes.

Loss comes to us in many forms, but with our pets, it often begins long before their final goodbye. It starts in the small, almost imperceptible ways—when their bodies grow tired, when they take more time to get up, when their enthusiasm for favourite activities begins to wane. This loss isn’t just about their eventual passing; it’s about witnessing the life you shared starting to transform into something different. The reality of your time together lessening. The grief it brings is anticipatory, and it is real.

Read more…

The ebb and flow of grief is a journey that each of us embarks upon at different points in our lives. While we experience emotions like happiness, joy, sadness, anger, and fear from a young age, grief emerges following a significant loss. The loss and death of a loved one are universal experiences, but grief is unique, as it appears at different times in a person's life. For some, loss strikes early, while for others, it arrives much later, making it elusive and challenging to be understood and supported by those who haven't experienced a significant loss themselves.

Each person's loss is distinct, just as each relationship is unique. This individuality makes it impossible to compare one person's grief to another's, as there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Grief shows up in a disorderly, random manner, and it doesn't adhere to a set pattern.

Read more.

When you recognize the soul within your animal, equal to every other being on this planet, your heart opens wider. Through this openness, you discover a deeper well of gratitude and appreciation—for the time you share, cherished moments, and the incredible gifts you receive from their companionship.

After the passing of a beloved animal, grief often envelops you, and you yearn for their presence. In the midst of this profound sorrow, if you can keep your heart open and walk through your pain, you unearth the courage to face your pain and discover a healing that will open you to growth and a newfound version of yourself you never knew existed.

Read more.

Often, in the end-of-life journey, your pet oscillates between good and bad days, leaving you confused about whether to help them transition with euthanization or begin palliative and hospice care.

When pet parents decide on a day to euthanize their pet, they book an appointment and often end up cancelling it last minute because their pet is now more like their old self.

I've witnessed animals have these ups and downs in their end-of-life journey, where after a big low period, they become more like their happy self and make you second guess your choice. Before I became an animal communicator, I too experienced the painful roller coaster of emotions, watching my pets lose a little bit more of themselves in each low, where they would come close to what I believed was now their time, only to bounce back to be more of their old self again. These highs and lows leave many pet parents confused and filled with self-doubt and uncertainty.

Read more.

Many of us have heard the old adage ‘Time heals all wounds,’ and we’ve said it to those in pain or grief. It is a saying we use in uncomfortable situations with the intention of being supportive and kind. However, pet parents who have recently lost their beloved animal often say they don’t find this helpful when they are in the midst of pain. It often makes a person feel more overwhelmed and like they may be grieving the wrong way. When they hear this, they feel rushed and need to hide their pain and return to “normal.” Everybody will process and grieve in their own way.

This got me questioning if it’s the passage of time that heals or if it is something else that heals.

I want to share a personal story of time, grief and healing. When I was 17, I faced an agonizing decision to have my 7-year-old horse, Time-L-Tel, live in pain from an irreparable broken kneecap or euthanize him.

Read More

Seeing a person grieving the loss of their animal who is in pain or suffering makes most people uncomfortable, and we naturally want to help them feel better and even try to ‘fix’ them. As lovely as our intentions are, grief does not need fixing. It needs to be witnessed.

Many people, in their uncomfortableness, are often at a loss for words. They stumble and inadvertently, in their awkwardness, say things that do not come across as comforting to the grieving person. Although well-intentioned, we are often unaware that what we believed to be helpful was actually hurtful.

Read more.