![]() Few of us ask our employers for time off to grieve a beloved cat or dog because we fear doing so would paint us as overly sentimental, lacking in maturity or emotionally weak. Many of the societal mechanisms of social and community support are absent when a pet dies. The New England Journal of Medicine reported in October 2017 that after her dog died, a woman experienced “broken heart syndrome”-a condition in which 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.Īlthough grief over the loss of a cherished pet may be as intense and even as lengthy as when a significant person in our life dies, our process of mourning is quite different. Symptoms of acute grief after the loss of a pet can last from one to two months, with symptoms of grief persisting up to a full year (on average). Yet as a society, we do not recognize how painful pet loss can be and how much it can impair our emotional and physical health. Losing a beloved pet is often an emotionally devastating experience. I spent days at work crying in private and muttering ‘allergies’ whenever someone glanced at my puffy eyes.” And worst of all, I was too embarrassed about it to tell anyone. ![]() “I knew it would be rough when she died, but I had no idea. “I had her for 17 years,” Doug said, wiping away tears in our psychotherapy session. He was by no means looking to adopt an animal, but Delia, a five-month-old mutt, changed his mind. He decided to stop by the local animal shelter on his way home because puppies always put a smile on his face. Doug’s amateur soccer team had just lost its playoff game, and Doug needed a pick-me-up.
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