Here are two good questions and my answers, to help you better understand what happens before pets transition to the afterlife.
QUESTIONS: My question is do animals feel the pain of sickness and death the way people do?
Do they understand?
ANSWERS: Yes, animals feel pain and the approach of death as people do. That's why some animals choose to retreat to a quiet corner to pass, while others come to their loved ones for attention in their last hours. Humans make the same choice.
They do understand that their body is failing, and they are about to pass.
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For more information about what happens after pets pass and how they communicate, check out "Pets and the Afterlife" and "Pets and the Afterlife 2" on Amazon.com (paperback and E-book) by Rob Gutro