Finding pet loss support in Ghent, Flanders
Missing a pet in Ghent can feel lonely when everyone else keeps moving. Here's what pet grief is really like, where people find support locally and online, and what it usually costs.
- Rituals for the first weeks and the first year
- Groups that meet in person or by video
- Plain answers about guilt after euthanasia
Ghent, Flanders
Finding your footing after a loss in Ghent
Ghent is one of Belgium's largest student cities, and many young residents and newcomers live far from family, so losing an animal can feel lonely in a busy city full of festivals and cafés where everyone else seems carefree. Nobody needs to apologise for mourning an animal. Tell a friend or a colleague, talk it through with your vet, or look for a Dutch- or English-language pet-loss group online.
Belgians traditionally visit graves around All Saints' Day on the first of November, carrying chrysanthemums, and some Ghent families now set aside that day for a pet too, with a candle beside the urn or flowers at a garden stone. Others choose a bike ride along the canals on the anniversary. If grief is still disrupting sleep or work after several weeks, your GP is a good first call.
If you want a group and none meets in Ghent this month, look a little further. Groups that draw people from Antwerp and surrounding towns, and online groups that meet in the evening, both work. Video groups have one quiet advantage: you can join from the couch where your pet used to sleep and keep your camera off until you're ready to be seen.
Ghent is home to about 262,000 people, the 2nd-largest of the 2 Flanders communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Ghent are based about 32 miles away in Antwerp, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
For a second opinion on price, Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Ghent routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
67.98%[1]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
7.5%[2]
7.5% of UK adults whose bereavement was the death of a pet met criteria for prolonged grief disorder (PGD).
34.5%[3]
34.5% of bereaved pet owners were told 'it's just a pet'.
56.7%[4]
56.7% of bereaved pet owners in the RSPCA survey could not find the support they needed.
The published sources behind those figures are Hyland et al., 'No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet', PLOS ONE (2026) and RSPCA.
Funeral customs in Belgium and pet grief
About 67.98%[1] of people in Belgium are cremated, a figure that has risen steadily as families move away from traditional funerals. Memorial customs here are a mix of old and new: some people still visit graves every holiday, others scatter ashes and hold a celebration of life. You can borrow from either when you mark a pet's death, and nobody gets to tell you which is right.
Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) is where the Belgium figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Ghent tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Ghent's seasons and your grief
If you're planning an outdoor memorial, a planting or a scattering in or around Ghent, choose a season and time of day that's comfortable for everyone. There's no deadline. Many families keep the ashes at home for months and wait for weather, or an anniversary, that feels right.
Budgeting for support and aftercare in Ghent
By our estimate, around 8 million dogs[5] and 9.2 million cats[6] die across Europe each year, yet formal pet loss support is thin in many countries. In Ghent, the free options are usually your vet, online communities and a general emotional support line. Paid help means a psychologist or grief counselor, priced per session and sometimes partly reimbursed by health insurance, depending on the country.
We keep the detailed Flanders price table on one page so it stays current: see Flanders prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Permissions worth checking in Flanders
Two practical questions come up most after a pet dies: can I take time off, and where can I lay them to rest? Time off is between you and your employer, and a child's school will usually excuse a day if you explain. Burial and scattering fall under local rules, and here's the Flanders summary we keep.
What to do while the grief is new
- Expect shock before sadness. When a pet dies without warning, the first days often bring numbness, a racing mind or a sense it can't be true. None of that means you loved them less.
- Get the facts you need, then stop searching. One conversation with your vet about what happened can quiet a lot of what-ifs; hours online usually adds more.
- Hand one practical task to someone else. Let a friend ring the family, or pick up the collar and lead from the vet's.
- Sleep and eat on a simple schedule even if you're not hungry or tired. Shock is exhausting.
- Tell the story out loud within the first week, whether that's to a friend, a bereavement helpline or a group online. Once spoken, it usually holds you less tightly.
- Notice images that won't fade. If a distressing scene keeps replaying for weeks, a counselor can help, and asking early is sensible, not dramatic.
Rituals and remembrance in Ghent
In Ghent, many families say their goodbye at home by candlelight with a few flowers beside the basket or bed, while others do it in a quiet room at the vet practice. There is no need to rush. Take photos, let children touch and talk to the animal if they want to, and ask whether an individual cremation allows you to be there if that would help you.
Every option Ghent families choose between is on the services page, browse in-depth guides or recent articles, try the free planning tools, or look at how readers voted in our polls. More local pages: Antwerp, the Flanders overview and every city in Belgium.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
How do you mark the day your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
How did your workplace respond when your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Pet loss grief check-in
A private, two-minute check-in on how you're coping, with ideas that match where you are.
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
Questions people ask
Why does the Ghent page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) reports about 67.98%[1] of Belgium residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Will I have to travel to Antwerp to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Antwerp (roughly 32 miles from Ghent) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ghent?
The closest communities we cover are Brussels (about 31 miles) and Antwerp (about 32 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ghent too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is it normal to feel relief after my pet died?
Yes, especially after a long illness or weeks of nursing care. Relief usually means the worry and the caregiving have ended, not that you loved them less. Many people feel relief and deep sadness on the same day, sometimes in the same hour. If the relief comes with guilt, try saying both out loud to someone you trust; hearing that the two can coexist often eases it.
How long does grief for a pet last?
There's no set timetable. Many people find the sharpest pain eases over weeks to a few months, while waves return on anniversaries and in old routines. In one US study, nearly 1 in 3 owners[8] grieved for at least six months. If after several months you can't function day to day, or the longing is getting stronger rather than softer, it's worth talking to a professional.
Why does grief feel worse in the evenings?
Because that's often when your pet's presence was strongest: the walk after work, the cat on your lap, the last trip outside before bed. The routine is still in your body even though they're gone. It can help to put something new into that hour, such as a call, a short walk or an online group that meets in the evening.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [2] 7.5% of UK adults whose bereavement was the death of a pet met criteria for prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Hyland et al., 'No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet', PLOS ONE (2026), 2026.
- [3] 34.5% of bereaved pet owners were told 'it's just a pet'. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [4] 56.7% of bereaved pet owners in the RSPCA survey could not find the support they needed. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [5] About 8.0 million pet dogs likely die across Europe each year. Our estimate: European dog population (89.6M) / UK dog life expectancy (11.23 yrs, proxy). How we calculate.
- [6] About 9.2 million pet cats likely die across Europe each year. Our estimate: European cat population (108.3M) / UK cat life expectancy (11.74 yrs, proxy). How we calculate.
- [7] Each year about 110,000 U.S. pet owners may go on to meet prolonged grief disorder criteria after a pet dies. Our estimate: 1.5M pet cremations (proxy for pet deaths with an engaged owner) x 7.5% PGD rate. How we calculate.
- [8] A 2009 Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic study of 106 pet owners found nearly 1 in 3 grieved for at least six months. SHRM — Grieving a Pet's Death: Should Workers Get Time Off? (2016), 2009.
Find a group or counselor near Ghent
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.