# How to help dog with loss?



## Cratemail (Nov 6, 2008)

I'd really appreciate everyone's advice on this. My 8 yr old Golden passed away several weeks ago from cancer and my 5 yr old Golden is obviously grieving. The 5 yr old never spent a day without his "Buddy". He has been less interactive with us, choosing to go to another room instead of being with us as he usually did. He is not eating as well and I hear him in the middle of the night licking/chewing his feet.

We are trying to spend extra time with him, giving him extra attention and play time but I know that he doesn't understand what has happened. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can help him with this? 

Thank you!


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I say get him a new buddy!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

New buddy, definitely. It must be so hard for you to watch that


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## jlc's mom (Dec 21, 2007)

I have to vote for getting him a new friend.


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## Ronna (Mar 24, 2007)

I lost my dear Amanda at 13 years and she had befriended a border collie mix puppy from when she was 4 weeks old(mother was killed). When Amanda passed, Dallie was lost and spent hours by herself in the yard. It was almost like she thought if she stayed outside long enough, Amanda would come home. I decided after two weeks to adopt a new golden, for us who were grieving too and for Dallie. When I first brought the puppy (then Karlie) home, Dalie did not like her at all and avoided that bouncy goofy golden puppy. It took about a week and the bond began.............and has developed into a beautiful relationship. They sleep separately in the same room, but in the morning when we all wake up, Dallie goes over to Karlie and kisses her...........it truely brings tears to my eyes on a regular basis. I think that everyone in the family will feel better again and in better spirits with a new source of excitement. And of course we all know that a "golden" provides plenty of entertainment......

Ronna
Dallie & Karlie


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## jnmarr (Mar 7, 2008)

We got Buckwheat at one week old, and brought him home to 1 year old Rocky.. they became the best of friends. We lost Rocky at 12 1/2... Poor Buckwheat didn't know what to do with himself. We took him on a lot of outings, extra walks, and basically tried to make his life happy. He grieved so deeply, as we did it was heart breaking. We did not get a buddy for him because he was 11 and I worried a young dog would have been too much for him. You will know what to do, just listen to your dog.


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## IloveGQ (Nov 15, 2008)

Cratemail said:


> I'd really appreciate everyone's advice on this. My 8 yr old Golden passed away several weeks ago from cancer and my 5 yr old Golden is obviously grieving. The 5 yr old never spent a day without his "Buddy". He has been less interactive with us, choosing to go to another room instead of being with us as he usually did. He is not eating as well and I hear him in the middle of the night licking/chewing his feet.
> 
> We are trying to spend extra time with him, giving him extra attention and play time but I know that he doesn't understand what has happened. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can help him with this?
> 
> Thank you!


I'm going through the same thing, lost my 10 year old GQ last Friday (ouch, still hurts so much) also to Cancer, very sudden of the Spleen - out of nowhere - no preparation, just hit me like a ton of bricks- and my 1.5 year old Floyd is going crazy - Im hunting for a new pup/doggie next week - I feel for you  

It's hard enough to deal with the pain yourself, and then you look at your other doggie child and it only gets worse - 

I vote another buddy for you too!!! Hands down!!!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

When I lost my old golden Raleigh, his lifelong companion golden Cady padded from room to room to room ceaselessly searching for him. It is a terrible memory I have from that time-period. Then, she went through a stage of laying with her chin between her paws and not eating. Gradually though, she did stop pining, and adjusted. Do you think he is picking up sadness and upset that you are feeling? I always wonder if Cady was partially reacting to the humans grieving. I agree with the advice to add the right second dog to the household- it must feel strange for him. I am sorry you are going through this passage.


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## DUSTYRD2 (Feb 28, 2007)

I say get him a buddy too. We went through the same thing with Nugget when we lost Dusty. He wandered around the house whining and moping. When Dusty's ashes came home they had made an imprint of his paw in cement. I guess Dusty's smell was on it cause no matter where we put it in the house Nugget would go to it and look up and cry for it. On top of grieving over Dusty, we were worried sick over Nugget. We could see the sadness in his eyes so the hunt was on.
Dusty was looking over us and Hugo came into our lives 2 weeks to the day that we lost Dusty. Nugget and him are good buddies right from the get go, but I can still see the sadness in Nuggets eyes from time to time, missing his dad.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I say get him a buddy too but if right now you cant, maybe if you have some friends with a dog or a good dog park near you, he can play with some other dogs. Hope he starts to get better.

I am so sorry for the loss of your golden.


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

I agree get him a buddy or find him a new friend to hang out with.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

When we lost Savanah, she and Chance had only been together 2 years, but she was his rock. He is very shy and Savanah was a social butterfly. She let him know the world was an ok place. 

Chance was extremely depressed when Savanah passed. He was starting to revert back to being very shy outside our home. So, after about 3 months, I took him to work when we were having an adoption day and let him pick his new partner. There was a nice mix of dogs there, and I was hoping he would choose a female Golden they had. She was about 7 or 8 months old, (about as young as I would go, I do NOT do puppies), but a little bit on the hyper side. Well, Chance was afraid of her , so she was out. 

He then went and stood by this one cage with a, (hmmmm, how do I describe her), Chihuahua/Terrier/Whatever X and wouldn't budge. She was all of about 6 lbs. and had a face that only a mother, (and Chance :smooch, could love. Ok...I'll admit, I fell for her too. He kept looking at me as if to say, "This is the one I want, you said I got to pick, right? Well, I picked, so let's grab her before anyone else takes her." 

Well, he had made his choice and Lucy came home with us that day. They have been best buds ever since. He came out of his shell while he stood guard by her cage that day and all of the depression he had been experiencing left him.

I don't know if another dog would be right for you at this time, but it was the best thing I did for Chance. Even though I would have preferred another Golden, I have never regretted adopting Lucy. She has the exact personality that Chance needed and has been his new "rock". Something tells me that Savanah was there helping him choose.


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## agoldenliferanch (Aug 1, 2008)

I'm so sorry for what you're going through. But I agree that a new buddy is the best medicine. Years ago, I had a basset hound (BG-Before Goldens) and we also had a mutt we adopted from someone who couldn't care for it...unfortunately it got sick and died after a few years and Chloe was devastated. Off to the basset rescue we went to bring home Brittany. They were best friends for years until they both passed on. Chloe even saved Brittany's life one year when Brittany missed a corner in the yard and fell into the pool...we were inside and Chloe barked her head off until we came running and got Brittany out.


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## My4Boys (Dec 14, 2007)

Our border collie Beau became very despondent after we lost our golden retriever Bub in May 2007, and no amount of love or attention from us could replace Bub's 
presence and companionship, which Beau enjoyed and counted on for his whole life, 9 years at that point. It was hard to consider getting a new puppy or dog so shortly (4 months later) after losing our beloved Bub, but we knew it was what Beau needed the most to move on. And while it wasn't love at first sight, Beau and our new golden Baxter, soon became connected and now share a deep bond. And Beau is no longer lonely!


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## Fozzybear (Feb 27, 2008)

Yup, get him a new friend to be with. We went thru the exact same thing in March 08. Jake was despondent without Bailey around, no matter what we did. After about 4 weeks we picked up Ace at the humane society and they are best buds. Jake even lost 12 pounds which he desperatley needed. Nothing will ever replace Bailey but I know he wouldn't want his best friend Jake to be sad either.


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

Buddy acted like Amber's Father for about a year. He went through a period of mourning too. I thought there would be an adjustment period with a new Golden coming into our lives. I was wrong. They bonded immediately and Buddy seems much happier.


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