# Broken Heart??



## SweetMomBoricua (May 12, 2012)

Do any of you think is possible that a puppy could get sick of a broken heart?


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## Nawal (Mar 3, 2012)

As in grief? I believe it is possible. My aunt had two boxers Rox and Xena who were brought up together. The male passed away at a fairly young age (7), he suffered from leishmaniasis that got aggravated by some kindney issues. 

They had Rox for about a year before they got Xena, so she never knew anything but his company. She got "doggie depressed" after Rox died and eventually sick, she had to be put down after a couple vets told my aunt there was nothing to be done for her. 

All of us in the family believed she never recovered from the loss of her life buddy. And as much as I love poodles, I have to say no one looks more sad than a sad Boxer looking right at you with those soulful eyes. So yes, I believe a dog can get sick over being heart broken. My apologies if this is not what you meant.


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## SweetMomBoricua (May 12, 2012)

That is exactly what I meant. I have a toy poodle and we recently got another one as a playmate because she was lonely. Well, we tried to separate them and the two of them got depressed. They wouldn't eat or play with us. My little one started to throw up and all.The next day we put them back together and now they seem to be fine like before.


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## Nawal (Mar 3, 2012)

Oh that is a tale with a happy ending though!  We adopted a mini poodle for Puppet about a month ago, and they did not hit it off. But rather than a behavior issue, which we were willing to work through, Puppet got so stressed out or depressed, that she got sick and we had to take her to the vet three times in the two weeks we had both of them. 

Whether it was stressed induced or there was a more emotional component to her sickness I do not know, but we were not willing to put Puppet's health in jeopardy so we returned her to the rescue and have kept in contact with both the rescue lady and her new family since. 

I know there are schools of thought that believe dogs do not feel emotions, and while I do believe they may not feel emotions like humans do, they do feel emotions and are obviously affected by the social relationships they are part of, and that this can affect them physically.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

SweetMom

I've seen several pair recently on a rescue site that couldn't be separated. Why did you try to separate your toy poodles?


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## SweetMomBoricua (May 12, 2012)

Because of what I told you with the breeder. We were trying to prepare them just in case they had to be separated. It did not worked out at all. My little girl got sick, started to throw up, wouldn't play or eat her food. It was horrible. The other little one would not eat her food also. The next day we decided to put them back together and in a matter of minutes they were all over each other.


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## Poodlemama99 (Feb 12, 2010)

When we lost Lila in February Omar would not eat, sleep or do anything except cry and bark and lay on me. 2 weeks later he was still acting like that. Did not play with Maggie or Nicholas either. Just moping around. He had been together with Lila for 13 years since they were puppies. So we got Penelope for him. What an instant transformation. Omar is running, jumping, playing and acting happier than he has in years. In fact he acts more like he is 3 than 13.


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## Ladywolfe (Jan 11, 2012)

Somewhere I missed why a breeder said something about separating the dogs.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I adopted a dog when his eldery owner passed away. He was so depressed, he did not eat for 3 days. I finally took him back home and just let him see that the house was empty and his person was not there. I did this for several days . He did finally come around. Yes, I am a believer!


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

I have a friend who had 2 golden retrievers. When one died, the other went into a terrible depression. The surviving dog had always had a heart murmur, but after her buddy died, she started to show signs of active heart disease. When my friend came home from work, she wouldn't even get up. She'd just barely lift her head to acknowledge that her owner had come home--none of the usual jumping around in circles. I've never seen such a depressed dog. My friend took her to a cardiologist who had a diagnosis, but no cure (he said he was surprised she was still alive given the condition of her heart). 

The cure came a couple of months later in the form of a new golden retriever puppy! The older dog completely turned around and lived several more happy years. She ended up dying of cancer, not heart disease. I think the bond that dogs form with each other can be very strong. As they say, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all! I think it is great that your two dogs enjoy each other so much.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

When my last standard died, my whippet went into a deep depression. He wouldn't eat and tossed and turned, howling a low mourning howl in his sleep. He spent the days hunting for her in all her favorite spots over and over. I felt like we had to get another dog for him or he was really going to get sick. Yes, dogs have emotions and they do grieve. Emotions can be linked to illness in animals just like they are in humans.


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

Outwest (and anyone else who has an opinion on this): Which of the following do you think is best for the surviving dog:
1. do not let the surviving dog see the body
2. let the surviving dog see the body and sniff/investigate fully.
3. give the surviving dog a brief look/sniff, but not a long one.

When my first poodle died a year ago, my remainaing spoo got a quick sniff. Same thing when the golden I mentioned above died. If I had to do it all over again, I think I'd let the surviving dog thoroughly investigate the body. That's the only way they have of knowing what happened. But I'm really not sure what is best. Any opinions?


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

One of Patricia McConnell's books, I believe _For the Love of a Dog_ but it could be a different one, describes in great detail the death of one of her dogs and how each other dog in the household responded to that death. It was very remarkable at how different each animal reacted, based on the bond they had shared with the deceased. Some chose to ignore the body, one lay by the body for a very long time seemingly mourning, one did a thorough investigation and then walked away, as if it had accepted the reality of the situation. I think that different things are going to be better for different dogs, but in that situation I would probably let the dog guide me as to what was appropriate.


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## Ladywolfe (Jan 11, 2012)

peppersb: What a great question, and sometimes a very difficult one to ask or to answer, but definately a topic that I can appreciate.


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## SweetMomBoricua (May 12, 2012)

I will do the second one. Like you said, that's the only way the dog will know what really happened.



peppersb said:


> Outwest (and anyone else who has an opinion on this): Which of the following do you think is best for the surviving dog:
> 1. do not let the surviving dog see the body
> 2. let the surviving dog see the body and sniff/investigate fully.
> 3. give the surviving dog a brief look/sniff, but not a long one.
> ...


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## Poodlemama99 (Feb 12, 2010)

When Lila passed away she did it in front of the other dogs so there was no sheltering them from her body. Omar (who was her crate mate) was standing over her looking confused when I walked in while Maggie was eating right next to her as if nothing had happened and Nicholas was cowering in his cage on the other side of the room. Obviously Omar's reaction was the strongest as he had been with her for almost 13 years.

I guess Maggie was not upset to lose her competition for the boys affection. Although she has willingly accepted Penelope.

Nicholas was obviously upset and maybe thinking somehow this would be blamed on him. :afraid:


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