However, the loss of that companion can be devastating and traumatic. Humans develop a lasting attachment with their pets, which breaks at the loss of the pet. Regardless of the manner of death, a pet owner may perceive the death as traumatic and experience distress or exhibit posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Pet Loss and Mental Health
Research shows that when we experience grief, our brains undergo physical changes. These changes can affect our thought processes and emotions. For many people, grief results in feelings of sadness, depression, guilt, anger, anxiety, relief, loneliness, or feeling irritable.
It could mean the loss of a source of unconditional love, a primary companion who provides security and comfort, and maybe even a protégé that's been mentored like a child. The loss of a dog can also seriously disrupt an owner's daily routine more profoundly than the loss of most friends and relatives.
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.
The death of a pet can hurt as much as the loss of a close relative or friend. It is normal to feel devastated. Often, individuals who live alone take longer to grieve because their companion played such an important role in their lives.
Pets are often considered family members and humanized, which strengthens an attachment between pets and pet owners (Zottarelli, 2010). Whether the animal is a dog or a peacock, research shows that the human-animal bond is one that affects humans emotionally and mentally (Friedmann & Son, 2009).
The study suggests that many people experience significant attachment to their pets/animals and experience significant features of grief reactions (about 20%) after the death of a pet/animal. However, the percentage of people experiencing major pathological disruption is relatively low (<5%-12%).
The Loss of a Dog Is Like Losing a Friend or Relative
Some people consider their dog to be a part of their family, and may grow attached to their pets the way they would human family members, so it makes sense that the grieving process could be similar.
Although animal behavior experts don't fully understand how it happens, it is apparent that when you are grieving, your dog can pick up body language cues and smells that your family members and friends often don't recognize or ignore.
Give Yourself Time to Heal
It's essential to understand that healing and recovery is an individual process. There isn't a specific amount of time you need to get over a loss. Some people, for instance, can resume normal activities within a week or two. For others, it may take months for the pain to lessen.
Psychologist Julie Axelrod has pointed out that the loss of a dog is so painful because owners aren't just losing the pet. It could mean the loss of a source of unconditional love, a primary companion who provides security and comfort, and maybe even a protégé that's been mentored like a child.
A small 2019 study of 82 people found that the length of intense grief experienced by bereaved pet owners varies —with 25 % taking between 3 months to a year, 50% between one year and 19 months, and 25 % between two and six years. It's no wonder that pet loss therapy is an emerging field.
Your grief will probably not be gone in a few weeks or even months. Because of the special relationship we have with our dogs, grief of a beloved dog can often be more intense than the death of a family member, and coming to terms with the change will take as long as it takes.
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.
Studies show that pet owners may experience depression after the death of their pet. People may also experience an increase in depressive or anxious symptoms.
Many dogs, even dogs that normally are not fearful at home, become terrified when they become lost. While some dogs will ultimately calm down and then approach people, other dogs will continue to run from everyone, including their owners!
Isolation or becoming extra needy. Other signs that a dog is dying is if they either socially distancing themselves from humans or other pets, or become unusually clingy or needy. If you notice your dog seeking solitude, respect their space and engage with them slowly and calmly.
It is believed that dogs understand the concept of death through their surroundings and our reactions to loss. It is likely that they can deduce that death is a part of life, even if they do not fully comprehend the concept. Also, dogs may have a canine understanding of death that just differs from the human one.
It will end when it naturally comes to a conclusion. For some people and some relationships, that may be a matter of a few months. For others grief may be measured in years: perhaps one or two for certain kinds of deaths, or even three to five years for more serious or unexpected or traumatic deaths.
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.
Although the expression of grief can differ from one person to another, there are many predictable manifestations. You may experience physical symptoms such as aches, pains, and pressure (including chest tightness and headaches); exhaustion; nausea; loss of hunger; and sleeplessness, as well as crying.
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.
Complicated grief around euthanizing your beloved animal can include: Intrusive thoughts of death. Guilt over the decision to euthanize. Being lonely after losing their pet.