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One day they’re withdrawn, tired, not eating… and the next?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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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Anticipatory grief is a profound and often misunderstood emotional experience that can arise when you're caring for an aging, ill, or newly diagnosed pet. This grief, which emerges before the actual loss, can be triggered by various milestones and events throughout your pets lifetime—such as birthdays, if they injure themselves, knowing someone who’s pet has passed or is on their end of life journey, the onset of a new illness, or the visible signs of aging.

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Anticipatory grief is a profound and often misunderstood emotional experience that can arise when you're caring for an aging, ill, or newly diagnosed pet. This grief, which emerges before the actual loss, can be triggered by various milestones and events throughout your pets lifetime—such as birthdays, if they injure themselves, knowing someone who’s pet has passed or is on their end of life journey, the onset of a new illness, or the visible signs of aging.

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Mothering is an act of love and care that extends beyond the boundaries of giving birth. It is a relationship built on attunement and understanding between the caregiver and the receiver. Attunement is the ability to tune into the needs and emotions of others, to respond with empathy and compassion, and to create a safe and secure space for them. When we look at nature, we can see the natural attunement between mother animals and their babies. Mother animals are attuned to their offspring's needs from birth, providing them warmth, nourishment, and protection. They respond to their babies' cries and movements, knowing what they need to feel safe and secure. This natural attunement is a reminder that we, too, are part of nature and that we have the innate ability to tune into the needs of others. 

It is a reminder that attunement is not just a human skill but a universal one we can learn from the natural world. Attunement is the ability to tune into the needs and emotions of others, to respond with empathy and compassion, and to create a safe and secure space for them. As an animal communicator and end-of-life grief specialist, I have seen how attunement is crucial in building genuine connections with both humans and animals. It is essential in creating a bond that goes beyond words and actions, a connection that touches the heart and soul. Attunement becomes even more important in our pets' aging and senior years. It is a time when our pets need us the most, and we need to be there for them. Attunement allows us to understand their needs, provide comfort and support, and strengthen the bond between us.

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Why do some pet parents feel guilty about their pet's end-of-life (EOL) journey and loss? Pets are active members of your family, and you often have a profound sense of responsibility for them and the choices that you make for them. Sometimes, you feel you may have failed them in that depth of love and caring.

What influences the feelings of guilt? How your beloved pet's EOL journey went, medical care choices and the circumstances leading up to and around their death can all influence the level of guilt you may feel.

When caring for an ailing or aging pet, you may feel regret and guilt if you had any moments of anger, yelled, or felt frustrated with them in their final days. This is due to caregiver tiredness from all the extra assistance/care required, coupled with the high emotions of an EOL journey and the day of your pet’s transition.

Feelings of guilt are common and often present in the early days following their loss as you look back at the care you gave and question whether it was enough, the right thing to do.

In a decade of communicating with animals, I have come to a profound realization:

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Senior animals have shared with me how they acknowledge, accept and trust the aging process. They have no apprehension or fear of it. They live in each moment of each day with full awareness. Our beloved animals live and lead from their heart, instinctively knowing how to graciously surrender and savour all aspects of the natural life cycles.

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