Grieving dog?

Monday May 25th, 2009

Question:

We've been thinking about getting another dog for our English Bulldog, Dante. His sister, Ella, passed two weeks ago and he's never been without another dog in the house. Is it too early?

answered by Christine Agro

Answer:

I'm sorry to hear of Ella's passing. When I check in with Dante, he looks very confused and lost with Ella's passing. It's not something a new dog will address, though. He doesn't have an understanding of what happened to Ella or where she is. In Dante's eyes, she was there one minute and gone the next. Take some time to sit with him and explain what happened. Use your normal voice--not the sing-song voice we use when we're telling our dogs how much we love them. He is also experiencing your grief, confusion, and guilt - Dante is very open to energies and feels everything, but doesn't always understand what he is feeling.

In addition to speaking with him I suggest you work with some flower essences, which work vibrationally, to help support him. As natural remedies, they help if they are needed and they do no harm if they are not. I recommend the Flower Essence Society brand, they offer a more harmonic vibration than Bach. I recommend five drops three times a day of Gorse (for depression and despair), Star of Bethlehem (for comfort and reassurance), Pink Yarrow (to help him address his openness to energies), and Mimulus (for courage).

It looks like it will take him a few months to process her loss and then you can begin to consider a new friend for Dante. Animals experience their own grieving process, so it is important to let Dante have this time to mourn the loss of his sister, but as I already mentioned he does need help in understanding what happened and why she is gone.

Christine Agro is a renowned expert and speaker on the body's innate ability to heal through the use of natural healing modalities and energy awareness for both humans and animals. She is a graduate of the School of Natural Medicine in Boulder, Colorado, and the Clairvoyant Training Program at the Inner Connection Institute (ICI) in Denver.

Tags Dog Alternative Health, Dog Grief

DogTime newsletter

Related Content on DogTime.com

Arthritis and the aging dog
March 31st, 2011
The signs of arthritis may be hard to spot. You might notice it takes Fido a little longer to get up in the morning and she seems to have a harder time moving around. Soon you realize that she's in...
New Years Resolutions for Your Pet, Part 3: Schedule Regular Veterinary Examinations
March 31st, 2011
This article courtesy of Dr. Patrick Mahaney. Do you have an annual wellness exam with your doctor? You should, as your medical practitioner can observe any illness trends to readily diagnose and...
Choosing the right dog treats
March 31st, 2011
Treats are a great way to show your dog a little extra love. These special yummies can be anything from homemade biscuits to a package from a doggy bakery, or even just a morsel of steak from your...

	I know what all of you are expierencing. I had to put My Japenese Chin,Gizmo down 2 wks.ago today. I even find me fighting with my husband because I feel he is not grieving as much as I am. I had to pick up her ashes yesterday. I cried as I put them on a shelf in my curio cabinet. Question for anyone. My Yorkie has spent most of the night,and all of today with her nose in the air,and heavily sniffing. I thiught maybe ther was a mouse in the house. She sniffs,and parks herself in front of the curio. Does anyone think she knows her sister is in that tin of ashes? 9 months ago by Kathy
	My dog Gracie is going through the same problem. My older dog Perdy passed away two weeks ago. Gracie has lost her appetite and is depressed. I'm trying to cheer her up and keep her busy. She is a border collie as was Perdy. She lives on a farm and normally loves to run and play. She eats treats but doesn't really want to eat her meals. I'm getting some good advice online and will try some of the solutions that folks have suggested. I don't plan on getting another dog anytime soon. Gracie is a normally a handfull and requires lots of time and attention. Thanks for these suggestions. I will continue reading more. about 2 years ago by Anonymous
	I experienced doggy depression. My younger dog died after battling cancer, Rocky became lethargic, ate less and would just go through the motions, I took him for walks and spent time with him, but he needed to grieve. After 2 months, I brought an adult young spayed female, while he needed some medicine for a short time to help him deal with the changes, he never went after this new dog, after 3 months of building a pack through walking, he was weined of his medicine and I can say over a year later with his new companion, a very happy boy. I recommend to anyone. You know your dog. Some need the comfort of the canine pack and do best in a multi-pet enviornment, others are into humans and if they get human attention, they adjust fine. I believe the so called, 1 owner breeds, shar pei, german shepards, chow chow, and some of the toy breeds have a much better personality when they come from a multi-pet home and these are the breeds that really need to have a companion in the home as opposed to labs who are happy just being around any person. Curious what others think over 2 years ago by Anonymous

Recent conversations on these topics

Hermes Birkin
http://www.hermes-birkin-replica.org/ Hermes Birkin Replica
How long does the heartache last?
I had to put my sweet dog of 12 years down 3 days ago and I still feel overwhelmed by sadness. I know that the length of grieving varies by individual, but how long does the intensely sorrowful part last? I can't think of anything else and just feel unbelievably sad. Thank you
Ways to deal with a loss
A friend of mine lost her beloved animal a few months ago and every time I think about her loss it makes me tear. A few days after her dog, Zion, passed, she created a site dedicated to him and the life he had with her. What she created was her way of dealing with the pain she felt. I hope this can inspire anyone else to create and share.<br> check out her site: http://mygoldenprince.com/
Painful Memories
A month ago I lost the sweetest Swiss Mountain Dog named Friendly. The loss was extremely hard for me since I knew him for seventeen, almost eighteen years from when I was a baby up until my eighteenth birthday. i found out in November that my best friend was gone. I didn't cry that day but now the pain set in and all I seem to do is cry when I talk about him...