How to help dog get over siblings death.

[Miley1967]

We lost our beautiful 13 year old dog suddenly this week. Our two dogs were inseparable really. It was sudden, no warning as to what would unfold. We had to rush older dog to the vets and she died on the way. We decided to bring deceased dog back home and put her on the sofa so that surviving dog could sniff her etc. she stayed there all night then we took her to the vets.
Surviving dog seems lost, he's a very sensitive dog, we can't even cry without him getting upset. We are trying to keep up his normal routine etc. He has never known life without the other dog.
I am dreading Monday and having to leave him on his own for a few hours to go to work, he has never been home alone without her. Thinking of asking if I can wfh until dd back from Uni later in the week and then she can be with him.
Can people give their experience of how long it took their surviving dogs to feel better, do they forget quickly ?

My dog was bereft at losing her older sibling and after two weeks of her moping I started looking at puppies, and just over a month after I brought a new puppy home which gave us both a purpose, it's not for everyone but it was what we needed, as she was just not cut out to be a single dog.

I'm sorry for the loss of your dog.

My mom's two sausage dogs were inseparable from a few months old. They couldn't bare to be apart. When one of them suddenly got sick & died, the other was utterly bereft; she was physically sick, wouldn't eat, whining etc it was truly heartbreaking. We found changing her surroundings helped, i lived a few hours away and she came to stay with me for a few days, the change of environment etc eased the shock & helped with the sad transition & when she returned to my mom's house she was able to cope & get on with things. So maybe something like that might help?

I've mentioned this often before but my dog went into such a deep depression when his companion died that he stopped eating and stopped barking. It was awful, so we bought him a puppy.
He perked up so much, spoilt her rotten, so that she could take food out of his mouth and sit on him, even when fully grown. He never disciplined her, the way older dogs sometimes do.
It was lovely to see him so happy and besotted.
We decided we would always have more than one dog after that experience

I have no experience of this with dogs but when our cat died suddenly last year our oldest boy was devastated. He grieved her so badly even though we had another cat in the house still.

We ended up bringing home a kitten about five weeks later and it was the making of him.

Thanks all. We cannot have another dog right now.
Edelq - we are due to go away on holiday ( with dog) in a few weeks so maybe that will help. I guess it's early days.

Please don't get a dog for a dog. And not as a reflex action because your dog is a bit depressed.

It can work wonderfully

But, I know people who have done it, and without fail, every one of them has had awful experiences. It's not like YouTube where you carry the puppy in in a wicker basket and Mozart plays in the background and everyone dances around and there's just lots of love. It can go horribly wrong. At worst, we're talking a dead puppy or your older dog traumatised, at best (If it goes wrong) they just don't get on and you have the odd fight on your hands.

I did it when I lost my cocker (lost him at the end of November and had a new puppy by Christmas). It took months for my other two dogs to accept the Golden (and we are literally talking months - up until about August last year). They get on really well now. But it was bloody hard work.

Honestly, my other cocker has never recovered (fully) from the loss of her brother. Having the puppy has helped her and she loves him and curls up in bed with him. But, she'll often take herself off to her place under my bed where she and her brother slept for 8+ years together - and I know it's because she misses him.

Your dog is 13. He's not a young. Just give him lots of attention and fusses - take him to new places and ensure he's pampered. Then, in a few months, if you think he and you might be ready, then consider it.

But please, please don't do it reflexively.

We had exactly the same situation. We had our Westie and our Sausage, Sausage had never known life without our Westie. Ultimately we changed things around so he wouldn't be alone, took him to sleep in the bedroom, took him anywhere in the car where it was an option, had someone come be with him. He did decline in health rather quickly so another puppy wouldn't have been the answer at the time.

Thank you. Our surviving dog is 7. The one who died was 13. We definitely won't be getting a puppy. It's just so hard to see him sad.

Ah I misread! Sorry!

Just give him lots of attention and spend time with him. He’ll be okay eventually - dogs can be far more resilient than we give them credit for! And sorry for your loss

I'm sorry to hear about your doggie.
We didn't want our dog to be on her own when her older brother died so we got a puppy when our boy was 10 and ended up with 3 dogs for a few years. Our old boy was poorly for a couple of days before he had his last trip to the vets. I would say all three of them knew old boy wouldn't be coming home because of the way they nuzzled each other before he left.
I think you did the right thing bringing your dog home so pup could see him and say goodbye. Hopefully your pup will settle in time, I'd not hide your grief from him too much as he needs to grieve too.

Thank you for your kind words. I just can't stop crying, she used to sleep next to my pillow, she went everywhere with us. I have no answers as to why she died. One minute she was having a lovely late evening walk at 8pm , jumped over a stream no signs of real tiredness or struggling, had a little sleep for an hour or two then gone at midnight. She had not been to the vets for 2/3 months. She was naughty and mischievous, We keep going over the evening to see if we missed anything but there's nothing. I guess it happens and she did not suffer.

Oh lovely, don't torture yourself with 'what if I missed something'. Dogs are stoic creatures. If there was anything amiss, you'd have spotted it (as indeed you did, given that you were taking DDog to the out of hours vet at going on for midnight). Old age took her over the bridge, and no, she didn't suffer. She had a lovely evening playing and jumping over the stream, then it was her time and she went over the bridge with her family by her. Blue Cross do pet bereavement counselling, and your insurer might too, if that might be helpful. Give yourself time and grace to grieve your much loved family member.

Thanks you so much for your kind words.

Sorry for your loss, OP.

Our dog who was left behind (a retriever breed) liked to carry things in his mouth. He pined for his sister for many months. The DC had a soft toy of the same colour/ breed which was already called a nickname of the dog that died. We gave it to surviving dog in hope that having a new toy would cheer him up. He carried that soft toy around every day for the remaining 6 years of his life and would search the house for it if it got lost. I think over time he just remembered a sense of comfort from the dead dog which transferred to the soft toy.

When my older dog died the remaining dog took almost six months to get back to normal. I kept the same routine and we had a week away and by the end of that week he was OK.