My dog just died today, how should I cope up with this?

Question

Hi all,

My baby (Skippy - RIP) a German Shepherd died today of lymphoma cancer which is extremely prevalent in dogs and particularly in the larger breeds. This recent loss has been extremely traumatic for me and I can't stop crying. I've had her since I was a kid and now I'm in my early 20's. She was like a best friend, loyal, intelligent, obedient, and so forth; there was so many moments that I considered her a sister. All of this is hard to get over with and I am completely devastated, and can't bare to comprhened anything else as this recent loss is the only thing on my mind.

My question is; to those of you who have lost a loved one (pet) how did you cope with it, the trauma and emotional pain?

Thanks all.

Answer 1

I'm sorry for your loss. It's hard, I know. I found a site I think will help. I hope it does.

www.petplace.com

Answer 2

I know exactly what you are going thru. I lost my sweet cat Venus de Milo to breast cancer altho she was on the shortest list of ever suffering this cancer.

She was spayed, never had a litter, kept inside etc. still, I lost her. Then a year later I lost my lab/dobie mix, Skeeter Leigh to lung cancer. Both of these animals were rescues and both had great personalities and were good friends.

I was sure I would never heal, it's making me cry now to think of them altho I have their pictures up and so see them all the time.

5 years ago this March 10th I lost my only child, a son to an accident and I am still trying to cope. He was buried on my 50 birthday.

It is all a terrible darkness and I know I can't heal from losing my son. It has been just too much. I could never have another dog altho I know a lot of people go right out & get another one.

Our bond was much too strong to replace her with another. I do have 2 cats now, both rescues from the street and they are my world, but they do not lessen the pain over the loss of my other 2 sweet girlfriends.

This might sound a little crazy to you but please try it, find out if there is a feral cat coalition in your town & if there is, try volunteering to feed a colony of strays once in a while. You will be helping the cats to survive and lending your tender heart to another "real true" friend.

I think crying is the only way we can express how empty our lives are now cuz it seems that most people don't understand the bond we form with our "babies" and what a vacuum is left when they leave us.

There are a few places to talk about your friend and maybe get solace from others going thru this too.

Just google pet loss grief support and go thru the topics when you finally feel able to. I am here also if you want to talk to me, I really do know what you are going thru & how you feel right now. peace, Gin

Answer 3

I lost my dog (saved Rottweiler) a year and a half ago to complications with bone cancer. I still cry when I think of her...even now. Losing her was very hard. I must tell you it gets better. I just kept thinking of times when she would be goofy and make me laugh or times when she had to run intruders out of the yard. Her reaction after the fact was amusing. She had the look of "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! And she hid in the closet. She was also a great judge of character any friend had to come over and go through the dog test. If she did not like you then you were out. I hope this helps. I will say this I am a firm believer that god works in mysterious ways. I had thought of getting a dog right away after this loss. I thought that I could not be without a dog. I went to different adoption centers and ended up getting a dog that had distemper. This dog eventually died and added to the heart break of losing the first dog so don't rush into getting a new dog until you are ready unless it is a security issue.

Answer 4

I am so, so very sorry for your loss. From my experience it isn't easy... losing a pet is sometimes worse than losing a family member or a human friend -- Skippy was the one who always loved you unconditionally. One thing that you can do is go to the web site www.petloss.com -- it's a wonderful site. You can post a tribute to Skippy there and they will light a candle for him... there's a lot of helpful info there, too. It helped me through the loss of 3 pets in the past 6 years... Good luck, hang in there, remember the good times - eventually the tears will come less often and the smiles more often as you remember some of the silly things he did...

Answer 5

I'm sorry to hear about Skippy. We had our dog die about four years ago - hit by a car. We had no children at the time and he was 'our child.' My husband and I were both devated ( I even took several days off of work).

To cope, we framed our pictures of Maximus and put them around the house. We talked about him and cried. At Christmas time, we had a special ornament made and each year when we put it on the tree, we remember Max and all the memories he gave us.

Really, time will help the trauma and pain. Nothing more. Just keep the memories alive. We really do make close bonds with our pets and it is totally heartbreaking when they leave us. Just also remember that she isn't hurting anymore - that should help ease the pain a bit. Good luck - I'll say a prayer for you tonight!

Answer 6

I feel your pain. I lost my dog 3 years ago to lymphoma cancer (a Brown Lab).
Give it time, it will seem strangely quiet around the house for a few weeks. Knowing that he had a good life and you took care of him is comforting and remember him for the good times.
Eventually you will get another dog (although I don't recommend the exact same breed because you might end up comparing one to the other).
Go about your day and keep busy (most important) when your busy your mind is focused on something else.

Answer 7

Lost my 18 month old puppy 3 weeks ago from colon cancer.. Feels like **** I know. We have made a garden for our dog. We have a plaque and her ashes buried there. In it there is a beautiful white rose bush which was sent to us from her vet. All around the rose bush is pink and white flowers. I tend to this garden every evening and I talk to her, I cry, I tell her about my day and I tell her about the new dog we rescued.. The new dog will never take her place but she sure is a character... I say things like "guess what your sister did today (usually something she shouldnt have done)

Makes me feel better, I know my dog is better off, no pain and will be waiting for me. Until then we still cry and we will always remember those good times

Answer 8

You've already begun coping by posting here and letting out your feelings.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your dog, Skippy.

All I can do is tell you how I was able to cope with the loss of my twenty year old Calico cat a couple of years ago.
Maya was an indoor cat, which accounts somewhat for her longevity, was happy, well cared for and stayed pretty healthy up until the time she developed CRF...Chronic Renal Failure.

The Vet did everything he could to try and save her but, on that rainy Friday morning, it was evident I had to make the difficult decision to finally let her go to prevent any suffering on her part.

Believe me, it was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make...I know you can understand that.

That day, that night was pretty rough...Maya wasn't around and I missed the sounds of her around the house. Her food and water dishes were still on the floor and I couldn't even pick them up.

Next day is when something came to me that really helped ease the pain...I thought about the fact that Maya lived to the ripe old age of twenty years...had a good, happy life and, as hard as it is to accept it, realized that all good things must come to an end.
It was simply the time for her to go.

I started feeling better, got over the pain relatively quickly...though I missed her of course and always keep her in my thoughts as I remember the good times we spent together.

I sincerely hope your pain is over soon.

Answer 9

I'm sorry for your loss. There are several things people do to deal with the pain. One suggestion is to buy yourself something to remind you of Skippy. Like a small piece of jewelry or something. Losing a pet is extremely difficult but it sounds (unfortunately) that Skippy was in pain. I'm sure she had a wonderful life growing up with you - you were her world and if she would do it all over again, she would have chosen to spend her life with your family.

And of course, with time, the pain will be less intense.

Answer 10

Time is supposed to heal all wounds. I don't think it really works. The pain may lesson and having a new baby to share your heart with helps. Dogs are great at keeping our hearts, which is probably why we are hurt so much when we lose them. I don't know what to tell you, mostly because I've never gotten over losing mine. I still cry...am crying now from losing her. Thank God we will see them again in the sky at the Bridge.
Run free Skippy.

Answer 11

I'm so sorry for your loss. It is a terrible thing to have happen. When I lost my dog, I kept reliving the day we had her put to sleep, also because of cancer, and blamed myself for her death obviously because it was my decision to have her put to sleep. I'd see her dish, or her toys and get so down. But then I started thinking of what a wonderful life she had with me,and how lucky we both were to have found each other. It is good to deal with the grief and feel sad...no reason not to. they are our family.
I have two horses that I've had for almost 30 years and I know they are in the "winter" of their lives. I am going to be devastated about them too. Please know you are not alone in this grief and even tho you will never forget, you will, day by day, feel better....