Losing a pet is so much more painful than most people realize. It can even end in “broken heart syndrome.” Here’s how.
The Agony of Losing a Pet
When a pet dies, the family who loved that fur baby is grief-stricken. Pets are family members. They are there when we wake up, and beside us when we go to sleep. They see us sick, happy, angry, sad, and they never pass judgment. Our pets see the truth of who we are and they love us in spite of ourselves.
Isn’t that what family is supposed to do? Be there in good and bad times, offering support and unconditional love? Some may say they don’t even get that kind of care from their human families.
That’s why Scientific American says we should take pet loss seriously.
The aching hearts of those who lose a pet are often lonely hearts. After her dog died, a woman suffered from a terrible condition called “broken heart syndrome.” SA explains, “It can happen when the response to grief is so severe the person exhibits symptoms that mimic a heart attack, including elevated hormone levels that can be 30 times greater than normal.”
Essentially, the author says when you’re in anguish after this kind of loss, you need to reach out and let people know how badly you’re hurting.
“We need to seek social support from people we know will understand and sympathize with our emotions and not judge us for them.”
I think as a society we can always do a better job of supporting each other.
Crossing the Rainbow Bridge
You were used to morning purring to wake you up and now it’s quiet. You and your good boy always went for a walk before heading to bed. Now the leash hangs still.
When you open the front door, no one runs to you. At night all you can think about is how long it been since you slept in a bed without a four-legged friend taking up all the space.
That’s why the rest of us should show up, be loving, supportive and continue to be so for as long as it takes. There is no timeline on grief.
“It is time we gave grieving pet owners the recognition, support and consideration they need. Yes, it is up to us to identify and address our emotional wounds when our pet dies, but the more validation we receive from those around us, the quicker and the more complete our psychological recovery will be.” – Scientific American
If you’ve lost a pet, I want you to know how sorry I am you’re in pain. Tell us about them in the comments. What made you love them so? Did they have a favorite toy or a sweet way of showing you their love?
Don’t hesitate to reach out to a therapist to help you get through.
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249 comments on “The Agony of Losing a Pet Is Worse Than People Know”
We just lost a sweet lab mix Bandit unexpectedly 6 weeks ago to a suspected tumor that ruptured and he started to bleed out. He was our sweet, gentle, big doofus. We had him for 7 short years, we were there for him from the moment he took his first breath and we were all there (even 2 family members FaceTime in since they were out of state) when he took his last. Our Bandit never realized how big he truly was and how loud, intimidating he could be to strangers…but honestly was the biggest scaredy-cat you’d have ever met. He was even scared of earth worms. Lol. I have a medical condition that often puts me to bed for a day or too – Bandit was my sweet nap buddy, always ready to cuddle with me, which would make me feel better. Ever seen the cartoon movie Hercules? Remember how Hercules went thru that awkward phase? That was our Bandit all the time. We miss him so much, our other fur babies miss him too.
I lost my first Granddog in October. I was just telling my mom yesterday that there still isn’t a day gone by that I haven’t cried my eyes out missing him. His name was Rocky ..he was a gorgeous chocolate lab. He had a wonderful life for 12 years living in Tampa, Florida. He loved to swim, ride in the car with his head out the sunroof, play with his bestie, Lucy a basset hound. He he loved tubing on the lake, riding along side the bicycle and chasing neighbors cat!!! His favorite toy was his duck..I know he has at least 20 in his toy box. Please keep our family in your prayers…pray for our sweet Lucy who is grieving without him. She’s 9 years old so I know she’s going to leave us soon. So again we will have to go through this. Broken hearted is not even close to how our family feels God Bless each of you that have suffered through this horrible pain
I lost my sweet 14-year-old baby, Macy, last October. She had seen me through my divorce and I truly thought I wouldn’t survive her loss. She was my shadow. She slept with me every night and followed me everywhere. I have severe migraines and she always knew when I was sick – she was such a comfort. I still miss her every day.
I lost my Maci today… my heart is shattered… she also seen me through my divorce, seen me cry more tears than any human, comforted me through ever migraine, loved my first born child, seen my find love again… she stayed long enough to make sure I was okay… when does it get better…. I feel so empty…. I miss her so much….
We just lost our Mickey girl before Christmas. She was a beautiful lab that was completely devoted to our family. She definitely had her quirks (which is why our family hasn’t been able to take a vacation all together since we’ve had her) but we loved her just the same. It has definitely been an adjustment, as I had always called her my light colored shadow, especially at our summer cabin. I work from home and she was the absolute best coworker I could ever ask for! I hope she’s enjoying all of the tennis balls and an endless supply of ice cream up there!
I’m sorry for each and everyone’s loss. Never knew that I would face this pain with my young health five year old dog son. My family Lost our beloved dog son in Oct. It’s sad to lose your fur ones to illness or injury but believe me the pain hits harder when it’s from medical Malpractice and Negligence on the vets behalf. What’s leaves even more of a broken heart is when you have evidence and proof that’s it’s malpractice and negligence but no lawyer wants to pick it up because your fur love one holds no value in the court of law so in turn they (lawyers) look at it as if there is no money in it to represent you. I have called six lawyers, spoken to three legal experts and (have not asked for them to do it for free)said I’m willing to pay for representation to at the end of the call be told we don’t take cases like this or our expertise do not cover these top of cases because our fur love one holds no sentimental value in the court of law. So to know a vet, that’s suppose to heal and care for your dog can kill your dog and get a way with it is your heart being ripped from your body, beyond broken.
I understand what you’re going through. I had my cat die after a routine neuter due to negligence. No goodbye nothing and it hurts! The guilt and grief consume me and they don’t even realize how it shatters your life. They go onto their next work day like nothing happened. Im sorry this happened to you and your dog.
I had a fire last July. I had a cat named Dutch that I “inherited”. He was the sweetest cat ever. His nickname was diffusive. He’d wake me up every morning at 3AM to clean my face with his sandpaper tongue. Along with loving the lint roller papers, so he could make noise. I was awakened by the smoke alarms, only to have 5-8 minutes to get through the “flashover”. My other cat “Jamison” was on my deck, with his paws burned and tail on fire. We both were rescued and rushed to ICU. Still to this day, I wonder if I would have seen Dutch and grabbed him, if he would have survived. I have his asses with a picture of him kissing Jamison. I will be forever greatful that I could take care of you and love you like I did.
We just lost our Doxi Zoey, we rescued her 2years ago, she was the sweetest, she looked at you and your heart just melted, she loved going for walks and rides on the wagon, I feel so heartbroken without her, I still can’t believe she’s gone, I loved her so much
My home burned on December 17, 2022. We lost everything, including our beloved Jackabee, named Ruby. Ruby was the sweetest dog ever. She was only 11 pounds. She was our forever puppy, even though she was 4 years old. She slept with me every night. When she wanted to get under the covers she would always tap me on the shoulder with her paw to get permission to go under them. I would lift the covers and she would go under. She was not a snuggler, but she would always sleep under the covers by my legs. My daughter and I are devastated by her loss and we are seeking counseling. They say that losing your home is like losing a family member, but i would let every house on the street burn if it meant that i could have her back. I miss her so much, especially at bed time when she should be tapping me on the shoulder.
It’s been 4 1/2 years since I received my last kiss from my boy Hendrix. He was in my life for almost 11 yrs. He was Pure Bred Great Dane & Pure Bred English Mastiff. He was 192 lbs of companionship & protection & stayed by my side through abusive relationships ~ tears & a ton of happy times only he & I shared. We travelled a lot I always slept with him in my Elememt. At the Dog park he was a ray of sunshine & behaved like a Social Butterfly always checking back in with me making sure I wasn’t far behind. When his car brother went missing we set up a search party & we went into a pet store & the lady said Hamdsome Boy is there somthing here that you would love to have & he dug down into this huge basket & plucked out a stuffed Eeyore from the very bottom he carried that stuffie everywhere. It’s a funny thing I just think I’m over with my grieving & I read another post about missing your pet that has passed. I agree we need to be there for each other my grief comes over me like a Huge Tidal Wave Engulfs me & swallows me whiole leaving me sobbing missing him SO MUCH I ache. His collar use clink as he walked by my side I miss that because I knew he was right behind me. We have another dog now But No other dog can take the place of my Hendrix My Boo as I write this the tears are running down my face knowing he’s gone forever & there’s only a couple of people that I can speak to about him without that Oo Not this Again! I will Forever Hold him Close in my heart. He changed me for the better & im Forever grateful but along with that Forever Heartbroken. ♥️
We recently lost our 19 year old Tripod kitty. We adopted her from our local shelter when she was about 3 months old and our vet didnt expect her to live that long as she was missing her right front leg from a birth defect. He thought she would soon suffer dysplasia. Well she fooled him and lived a very long and happy life. She talked and even meowed I love you and we have that on video. She was at my side thru joy and sorrow and will always be in my heart. We have now adopted a new young 1 year old female Kitty from the same shelter. She isnt chatty, but is very cuddly and loving. She is not Tripod, but she is helping us refocus our grief into loving another furbaby. Tripod was cremated and her ashes will be buried with me. She will always be in my heart