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  1. #1
    House Broken
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    How to help a grieving Labrador?

    Salem is still having a rough time with the loss of Rosie. She looks everywhere for her, in the house, outside in the yard, she will jump in the van if we leave a door open and she will look for her. She whimpers a good deal during the day, she's very clingy and needs someone touching her or she needs someone to lean on. Is there anything we can do to help her, it's been 2 months?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog
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    I wish I had some tried-and-true advice for you, but I don't. Danny grieved the loss of his best buddy Charlie the cat for six months. We couldn't use Charlie's name or the word "cat" without Dan racing around the house, whimpering, looking for his friend. I think it probably helped that we also had Sunnie in the house, but I wouldn't swear to that.

    They shared beds and Charlie's toys never got left out (fur, feathers), so there was nothing to make a decision about with regard to keep/hide.

    I discouraged abject neediness, crawling into my lap, that sort of thing....and I used "it'll be OK" a lot. I think it was all just a matter of time, though.

    Dan's anxiety seemed to grow out of this but it's obvious that he inherited it from his mother so I think the timing may have just been coincidental.

    In hindsight, I wish I had tried something to lessen anxiety with Dan. Two of the things I've subsequently started using with both Sunnie and Danny are calming collars and a homeopathic calming product. The homeopathic product really brought Sunnie's anxiety down a lot (did NOT eliminate it) and kept Dan a good bit more mellow. The calming collars are mostly for thunder, fireworks, and high wind...but would be good for separation anxiety, etc., too.

    https://www.calmingcollars.com/

    https://www.nativeremedies.com/petal...-granules.html

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Did you bury Rosie at home and did Salem get to participate? I swear having a funeral helps, just as I read it can do for children when Grandparents die. If not, what about burying some of Rosie's things? Her collar, toys, blanket? I'm guessing here and I have no idea if this would help or not.
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  4. #4
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    I did "business as usual". This worked well with Zo and she recovered within a few months. There was a lot of anxiety in the meantime though and it was definitely a process. She relapsed when my husband started travelling a lot but figured out that he would come back.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    So sorry for Salem. I tried to keep as normal a schedule and routine as possible with lots of training and walks. Poor Melody had the hardest time. Some time after Bandit passed I got up the courage to go through their toy box and was crying. Melody came up beside and started to howl; it was so sad. We both had a good cry and then things started to ease off.
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  6. #6
    Puppy
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    It's a really tough thing to go through. When we lost Haley my other lab was just lost...it was heartbreaking. i kept her busy by increasing her exercise and just spending more time with just "her". There is no magical trick to speed up the grieving process, it just takes time. I'm really sorry your going through this, hang in there.

  7. #7
    House Broken
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    The day Rosie crossed over the Rainbow bridge, she had been at the vet's for observation, she never made it home. She was cremated and her ashes were returned to us, they are with other dogs we have lost over the years, with pictures or all of them. The one thing I do have from Rosie is some of her fur that the lady at the crematorium shaved for me, when I got them, Salem had a strong reaction to the scent of them, I just don't know what I could do with a tiny bit of fur that would help Salem.

  8. #8
    Senior Dog
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    Your post is just heartbreaking...what a difficult thing to go through..

    I think with "time" Salem will heal...I would also say to spend more time with her, exercise her a little more both physically and mentally.

    I'm sorry you are going through this.
    Last edited by lovemylabby; 04-17-2019 at 10:11 PM.

  9. #9
    Best Friend Retriever silverfz's Avatar
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    A dogs smell sense is so much powerful and i am sure even if you do not smell the place smells like the other dog. she might just be confused . She can smell her but not see her. Hopefully it works out soon.

    Do not allow her to get too clincy as well she might associate behaviors with attention from you.

 



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