[black small square] Your patient-education guide on grieving ("Coping with Grief," September 2004) should have mentioned the death of a pet. Such a loss isn't as trivial as some may think. A pet may be an elderly person's only companion; after it dies, he may feel completely alone. Children may not understand the pet's death. People who've made the agonizing decision to euthanize a pet may have second thoughts. Reading books about losing pets or talking with supportive friends may help a patient cope with the loss.

-DEIRDRA MARSH, RN

Edison, N.J.

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