INTENSIFIERS OF GRIEF

There are circumstances that can intensify the grief. For example, if death is due to trauma or toxicity, guilt may enhance the grief felt. If you have recently suffered other losses, feel responsible for the death, or have never fully grieved an earlier loss, then the grieving process is often more complex. In some cases, the pet has died of a similar cause to one which the you or a loved one currently has or has had in the past, and in this case the grief can also be enhanced.

Where the pet has shared a significant event in your life e.g.; was a gift from a spouse, or the pet has 'gotten them through' a difficult period in their life, grief can be compounded. When the pet was a significant source of support for you, adjusting to the death of the pet may be extremely difficult. Sometimes the pet loss represents other losses. For example the loss of a guide, hearing or assistance dog represents dual losses (the pet and independence). The loss of a working dog also represents the loss of a co-worker, someone who has shared activities with the owner for many hours of the day. Some children or adolescents cannot remember life without the pet, and the loss may be linked to a loss of their childhood.