This is a question I am often asked when booking a euthanasia. Many households have more than one pet and often the pets are quite bonded.
Most of the time what people are asking is, “should I make sure my other pet can see the deceased body to know that (s)he’s gone?”
My honest answer is this: in the years I have been doing euthanasias, and notably in home euthanasias with other pets present, they don’t treat the death of their friend in the same way you or I would. I do often find that they ignore the body completely, even when put right in front of it and are told to say goodbye. Most don’t even sniff or even register that anything has happened. That can feel distressful for us to witness, because we feel so deeply about the transition and seeing the still body is a hard thing to experience.
So what are the housemate pets feeling? Of course we can’t read their minds, but I have a few theories. One is that they’ve known their friend was seriously ill long before the humans in the house did. Dogs are being trained to detect cancer, seizures, low blood sugars in diabetics, and who knows what else. It seems logical to think that they know, and accept, illness and death on a bit of a different level than we do. That said- perhaps they are not surprised by the death of a beloved companion. Perhaps in their world view it is right and proper.
Often the grieving happens later- either later that day, when the companion never comes home, or even a few days later. People say that they will search the house and look for their friend. Then the mourning begins. Grief in pets is real, and as varied as it is in humans. Some of us grieve openly and loudly while others hold it inside. Pets are the same. Some who did not have a bond but rather an adversarial relationship with a house mate may start to relax into personality traits that were’t notable before. Either way- it’s the weeks following the euthanasia that are most important to monitor everyone who was left behind.
So should the housemate pet be present? Of course (unless they are the type to defend their sick friend- that can happen, when the Dr is seen as a threat; that pet would need to be safely put away in a kennel or friend’s home for the duration of the procedure.) Just stay open to however the housemate pet reacts- because it may not be something you can predict.