https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 09 Apr 2026 03:19:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/per-loss-with-a-toddler#post-2926141 Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:11:44 +0000 bees_knees 2926141@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry about your dog :( Sounds like he was a very special part of your family. </p> <p>Echoing sentiments of catgirl and caitcat, but also one more thing (not specific to pet loss)--when someone we know dies, I make sure to emphasize that the dog was "really really really old" or "really really really sick" or in a "really really really bad accident", etc...so the next time LO is sick, or at the hospital, or whatever, they don't think they will die. </p> <p>And yes, be prepared for a lot of questions that are a lot harder for you to answer than you may think. My sister died last summer and I still get many questions from my kids that I don't know how to answer, and a lot of repeat questions...I think it doesn't matter *how* you answer as long as you try to do it honestly and compassionately. And don't worry if you stumble over your words, or don't know what to say--she's two, so the exact content doesn't matter as much (IMO). Just remember they are very literal--for example, my 3 year old was very concerned that we "left my sister at the church" (at the funeral) and didn't know how she would get home. Which prompted a conversation about the cemetery, souls vs bodies, etc etc. </p> <p>I also think it would help to print off a picture of her and your dog and put it beside her bed or somewhere she can see it. My 3 year old carried a picture of my sister around for a month straight--still does sometimes. And my older boys picked a special spot to hang her picture in their room. </p> <p>The other special thing for us is finding a symbols of my sister all around--butterflies are her thing, and we see them everywhere. We also read a book together that said something like "whenever you find a feather on a ground, that means an angel has visited"... so my kids started a feather collection in a jar next to my sister's memorial picture--much like the picture next to their beds, it's something concrete that they are able to focus on. </p> <p>Anyways. Navigating grief is hard, and I don't think there's any right/wrong way! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/per-loss-with-a-toddler#post-2926138 Mon, 17 Jan 2022 20:37:27 +0000 karenbme 2926138@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: thanks, we’re totally getting constant questions at this point. She keeps asking where he went, and our response is that he went to the hospital and then he died. It’s so hard to say over and over he died and try to explain what that means. We’ve already talked to daycare and made sure everyone is on the same page so she doesn’t get more confused.</p> <p>@caitcat: the point about waves is well taken. DD is too young to draw pictures, but I was wondering about putting a picture of him somewhere high traffic for her, like her room or in among the alphabet fridge magnets. We spent a lot of time today looking at pictures of him and it seemed to help her. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/per-loss-with-a-toddler#post-2926132 Mon, 17 Jan 2022 14:56:22 +0000 caitcat 2926132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so sorry about your dog. It's so hard to lose a pet and helping kids through it really adds another layer. My oldest daughter was almost 3 when one of our cats died pretty suddenly. We explained it in similar, simple terms like you mentioned. My daughter loved this cat (he was so easy-going that he even let her dress him up with her doll stuff and push him in her toy shopping cart...it was amazing) so I worried about what a big hole it would be for her. </p> <p>I was braced for her to have lots of feelings and lots of questions, more like what @catgirl mentioned. It threw me for a major loop when she was fairly pragmatic about it. She seemed to understand what happened and she definitely sensed that we were sad and why we were, but then she quickly pivoted to things like, "Will our other cat get his bowl and his feather toy?" or "Do we still need two cat carriers now?" and it just wasn't the direction I was expecting in the moment. But it was her sorting things out in her own way. About a week later, she drew a picture of her and the cat while we were coloring and she asked if I could hang it on her bedroom wall to help her remember him because she missed him. So her feelings about it came in waves, and in some different ways than I was expecting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/per-loss-with-a-toddler#post-2926131 Mon, 17 Jan 2022 14:02:23 +0000 catgirl 2926131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: I'm so sorry for your loss. :heart: </p> <p>My DD was a little older when we first had to explain death to her, closer to 3. Within about a year we had two relatives die and then one of our cats. There is an episode of Daniel Tiger called "Blue fish is dead" that was really helpful. And we also found this article really useful: <a href="https://www.babycenter.com/child/parenting-strategies/how-to-talk-to-your-preschooler-about-death_65688" rel="nofollow">https://www.babycenter.com/child/parenting-strategies/how-to-talk-to-your-preschooler-about-death_65688</a> </p> <p>I think the hardest thing for me was that she wanted/needed to talk about death a lot. Which makes sense but I wasn't fully prepared how hard that would be for me emotionally. But talking about it a lot helped her understand and process what was going on. The article talks about avoiding euphemisms, which we did, but we had to regularly remind our parents to keep the language simple and straight forward. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/per-loss-with-a-toddler#post-2926130 Mon, 17 Jan 2022 13:51:53 +0000 karenbme 2926130@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We lost our family dog today. He was very old (best guess 15-16) but we weren’t prepared for it. DD is 2 and seems to sort of get it. We told her he died and that meant that his body stopped working and we wouldn’t get to see him anymore. But she loved him very much and I’m worried that we aren’t going to be able to know what she needs. I’m wondering if anyone else on here went through the loss of a pet with a young child and if you would recommend any resources. Pic of DD “reading” to our dog just before Christmas 😭</p> <p>[attach=5813/22/r5vb6f.450x600.3832F427-F475-4F96-9525-0991403F4919.jpeg] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2468921 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 20:11:34 +0000 Mrs. D 2468921@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope, we considered it when we got her, but didn't get it. At first we weren't sure if we were going to keep her, as our dd wasn't quite 2 and we weren't sure how they'd get along.<br /> Im not sure what we still don't have it, but she's never cost us much in care, plus we already got her fixed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2468670 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 13:22:48 +0000 Boogs 2468670@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Long ago, I used VPI. It saved some money, but only because we were dealing with some major health issues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2468577 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 10:18:24 +0000 808love 2468577@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsYellowJacket: yay! I just stumbled upon the company while doing a life insurance payment! So happy to hear you like it.<br /> By the way, they have a stand alone accident only insurance for $8 a month. If anyone wants that. I didn't go with that one though. Probably good for puppies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2468548 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 09:24:42 +0000 MrsYellowJacket 2468548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes!!!! $30/month for my two pups and literally received thousands in reimbursements (eating clothes, GI issues, toe nail accident, etc). To this day my husband says the pet insurance is the best insurance we have! We're through pets best. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2468464 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 07:01:32 +0000 Annette 2468464@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do but our dogs breed is prone to so many health issues (hips, cancer, bloat, other genetic diseases) that we didn't want to risk going without. Its our first dog so it's hard to say yet whether it is worth it. He is showing signs of arthritis in his hips at 5 years old so we will see I guess. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2468372 Fri, 19 Feb 2016 22:54:42 +0000 808love 2468372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just purchased pet insurance for the first time today. It was with Pets Best. It's $20 month for 100% coverage with a $500 annual deductible for emergency/cancer/hospitalization care etc. You can play around with the deductibles and percentages and there is a discount for additional pets. Not sure how this stacks up but it was right in my price range for what I was looking for. Emergency, life threatening needs. Posting in case someone is looking... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2465526 Thu, 18 Feb 2016 08:48:13 +0000 Umbreon 2465526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. We have two cats but they are indoor only. If they were outdoor, I'd probably be more likely to consider it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2465491 Thu, 18 Feb 2016 08:19:31 +0000 StrawberryBee 2465491@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, I had Healthy Paws. Only canceled because DH lost his job and we had to get rid of any unnecessary spending. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Only 2 of the 3 dogs were insured, since they were performance dogs (agility), more likely to have an injury requiring surgery, and the oldest. I loved it for the piece of mind...I never wanted to have to make a decision about whether or not to follow a treatment plan based on a financial decision. Healthy Paws had the best coverage at the time (illness, accident, hereditary, congenital, cancer, with unlimited lifetime benefits. I believe they even cover alternative care, like acupuncture and hydrotherapy). </p> <p>While we had the insurance, one of the two insured dogs hurt her back and couldn't walk. It was super scary, I was very pregnant at the time, and I was beyond thankful I didn't have to stress coming up with potentially thousands of dollars. I met the deductible easily with xrays and such, and HP pushed my application through (to let me know if they would cover her for this) as fast as possible in case she needed emergency surgery. Luckily she was seen by a specialist who said that she would most probably heal on her own, and she's fine today. </p> <p>I also agree with the people who just put money aside on their own to cover unforeseen expenses. There's definitely a positive to that; I just can't plan that well ;). We paid around $100/month for the two. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2465173 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 21:09:50 +0000 pinkcupcake 2465173@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TemperanceBrennan: same here, we put aside a set amount for our pets each month. I looked into several types of pet insurance but it seemed like they had too many exclusions to make it worthwhile for us </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2465103 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 20:05:05 +0000 catomd00 2465103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No, seemed like a waste to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2465075 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 19:35:13 +0000 MenagerieMama 2465075@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. Insuring 4 animals was really expensive and there were too many exclusions to seem worthwhile. We do factor them into our emergency fund calculations though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464985 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:53:13 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2464985@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: that's a good rate! Mine was $66 a month or something by the time I cancelled!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464957 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:31:53 +0000 MrsBrewer 2464957@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope, we have 2 dogs who are pretty healthy. we just pay for their yearly check ups and shots. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464953 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:29:59 +0000 gingerbebe 2464953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I adopted a dog as a 6 month old puppy and she came with 1 month free insurance with PetCare and in the second week I had her, she had a foreign body ingestion that required an emergency vet stay, surgery, and then 5 days at the hospital recovering. The bill was several thousand dollars and I got a check from the insurance company within days. So I always kept it. I only pay $12.95 a month at this point and my dog is turning 14 in June. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464944 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:23:19 +0000 Mrs. Pickles 2464944@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for your responses everyone, they pretty much echo what I feel about it </p> <p>I did have a $10,000 vet bill that it would have saved on but the almost $100 per month for just that one issue at the end of his life I don't think was financially the best decision for our family </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464943 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:22:28 +0000 ms.line 2464943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Champagne: Ditto. We had it for the first three years of my pup's life, but recently cancelled. They upped the rates every year despite the fact that we never used it, and we decided there was no way it was saving us money in the long run. We have enough in savings to cover any unexpected/emergency procedures she might need. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464934 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:16:37 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 2464934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not really, but we use YNAB for budgeting and essentially have a category for pet expenses. We put a good chunk into it each month and have created quite the nest egg that will be available if something ever happens to one of our two dogs. I feel better doing it this way than using pet insurance. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464863 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 16:29:19 +0000 TrailRunner 2464863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No, we don't. We have had a series of unfortunate events in the past year and a half that has caused us to spend over $10k in vet bills. (We just so happened to have both cats needing emergency surgeries and one dog needing two acl repairs.) Do I wish that I would have had pet insurance? Of course, BUT our situation is so unique and doesn't happen often that it didn't make sense for us to take out policies on all four of our pets. We priced them out and they really are very expensive, and even tho we have incurred so much debt so far bc of it, the odds are that we if we got the pet insurance now it would be a waste of money. In my opinion, pet insurance just really isn't worth it unless you KNOW your pet will in the future need a huge procedure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464854 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 16:23:26 +0000 snowjewelz 2464854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. My dog has a lot of issues now that she's older, but we did the math and if we had started insurance it wouldn't have saved THAT much plus there are so many restrictions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464846 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 16:17:50 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2464846@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No. I did. It went up all the time and they added things to it they wouldn't cover! I was spending like $600 a year on it and nothing was ever covered. Such a friggen waste of money. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464816 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 15:59:59 +0000 Torchwood 2464816@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, we have VPI. Our dogs are a breed prone to knee problems, and one will definitely need surgery when she's older, so the vet recommended it. I don't pay the bills so I honestly don't know if it's saved up anything so far, but it's supposed to? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464800 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 15:49:17 +0000 Mrs.KMM 2464800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope - never have and we've owned pets my entire life. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464753 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 15:27:54 +0000 regberadaisy 2464753@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, our vet convinced us to because it would save us overall on her last mass removal. I'm honestly not sure how it saved us. I'm considering cancelling it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-have-pet-insurance#post-2464743 Wed, 17 Feb 2016 15:21:40 +0000 Mrs. Pickles 2464743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do you have pet insurance? Why? What kind do you have? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-your-dog-react-to-bringing-baby-home#post-2195402 Mon, 01 Jun 2015 13:22:18 +0000 ShootingStar 2195402@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think at first she didn't care all that much. There was a lot going on because my parents were here to help and they brought their dog who is my dog's BFF. </p> <p>The only thing I regret, is that a few weeks after we brought home DS, the vet convinced me we were feeding the dog too much and told us to cut her food in half. I tried doing it gradually, but she kinda went nuts and started chewing everything in the house that tasted like milk. Which of course, EVERYTHING was covered in milk. I couldn't leave burp cloths or blankets around, and she'd lick the boppies to death if I left them in her reach. After a few weeks we gave up and went back to her normal amount of food. I don't care if she's a couple pounds overweight, my sanity couldn't take it any more.</p> <p>Now, at 1.5 years, they totally act like siblings. If one gets attention, the other one wants it too. DS loves to throw the ball for her and he knows exactly which toys are hers. Every so often he'll pick one up and bring it to her. And if she loses a toy under a piece of furniture, he tries to help her get it and then they both look at me pathetically until I rescue it, lol. She's also very tolerant of him, which is a must in a dog for us. </p>