Do animals feel grief when one of their fellow creatures dies? Do they understand what death is? Are they as sad as humans when faced with the loss of a loved one? To all these questions, researchers from the University of Milan (in Italy) answer “yes”.
The Italian researchers carried out a survey of 426 dog owners, 384 women and 42 men who owned several animals and who had recently experienced the death of one of their dogs.
First info: 86% of study participants said that their surviving dog(s) had changed behavior after death. Among these changes, dog owners noted a tendency to play less and eat less (with 57% of surviving dogs concerned), abnormally significant fatigue (46% of surviving dogs concerned), more fearful behavior or even more fear. barking (30%).
“Dogs are social mammals”, just like humans!
Unsurprisingly, according to the Italian researchers (who published their work in the specialist journal Scientific Reports), “the level of suffering of the surviving dog/dogs was correlated with the level of suffering, anger and trauma of the owner of the deceased dog“.
More than 9 in 10 participants said their surviving dog(s) had been living with the deceased dog for at least a year. “Dogs are social mammals, so it’s no wonder they suffer as much as humans when a loved one dies” they add.
How to help your dog to overcome a bereavement? While the Italian researchers point out that there is no magic bullet, they recommend that dog owners keep talking to their surviving dog(s) and maintain the daily “routine”, as much as possible. .
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