Do dogs grieve? My son's dog lost his best buddy and I think he is grieving?

Question

Thanks for the answers. It is heartbreaking to see him look for his friend. We are trying to give him extra love.

Answer 1

Yes they do. When I went away to college, my dog wouldn't eat for a week. He sat in the middle of the yard in the rain and waited for me. Then one morning, according to Mom, a duck flew into the yard and he caught it. There was a mess of feathers, but the dog felt a lot better.

Answer 2

Most definitely dogs (and cats) grieve. They can become depressed, suffer loss of appetite, hide in the corner or become unusually clingy, stare out the window for hours (even days) looking for their lost buddy, whine constantly, appear disoriented, or sleep for abnormally long periods. Advise your son to give his dog extra attention and affection. Other than that, time usually heals all wounds. But he should keep an eye open for extreme symptoms. In some cases pets have been known to starve themselves out of grief. As with humans, medication might be necessary to help a pet through the period of grief. Sometimes the only thing that will help is getting another pet to be a companion, or to place the grieving pet in the company of other animals.

Answer 3

Yes, most definitely, as do other warm-blooded animals. We have a mother and daughter dog pair who are getting older. They've never been apart. When one gets near the end we will put them down together because I know the other would grieve itself to death. Also, if one dog dies of natural causes, the experts say to let the other dog (or animal) smell and sniff and lick the dead animal. That way they accept the animal's death and don't think the other has just disappeared. Nature has endowed them with an acceptance of death this way since they can't reason very well; it's the not knowing that the animals can't understand.

Answer 4

Yes dogs do grieve. My sister-in-law had a rabbit that was the family pet for 5 years and my husband, daughter and I were at her house for Memorial Day. Well, the rabbit died because it was outside in his cage and it was really hot that day and the day before. Well, she has three dogs and they were hanging around the cage, because the rabbit wasn't really moving around and jumping like it normally does. So, my sister-n-law took it out of the cage and tried to do everything she could to cool it down, and unfortunately it didn't make it. She and her husband put it in a box and for about and hour they kept going up to the box and sniffing it, and then would just go around the house with their heads hanging low. It was very sad.

Answer 5

Yes - most definately. When we lost our eldest bernese a couple of years ago, the others grieved. Especially the one that was cloest to her - she was quite, wouldn't eat, wasn't interested in going for a walk - just sat in her bed and looked at us. Took her a few weeks to get back to her noisey, naughty self. It took longer still before she stopped looking around the garden expecting Josie to be there.

So yes - dogs do grieve.

Haven't you read the story of 'Greyfriers Bobbie'.

Answer 6

Yes, most definitely, our dog every time we go away on vacation he does not eat but just enough to stay alive. He mopes around won't play with the people who are watching him. They always think he is sick because they never see him like this when we are around. But as soon as we come home he is right back to his happy bouncing barking self. Our daughter moved to New York and took her little mini pincher with her and our dog Nikko wandered around in a slump for days. When she came home for a vacation she brought him with her and Nikko was like a puppy all over again. So I have to say yes,

Answer 7

I think dogs can grieve. My boyfriend had a German Shepard when we met. His best buddy was a perusing cat. they lived together 10 years and would sleep together. When Catlin died it wasn't 6 months when the dog died too.

Answer 8

Yes they do, try cheering hum up. Take him on walks, play some fetch, whatever he likes. Give him plenty of belly rubs, stuff like that. Pretty soon he'll get over it, he just needs time like any other person would. In the meantime just give him a bit of extra love.

Answer 9

Oh yes, in a way. Dogs tend to find comfort and companionship in their "buddies".....just like we do in our friends. Now that his friend is suddenly gone, you will definately see a change in his behavior. He might not be as playful and lay around sleeping more often. Perhaps lose his appetite temporarily. Its nothing to be alarmed of. But you should comfort him just like you would if he was a human who just lost their best friend.

Answer 10

Yes indeed, they do grieve. They also have best friends, also carry grudges against another dog for years.