Bereavement

my dog of 12 years has just lost his mate of 14 years were together for 12 years, how can i help him get out of his deppression, he just seems to have lost his sparkle, is eating and sleeping ok though

Welcome to Dogsey
Sorry your lost your dog so sad for the one that's left behind too,bless them they don't understand
I guess all you can do is be there,I think dogs feed off their owners emotions too,so if you're sad,your dog will sense it.
Fingers crossed things change soon,must be hard to watch(( hugs)) to you both xx

Whenever I've lost a dog I always make sure those remaining are kept busy and make a special effort to have fun with them every day. I find it makes me feel better too.

thankyou lacy10, that helps, I do try to play with him but he isn't really interested, it is just so sad to see him like this.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. ((Hugs))

When I lost my first Westie, Paddy, his companion Angus had never known life without him. Paddy had been the 'leader' when it came to meeting dogs, people, etc. Angus was lost without him, bewildered and depressed.

My vet suggested for walks, I take Angus to places he would have no association with Paddy, but at home, keep routine as normal as possible.

I did this but I have to say it made Angus nervous; he was always a 'hang back, and watch to see what happens' dog, but without another dog to watch for a cue, he got to the stage where he'd just bolt if he saw a dog that looked a bit rambunctious, or a lot of people.

What changed him was getting another dog, a pup - Angus took on the role of 'gentle older brother' while the puppy was young, teaching him manners by simply turning away when the pup was being too boisterous, which taught the puppy to respect and love Angus. As the pup got older (and far bigger) than Angus, the pup took on the role of 'protector' when they were out and about, filling the role Angus needed him for. On walks, the younger dog was definitely 'leader', but in the house, Angus was boss.

If your 12 year old is still active enough, and OK with other dogs, this might be the answer for you, too - I'm not saying get another dog just for him (unless you'd really like another one of course), but perhaps if you have a neighbour who has a pup, or a dog that YOUR dog likes, you could try regularly getting together for walks, maybe having 'dog play dates' in your garden, etc. Or how about asking at your nearest dog shelter about fostering a dog for a while, or just walking your dog with one of the dogs in the kennels?

Other than that, try giving him lots of attention yourself, ie, more interaction to fill the void - for some dogs this is all they need (when Angus himself died, the 'pup' - my PON Esau - was happy to replace Angus with human attention).

Best of luck!

I would agree that perhaps rescuing another senior citizen dog as a companion might be good for both of you. It is really hard watching pets grieve. I know they do. Our cat Sushi lost his Dad and Uncle within months of each other. Suddenly he was the oldest male in the cat hierarchy and you could tell he was lost. He would lay on the rocking chair they would all sleep on together staring into space...you could see it.

As I was reading your post,started falling in love with Angus He sounded lovely,had a picture of him in my head then when you said he had died... so sorry

Thanks, Lacey! He passed away after a stroke in 2010 at the grand old age of 16, which is good even for a Westie! I miss him every day, but they can't live forever and he enjoyed life right up to the end.