For everyone who wants to be their dog's best friend . . . Love, Dog is the trusted resource to help you make the best choices for your dog's wellbeing . . . Listen to Episode 7 with neuroscientist Dr. Kathy Murphy on your favorite podcast app or click on the podcast button below. . . . Welcome to our podcast sponsors, Fig & Tyler! and Wonder Walker harnesses!
For everyone who wants to be their dog's best friend . . . Love, Dog is the trusted resource to help you make the best choices for your dog's wellbeing . . . Listen to Episode 7 with neuroscientist Dr. Kathy Murphy on your favorite podcast app or click on the podcast button below. . . . Welcome to our podcast sponsors, Fig & Tyler! and Wonder Walker harnesses!
Note from dog
Learning about animal sentience is key to advocating for their welfare and general wellbeing. This is a fitting segue into the newly released episode of our podcast, an interview with neuroscientist Dr. Kathy Murphy. Simply put, Kathy teaches us about dogs’ brains. There are few people who can speak as mellifluously and knowledgeably as she does on this topic!

A brown dog lying on a bed with a blue and white striped blanket

Image by Ryan Stone via Unsplash

Losing one of your dogs is never easy. It turns out, it’s just as devastating to your surviving dog. A study has come from the University of Milan that involved over 400 households that had two dogs. The researchers found that once a companion dog had passed, there were clear signs of grief from the remaining dog.

The vast majority of the study participants observed new negative behavior from their surviving dogs. The symptoms of grief that their humans noticed ranged. The biggest sign of grief was increased attention seeking by the dog. Other symptoms included eating less, sleeping more, playing less and being less active, increased fear, and more barking or whining.

The study found it didn’t seem to matter how long the two dogs lived together, there was still just as much grief once one had passed. About a third of the participants of the study said the grieving seemed to last between two to six months. A quarter of them said the grieving lasted longer than six months.

There are some things you can do for your grieving dog. The researchers surmise that a large part of this grief comes from a loss of security and safety your dog had with their companion. Making it known to your dog that they are still safe, supported, and protected will help them get through the loss.

Originally reported by the Independent.

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