Peace of Mind for Pet Parents: Navigating Life With Aging or Ill Pets

When you're caring for a terminally ill pet, the weight of uncertainty can feel overwhelming. You love your pet deeply, but finding the right words to describe what you're going through—or finding people who truly understand—can feel impossible.

In this episode, Karen Wylie and Gail Pope explore the hidden emotional landscape of pet caregiving during end-of-life situations. They discuss why caregivers need community and validation ...

What happens in the hours and days immediately after your pet dies can profoundly shape your grief for months and years to come.

In Part 2 of this grief series, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie explore a practice that transformed their experience of pet loss: creating a wake or honoring period at home. Drawing from Gail's decades of experience at BrightHaven Sanctuary and influences from Tibetan Buddhism, they reveal why allowing time wit...

Most pet loss support focuses on helping you cope AFTER your pet dies. But what if the most healing grief work actually happens BEFORE that moment?

In this honest, compassionate conversation, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie share how decades of providing hospice care to their own pets completely changed their experience of grief. They discovered that allowing natural transitions when possible, engaging in daily caregiving rituals, and be...

A surprising study of 800,000 end-of-life veterinary appointments reveals that 44% of dogs and 59% of cats never saw a vet in their final year. 

Join Gail Pope and Karen Wylie as they explore why pet parents avoid veterinary care when it matters most. From financial stress and fear of bad news to reactive pets and the assumption that euthanasia is the only option, this honest conversation addresses the real barriers families face. 

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Mobility challenges can happen suddenly or develop gradually, affecting pets at any age. When a dog or cat's ability to move changes—whether from injury, chronic illness, or paralysis—caregiving shifts overnight. But as Gail Pope reminds us, animals are our greatest teachers in living in the moment and adapting to what is.

In this episode, Karen shares her recent experience with her 7-year-old Australian Shepherd Chey's partial cru...

If you're caring for an aging or ill pet, you might be feeling like all those New Year's messages about fresh starts, new goals, and self-improvement just aren't for you. Or worse—that you're somehow failing because you're not starting the year with energy and optimism.

In this episode, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie invite you to release that pressure entirely.

When you're in hospice or palliative care with your pet, the goal isn't to ...

In this heartfelt year-end episode, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie pause to reflect on what they've learned from a year of conversations with pet parents caring for aging and ill animals. This isn't about getting everything right—it's about being present, trusting what you see, and remembering you're not alone on this journey.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The power of community and why finding kindred s...

Over the past year, we've noticed something interesting: pet parents ask many of the same questions again and again. Not because they aren't listening when we address them, but because these questions come from love, fear, and wanting to do right by the animals they care for.

In this episode, Gail and Karen explore the questions that surface most often when you're caring deeply about your pet and feeling unsure about the choices yo...

When your pet is facing a chronic, difficult, or terminal diagnosis, where they spend their days matters as much as the medical care they receive. In this episode, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie explore the often-overlooked but profound impact of your home environment on your pet's quality of life and sense of safety.

You'll discover that creating a sanctuary space doesn't require expensive equipment or a dedicated room—it requires obse...

When your pet is declining, it's natural to feel confused by sudden bursts of energy or unexpectedly good days. Does this mean they've turned a corner? Or was it just a good day? In this episode, Karen Wylie and Gail Pope share decades of caregiving wisdom on how to distinguish between temporary improvements and actual patterns of decline.

You'll learn:

• Why keeping simple notes changes everything
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Can you stay connected with your pet after they die? Yes—and this episode shows you how.

In this deeply moving conversation, Karen Wylie, EdD, and Gail Pope continue their exploration of the heart-and-soul connection we share with our animals, especially as they transition beyond their physical bodies.

What You'll Discover in This Episode:

How Pets Stay Connected to Their Bodies After Death Gail shares her journey learning about Ti...

In this deeply moving conversation, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie explore the profound lessons animals teach us about life, love, and spirituality as we care for them through the dying process.

Gail reflects on how decades of animal hospice work at BrightHaven has shaped who she is as a person, teaching her kindness, gratitude, and how to offer loving kindness to both animals and people. Karen shares her personal experiences of sensing...

What does it really mean to "be present" with your pet? It's advice we hear constantly in pet hospice care, but rarely does anyone explain what presence actually looks like—or how to achieve it when your mind is racing with worry, regret, and endless caregiving tasks.

In this heartfelt conversation, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie explore presence not as an abstract spiritual concept, but as a tangible practice that can transform your fi...

Every pet parent should have a comfort kit—whether your pet is young and healthy or navigating chronic illness, aging, or end-of-life care. In this practical episode, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie walk you through exactly what to include in your kit and why having these supplies on hand brings immediate peace of mind.

What You'll Learn:

• Why it's called a "comfort kit" instead of an "emergency kit"—and ...

Do your pets understand when a companion is dying? How do they grieve? And what can you do to support them through loss and adjustment?

In this tender and insightful conversation, Karen Wylie and Gail Pope explore the often-overlooked reality of how animals experience grief—from anticipatory grief before death, through the dying process, and into the weeks and months that follow.

In this episode, you'll discover:

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