Helping The Grief-Stricken Dog
We suffer when we lose animal friends, and many dogs do, as well.
Publication: Dog Watch
Publication Date: 01-APR-07
Author: Holland, C.C.


“Losing a canine companion can be very difficult for a devoted owner. For many dog lovers, companion dogs become a true part of the family and inspire strong emotions and attachments. The death of a beloved dog can cause as much grief as the death of a human companion, especially if the dog-owner bond has been very strong.

But what's often forgotten in the discussion of grieving over a lost pet is the effect on other pets in the household. As you are processing your sorrow and sense of loss over a dog that has died, don't overlook any other dogs in your household. They, too, are often profoundly affected by the loss of a companion, and in some extreme cases can suffer debilitating physical and emotional distress as a result.

Do Dogs Grieve?

Before addressing specifically the question of whether dogs grieve, it's worth discussing whether dogs feel emotion in general. It's not unusual for owners to be accused of anthropomorphizing when they claim their dogs feel emotions such as joy or sorrow. until recently, scant scientific evidence existed to support the idea that animals have emotions analogous to human feelings, but that has begun to change. A series of experiments by Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s tested the theory of learned helplessness and found that some dogs would suffer symptoms of clinical depression after being conditioned to associate a sound with an unavoidable electric shock.

On a physiological level it also appears that dogs have the capacity for emotion, says Julia Albright, a resident at the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. "Animals have similar brain structure and neurotransmitters (to humans'), so it is reasonable to assume that they feel emotions, such as grief," she says. Pharmacological interventions to treat depression in humans, such as antidepressants, have been successfully used in dogs for years; this suggests that they work similarly on brain structures to assuage negative emotions felt by the animals.

A spate of books and publications--primarily by human psychology professionals rather than veterinarians--has also asserted that animals may actually feel a wide range of emotions. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, the author of Dogs Never Lie About Love: Reflections on the Emotional World of Dogs and co-author of When Elephants Weep: The Emotional lives of Animals, says awareness of animal emotions is growing. "Despite the lack of sustained scholarly work on animal emotions, there is today a greater interest in the realities of the lives of animals than ever before," he says. "Practitioners in a wide range of disciplines share an increasing awareness of the complexity of animal actions--cognitive, perceptual and behavioral, individual and social--and correspondingly greater humility in the face of questions of animal capacities."

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As for grief in particular, one major study indicated that dogs do in fact feel sorrow after a loss, as evidenced by behavior. The 1996 study--the Companion Animal Mourning Project, conducted by the American society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals--found that 36 percent of dogs ate less than usual after the death of another canine companion, while 11 percent stopped eating completely. Researchers also discovered that 36 percent of dogs changed their vocalization habits--whether by vocalizing more or becoming quieter--while more than half became more affectionate and clingy with a caregiver and two-thirds showed four or more behavioral changes. The study also included cats and found that in some instances, surviving cats even starved to death after the loss of an animal companion.

What Are the Signs of Grief?

As with humans, canine symptoms of grief can be widely varied. The most common are a loss of appetite and increased lethargy, including frequent napping. other signs may include:

* a lack of interest in formerly pleasurable activities (disinterest in walks, play)

* house soiling

* unusual chewing or the destruction of household objects

* a decrease in water intake

* an increase or decrease in vocalizations (barking, whining, howling)

* hiding

* increased clinginess and affection with caregivers, or

* avoidance of contact

* self-mutilation

* anxiety or nervousness

* aggression

If a canine companion was taken outside the home to be euthanized, the remaining dog sometimes also exhibited separation anxiety by sitting at a door or window for days, waiting for his friend to return.

Helping your dog through the transition

The ASPCA study showed that a dog's grief often resolves within weeks but that the process can take up to six months. However, a hands-off approach is not necessarily the best option. Left unaddressed, grief and depression can actually be life-threatening. Dehydration and weight loss are serious problems, and it's not enough to assume that your dog will eat or drink when hungry or thirsty; that's not necessarily the case with a grieving animal.

There are several things you can do to help ease the process for your dog. First and foremost, says Dr. Albright, don't automatically assume that physical changes are related to grieving. "err on the side of caution and take your dog to the veterinarian if the changes are moderate to severe or last more than a couple of weeks," she cautions. "Don't assume this is a behavioral condition when it could be medical."

It is often helpful to provide more attention and affection to your grieving dog. A set routine with consistent feeding, grooming and playtimes can help, says Dr. Albright, along with more exercise and some additional mental stimulation such as a Buster Cube or Kong.

"However, let the dog's behavior guide you," she says. "If he or she just doesn't want to walk the normal mile or two that day, don't push it." You can hide toys or treats throughout the house for your dog to discover, invite friends (canine or human) she enjoys over for a visit, or start a new training regimen that will allow you and your dog to spend positive and productive time together.

The ASPCA study suggests keeping a few of the deceased animal's toys, other belongings or bedding around the house for a few weeks and keeping other household changes to a minimum--for example, not changing your dog's brand of food or moving her bed, toys or food bowls to a different location.

Be careful not to inadvertently reinforce any of your dog's grief-based behaviors. For example, don't try to distract your dog from barking or howling by offering treats. "Giving attention during any behavior will help to reinforce it, so be sure you are not reinforcing a behavior that you don't like," says Monique D. Chretien, Msc, AHT, an animal behavior consultant. "Give attention at a time when your dog is engaging in behaviors that you do like, such as when she is resting quietly or watching the squirrels. As the pain of the loss begins to subside, so should the vocalizing, as long as it is related to the grieving process."

If your dog's grief seems to be sliding into depression and her behaviors are not improving, you may want to consult with a veterinary behaviorist about a short-term course of psychopharmaceuticals. Often, adding these drugs to the mix can help stabilize and improve your dog's mood. In addition, a veterinary behaviorist can help you rule out other potential causes of psychologically based behaviors, such as canine cognitive dysfunction in older dogs, says Dr. Albright.

Moving on

Owners frequently wonder when, or if, it's advisable to bring a new dog into the family. "That's the million-dollar question, and I don't think there is a hard and fast rule," says Dr. Albright. "I have seen some depressed dogs perk up and become very friendly with the new addition, while others completely reject it, refusing to interact or even being aggressive to the new pet." If you do think you'd like to add another dog to your family, introduce the potential pet to your current one on neutral territory to see how they react. If the interaction is unpleasant, says Dr. Albright, wait a few months and try again.

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