Pet owners want acknowledgment after euthanasia, and 27.5% of them get none

A client walks out after euthanasia and you never hear whether anyone from the practice reached out afterward. The Sympathy Survey by Gourmet Gift Baskets found that among 149 U.S. adults whose only selected loss was a pet, 27.5 percent received none of the listed forms of support, compared with 16.8 percent of those grieving a person. The survey covered 1,139 adults who had experienced a pet loss, and pet owners received less support than those who had lost a person across every category measured.

The acknowledgment pet mourners actually want

Pet mourners said they wanted the death acknowledged at a higher rate than any other group surveyed: 42.3 percent, compared with 31.9 percent of people grieving a person. The simplest condolence resonated most. 88.6 percent of pet mourners rated "I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm thinking of you" as appropriate, while 77.2 percent considered "You need to move on" inappropriate.

The survey was commissioned by Gourmet Gift Baskets and conducted August 20-25, 2026, using an opt-in online panel. The pet-only group had an estimated margin of error of approximately ±8 percentage points.

The 21-day window and what it means for follow-up timing

Pet mourners said a check-in would remain welcome for a median of 21 days after the death. At one week, 91.3 percent said a message would still be welcome, but that dropped to 51 percent by day 21.

For a practice, that timing window suggests two concrete touchpoints: an early condolence message after the euthanasia, and a second check-in within the first week if the practice has capacity for it. The first message does the acknowledgment work the survey shows clients want, and the second one lands while 91.3 percent still consider it welcome.

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What this changes for the associate DVM and the practice manager

For the associate who performed the euthanasia, a structured follow-up protocol removes the decision of whether to reach out. The survey data shows clients want acknowledgment, so the work becomes who sends it and when, not whether it happens at all. Practices that delegate the task to a manager or trained CSR take the emotional load off the associate while keeping the touchpoint consistent.

For the practice manager, post-loss follow-up is a systematized task that does not require DVM time. A condolence card, a scripted phone call, or a memorial acknowledgment option all fit the survey's finding that simple, timely outreach is what clients rated as appropriate. The failure mode is silence. 27.5 percent of pet-only mourners received no support at all, and those are the clients who leave without telling you why.

Our read on the retention math

The survey does not measure client defection directly, but it does show an unmet expectation at a vulnerable moment. A client who wanted acknowledgment and received none is not likely to return for the next pet's care, and they are not likely to tell you that is why they left. The cost of outreach is low, and the cost of replacing a multi-pet household that switches practices after euthanasia is the lifetime value of every animal in that home.

Practices that build a consistent bereavement protocol raise the baseline for client experience. If another clinic in your area sends timely acknowledgment and you send nothing, the client notices the difference even if they do not say it out loud.

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