Forum | Pet grief is a thing by DJR

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Pet grief is a thing 08:14 - Jan 16 with 598 views

Banksy and others have mentioned grief about losing a dog recently, and I thought they might be interested in the following.

https://www.theguardian.com/li

Grief over pet death can be as strong as that for family member, survey shows

Researcher calls for guidelines for diagnosing prolonged grief disorder to be expanded to cover people who lose pets

People grieving the loss of a pet can suffer from prolonged grief disorder (PGD), a mental health condition brought about by the death of a loved one, a survey published in the academic journal PLOS One has found.

PGD lasts many months, or even years, and often involves an intense longing and despair, problems socialising and going about daily tasks, and feeling like a part of oneself has died.

Currently, only those grieving the loss of a person can be diagnosed, but the professor who authored the study has recommended that guidelines be expanded to include pets too.

The research – a survey of 975 adults in the UK – found 7.5% of people who had lost pets met the diagnostic criteria for PGD, about the same as the proportion of people who have had a close friend die. It was only slightly behind the proportion who had PGD after the death of a grandparent (8.3%), a sibling (8.9%) or even a partner (9.1%).

Only those who had lost parents or children had the disorder in significantly higher rates, at 11.2% and 21.3%.

Pet grief is a thing on 08:25 - Jan 16 with 552 views

StochesStotasBlewe

Thanks for sharing this. Had to say goodbye to my golden retriever two and a half years ago and it took months to get used to not having her around. I still miss her every day and I guess if you have a constant companion with you pretty much every day for nearly eleven years then it’s certainly going to be very difficult to adjust to life without them.
Every post about the loss of a dog on here tugs at my heart strings tbh.

We have no village green, or a shop. It's very, very quiet. I can walk to the pub.

Pet grief is a thing on 10:18 - Jan 16 with 420 views

EJP

Pet grief is a thing on 08:25 - Jan 16 by StochesStotasBlewe

Took me almost 15 years before I got another golden retriever.

There's a nice symmetry when I take our golden for a walk each day, as we pass an area where freshly laid concrete was laid over 20 years - my then retriever George, didn't believe in tape protecting an area, so walked all over it. (Our other dog wrote ITFC in the wet concrete ....)

George's paw prints are still there, and makes me think of him every day when we walk past.

You were a very good boy George.

Pet grief is a thing on 10:33 - Jan 16 with 379 views

PhilsAngels

I would have thought that was obvious personally. I mean I don't have any pets, but the emotional attachment is the trigger here. Some people can be closer to pets than humans, and it all boils down to emotional attachment.

If the bond between two or more parties is strong enough. If the reliance on each other is broken, then of course you will experience grief. The level and extent relies on the depth of the bond and the character of the person.

I am not being dismissive just feel that sometimes these research/ studies seem obvious.

Pet grief is a thing on 11:04 - Jan 16 with 332 views

Benters

I lost a cat a couple of years ago,some sh1t ran it over and left it to die by the roadside.

He was a beautiful animal trouble washe loved going over the farm to cat vermin Fawlty a dirty rat.

Which meant crossing a not to busy road but at night they steam through the village,when we found out about what had happened my good lady yacked 🤮 up .

But this happened three years ago I believe and we are still gutted now.

	Gentlybentley
Poll:	Which is best Cycling or Running,i will go for cycling as you are sitting down

Pet grief is a thing on 11:26 - Jan 16 with 309 views

StochesStotasBlewe

Pet grief is a thing on 10:18 - Jan 16 by EJP

Lovely post.
I still can’t even imagine having another dog at the moment, but I miss the companionship and the unconditional love that comes with being with one.
Ellie’s two footprints are still visible on our bedroom carpet where she slept next to the bed and stain remover wouldn’t clean them away.
Spooky but somehow comforting.

We have no village green, or a shop. It's very, very quiet. I can walk to the pub.

Pet grief is a thing on 11:46 - Jan 16 with 272 views

mellowblue

Pet grief is a thing on 08:25 - Jan 16 by StochesStotasBlewe

Maybe the level of grief shown is in direct proportion to the level of love felt for that person or animal, or is that too simplistic. Animals are rather easier to replace than people though.

Pet grief is a thing on 12:11 - Jan 16 with 220 views

AbujaBlue

I echo the above that this is a lovely post. Thanks for sharing.

It's been 2.5 years since I lost my choco lab. He was my soulmate and helped me through hard times. My current living/work circumstances means it would be unfair to own another lab, but I long for the day when I'll be able to get another. Until then, I just think about him every day and definitely tear up a bit whenever others post stories about their faithful companions passing.

Pet grief is a thing on 12:31 - Jan 16 with 188 views

LegendofthePhoenix

We lost our golden Lab Jack at 13 years old 10 years ago. He had a heart condition and we decided he had to go to sleep for the last time, will never forget laying down with him licking me and his tail wagging right until the very end. We weren't sure if we could put ourselves through it again, but 2 years ago we decided to take a guide dog puppy and raise it.
What a beautiful dog, black lab/retriever cross. We had him from 8 weeks to 14 months old and he has now completed his training at "big school" and is in the process of being placed with a sight impaired person. But we miss him so much, it's almost worse to lose a young full of life dog and worry about what the rest of his life might be like, than to lose an old dog whose body has given up.
Anyway, we are now picking up an 8 week old black lab of our own this Sunday. Can't wait.

Poll:

would you rather

Pet grief is a thing on 13:54 - Jan 16 with 96 views

Bluespeed225

I put my Jack Russell /Chiuhua to rest a week before Christmas, on my birthday. Nearly 16, rescued 14 years ago, my wing man, confidant, comfort after divorce, hot water bottle, I worked for her! After 2 UTI’s since September, she was showing signs of slowing down, blood test showed increases in toxins, and an ultrasound showed gall bladder and kidney issues. She stopped eating, and the vet said I needed to decide, meds’ constantly, no pain, but she must be feeling awful. We spent Saturday and Sunday on the sofa, just cuddles and dozing. It was perfect really. After the ultrasound the vet said he could do it that evening, so I took her in. The ex( who looked after her when I was on nights) came along, and after we had 15 minutes with her, the vet did the business. Took about 10 seconds, just drifted off in my arms, me and the ex holding hands! Christmas was hard, but now I’m not sad, but glad we had her. Just kept her favourite toy, and now donate to Dogs Trust. Was it Gervais who said we don’t deserve dogs? He was right.

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