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.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (Broken Heart Syndrome)
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, spurred on by the stress of losing a pet, causes the left heart ventricle to balloon up dangerously. While the disorder disproportionately impacts post-menopausal women, anyone can experience it if they undergo enough stress.
Feeling sad, shocked, or lonely is a normal reaction to the loss of a beloved pet. Exhibiting these feelings doesn't mean you are weak or your feelings are somehow misplaced. It just means that you're mourning the loss of an animal you loved, so you shouldn't feel ashamed.
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.
Turns out it's actually quite normal for humans to experience more intense pain at the loss of a pet than that of a close friend or even a relative. For many people, the death of a pet is comparable in almost every way to the loss of a loved one.
Because dogs are so much more than pets. As psychologist Julie Axelrod writes in a blog post, 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. 4 There's a reason that most emotional support animals are dogs.
Within the acute phase of death, or immediately following a loss, it is common to cry uncontrollably with intense duration. This is because our bodies are processing through the shock of loss and working hard to reduce the overwhelming emotional experience we are going through.
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.
Acute grief symptoms after the death of a pet can last from one to three months and general symptoms of grief can continue, on average, for six months to a year This grieving period can vary significantly from person to person and can be much longer or shorter.
In such circumstances, some pet carers find that they experience flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, nightmares and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for a long time after the loss of their companion.
Losing a pet can be devastating. After spending precious time together, saying goodbye to your best friend is beyond hard. It doesn't matter whether you raised your pet from being a baby or got them later in their life. They have a profound impact on your life.
Grief from pet loss may also lead to physical symptoms, such as fatigue, insomnia, a hollow feeling in the stomach, tightness in the chest, dry mouth, and aches and pains. Sometimes, our reactions to grief can be severe.
They provide comfort not just in death but also in other difficult times, whether it's depression, job loss or a move across country. Dogs know when people are dying or grieving, through body language cues, smells only they can detect and other ways not yet known, experts say.
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.
While religious views around the world vary, Christianity has traditionally held that animals have no hope of an afterlife. But Pope John Paul II said in 1990 that animals do have souls and are “as near to God as men are”.
Within the acute phase of death, or immediately following a loss, it is common to cry uncontrollably with intense duration. This is because our bodies are processing through the shock of loss and working hard to reduce the overwhelming emotional experience we are going through.
You may feel empty and numb. That's a common reaction at first. It's a sign that your body may be protecting you for awhile, until you are more ready to process all that has occurred.
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.
Pain and discomfort are common symptoms at the end of a dog's life,1 but how can you tell if your dog is feeling them? Discomfort: When feeling discomfort, some dogs may sleep more than usual or seek out new resting places for comfort, which they may then be reluctant to leave.