The grieving process after the loss of a pet Grieving is a highly individual experience. Some people find grief following the loss of a pet comes in stages, where they experience different feelings such as denial, anger, guilt, depression, and eventually acceptance and resolution.
Such a loss can cause the following symptoms: disturbed sleeping patterns, eating disorders, decreased social activity, job-related difficulties, loss of motivation, stress, self-harm, depression, anxiety, worry, pining, loneliness, guilt pangs, flashbacks and feelings of emptiness [16].
The loss of a dog is so painful because people are losing a little life that we were responsible for as well as a source of unconditional love and companionship. There's a reason that most emotional support animals are dogs.
Although all pet loss is traumatic, it can be especially hard to cope with when the death of your pet is sudden and unexpected. Tragic accidents such as being hit by a car or attacked by another animal, or a fatal stroke or seizure out of the blue can be almost impossible to accept.
Guilty feelings can result from feeling responsible for your pet's condition. For many pet owners, guilt is common even when there is nothing they can do to prevent the situation.
Pets — or what researchers call companion animals — are most often seen today as a fellow member of the family. It is not surprising then to learn that most people grieve a pet's passing as much, and sometimes even more, than the passing of a human friend or family member.
Many times, I've had friends guiltily confide to me that they grieved more over the loss of a dog than over the loss of friends or relatives. Research has confirmed that for most people, the loss of a dog is, in almost every way, comparable to the loss of a human loved one.
There are several types of grief that fall into this category: the death of a friend, a miscarriage, giving up a child for adoption, and the death of an ex-spouse are just a few examples. Pet loss is often experienced as a disenfranchised grief too.
Symptoms of acute grief after the loss of a pet can last from one to two months, with symptoms of grief persisting up to a full year (on average).
Research suggests that when people are in anguish over the loss of a pet, disenfranchised grief makes it more difficult for them to find solace, post-traumatic growth, and healing. Disenfranchised grief seems to restrain emotional expression in a way that makes it harder to process.
In part, this is because pets share some of our most intimate relationships—we see them every day, they depend on us, we adjust our lives around their needs—and yet publically grieving their loss is not socially acceptable. We haven't always felt this way, though.
And yet the death of a family pet can remind us of how vulnerable, precarious and precious life is. It's that process of acceptance and letting go that builds the resilience necessary to navigate an array of life's obstacles. We hone an ability to adapt to the evanescence of our lives with grace and hope.
Many psychologists agree that losing a cherished pet is comparable, or for some people, worse, than losing a loved one. People who lose a pet might be shocked at their grief, and may not understand why it's so intense.
Some experts say that if you're experiencing anxiety more than six months after your loss or your anxiety has become severe enough to negatively affect your life, then you may be suffering from complicated grief. Sadly, anxiety and complicated grief can be intertwined.
Healthy Coping Mechanisms After Losing a Pet
One good thing to do after you have lost a pet is to reach out to others who have had or are in the same situation. Read online message boards and articles and seek out support groups. Find someone who will listen to you and sympathize with what you are going through.
You may find yourself admitting that my pet died, and I can't stop crying. Understand that crying for your pet is natural. It's normal, and though painful, it's part of the grieving process that's necessary for you to heal. “Most people who have bonded with a pet know the comfort and joy animals provide.
Grief, confusion, anger, guilt and depression are all typical responses to the death of a loved one. Only recently, however, have researchers come to realize that a pet may also be considered a loved one and a family member, and that its death may evoke similar and often equally intense emotions.
Your dog will hardly know what happened and will simply start to feel pleasantly drowsy. You will notice that I said “Your vet will hopefully prepare an anaesthetic or sedative injection for your dog”. Some do not. Having seen it done both ways, the “two injection” method is definitely my preference.
Broken heart syndrome occurs from an intense surge of stress hormones related to an emotional event — including the death of a pet. This extreme stress response can mimic symptoms of a heart attack and may include: chest pain. shortness of breath.
Pets are beloved members of our families, often spending a decade or more sharing their joy and unconditional love with us. Our pets are sometimes the only ones who have stood loyally beside us through life's ups and downs. The loss of a pet is just that, a profound loss, and the grief is very real.
An Interspecies Bond Like no Other
One thing that makes animal death so difficult is that your pet is just like another family member. Here are some facts about the bond between humans and animals that may explain your grief.
The pets that we had to say goodbye to are alive in heaven right now in their spiritual bodies and we will see them again if we accept Jesus as our Savior. Your Pet Is Not Gone Forever.