The loss of a beloved pet can be devastating. Our companion animals often play a constant role in our lives, offering comfort, companionship, emotional support and unconditional love. When they’re gone, the change in your daily routine, the lack of caretaking responsibility and overall silence can be overwhelming and the grief is very present and real.
Caring for yourself, even just the basics, during this time is not a luxury. It’s a necessity. As I learned from reading The Grieving Body and The Grieving Brain, grief affects not only your emotions, but also your body, brain, immune system, sleep, focus, and daily routines. It’s common to feel like you’re moving through fog or simply struggling to make it through the day. Taking small, intentional steps to support your body and mind can help you navigate the deep pain with more understanding, kindness to yourself and compassion, like the care you no doubt provided to your loved one.
Those two books helped me understand the physiological impacts that grief has on the body and brain, from a grief researcher and neuroscientist. They are accessible to read but really help you understand exactly what is happening to your body during this time, which for me, really helped me realize that I wasn’t losing my mind.
Grief not only affects you physically but it touches every part of you and your life. It is common for the loss of a companion animal to stir up other losses you’ve had in the past. For me, it made me reflect more on the loss of my other dogs who had passed years before and the loss of my grandmother, who passed away decades ago! It is also normal to go through all of the feelings including guilt, loneliness, anger, disbelief, frustration, blame, confusion, relief, hopelessness, sadness, fear and more.
This is why caring for yourself after your beloved’s death isn’t optional – it’s essential. In fact, studies indicate a 21-fold increase in heart attack risk within the first 24 hours, following the death of a loved one. “The heart attack rate remains eight times above normal during the first week, but then steadily declines over the course of a month. The physiological explanation for these findings is that intense emotional and physical stress associated with grief can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and the tendency for blood to clot—all of which raise the risk of a heart attack.”
Dying from a broken heart is a real phenomenon.
That’s why I’ve compiled 10 ways to care for yourself as you mourn the loss of your beloved companion. Your body, mind and heart are carrying a heavy emotional load, and they need support as you move through this transition.
Your story matters.
Your bond matters.
Your grief matters.
And I’m here to help you honor all of it.
I’m so sorry for your loss and am here to support you. Let’s walk this road together, with compassion, dignity, and love. I can help you navigate these difficult times and companion you through your pet loss journey with compassionate pet loss grief support. You can schedule a private session here!
Looking for even more resources on pet loss grief? Here’s some of my free resources:
- Grief resources, which I update regularly
- Advance Care Directive worksheet (free download)
- When Is It Time To Say Goodbye? (free download)
- Bucket List Ideas (free download)
- Grief Resources (free download)
- Helping kids navigate grief
- Benefits of At Home Euthanasia with a directory of local vets by different regions.
- When To Get Another Dog After Loss
- Caring For Yourself After Pet Loss
If you’ve missed my previous grief posts:
- first post about Boo passing
- 2 month update
- 4 month update
- 6 month update
- 8 month update
- 10 month update
- One year update
- Shifting from Grief to Gratitude
- watch this memorial video of Life of Boo, with music composed by my husband, John.
- Video of BooBoo crossing the rainbow bridge (Lake Lure Rainbow Bridge, destroyed in Hurricane Helene floods)
If you would like to support my efforts and make a contribution to allow me to continue to create free resources like my blog and all of my other free resources, you can Buy Me A Coffee!
