Pet death and 3 year olds?

[ringstrue]

Anyone have advice for explaining death to an almost 3 year old? Our rabbit will probably be put down soon. DD isn't horribly attached but the cage is in the living room and she is used to him being out at times. So she'd obvious notice that he was gone.

My biggest hurdle is trying to explain where his body has gone. We'll get him cremated and get ashes back but I dunno if I should be saying all that. I just don't wanna say that he went somewhere that can be misinterpreted - like say he went "into the ground" or " into the sky" or make up a place. I don't wanna say he went to a farmer or to the vet and never came back as we'll have to take our cats there and I don't want her to fear the vet, lol.

Part of me is thinking I could get by with saying he is "all done" or "all gone" or just "not here anymore" and that would be enough. Those are phrases we use for other things like when people come to visit.

Anyway, any insight anyone has would be great.

[darkling_glory]

Are you opposed to saying he went to heaven? Because that's what I'd do. Something like, "When pets have been pets for a long time then they go to heaven." She's three. Don't over think it.

[welder'swife]

One of our dogs died last week. My daughter is 2.5. She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until it was time to give the dogs their dinner. She asked "where's Mona?" I told her that Mona had died and gone to Heaven to be with God. She's asked a couple more times where Mona is, but I just repeat that Mona had died. My BFF also got a book called "Dog Heaven" for her.

[momof2boys]

I keep it simple when my kids ask about these things. My mastiff died before my kids were born but he was the best dog i've ever had so I still talk about him often. He was also in our wedding so they see pictures of him often. They often ask questions about him. I told them he is in heaven now. They accepted that without question. Then in December we took them on their first plane ride and as the plane went up into the clouds my almost 5 year old yells "Mom, now we can see Cody!" *heart melts*

Randomly they will come up with other questions. Recently my five year old asked why my work didn't save him. I work at a vet. I just explained he was really sick and really old for a dog and we did everything we could. Again, accepted and he went on with his day.

[ringstrue]

I don't want her begging me to take her to heaven, or to the farm, or wherever we say the rabbit's body has gone. Shes older too so she does ask a lot of situational questions like that, so I'd rather error on the side of being accurate in the weeks and months following this instead of digging myself deeper into a made up story.

Thanks for your advice.