How long does pet loss grief last?

It`s something you get through not over.
Every pet iv`e had i still remember with affection and yes my heart hurts at the same time.
It is a good idea to fill the empty gap in respect to your loss.

Oh MommaP I know just how you feel. We had our beautiful yellow lab put to sleep last November. She was nearly 14 and had incurable cancerous tumours. It’s like losing a friend. I too was a blubbering mess when I collected her ashes. Lockdown has made it worse with self isolating - no friendly dog coming to say hello in the morning, wanting to play, following you to see what you are up to etc.
Gosh I am in tears now I miss her so much. Just remember what a lovely dog you were privileged to have. When we get life more back to normal you will probably find yourself more able to cope with the awful loss and fond memories will hopefully predominate. It is so sad they cannot be with us for longer.

I don't think you get over anyone you love dying, you get used to them not being there, but missing them doesn't stop. I miss my Mum who died in 1989. I've had quite a few dogs over the years but just like people some dogs fit with your personality better than others. I have loved all my dogs but the special ones I would I liked the, felt completely in tune with them and became very close to them. I think any animal who is loved stops being a dog, a cat or whatever and they become a person and a family member. You would grieve for anyone you loved and sadly there is no limit on grief. I still mourn the loss of a beloved dog who died in 2006 and now I am mourning another dog who died in May leaving me heartbroken again. Sending hugs to everyone who is hurting x

Just lost our beloved cat, Crinkle - totally unexpected and a dreadful shock. It's less than 24 hours and I know things will get better but DH and I keep breaking down.

She was so much a part of our story; DH already had her when we met, and one of the things we often used to tell people was that early on he said to me "What if you don't like my cat?" swiftly followed by "What if my cat doesn't like YOU?". Happily said cat and I loved each other very much.

And I guess that's a main part of the problems we all face when we lose a dearly-loved pet. What do we do with all the love that we used to give them?

Heartbroken isn't strong enough for how we are feeling.

For me: the older I get the harder it is to loose a pet.

I realise this isn't a cheering answer, but it does take time to get over the hole in your life left by the passing of a pet.

How long, depends on such a lot of external factors, such as whether you have lost anyone else at about the same time.

Nearly two years after loosing a cat, I still miss him, so does his brother, but I am no longer at the weepy stage. I think that lasted a fortnight, followed by tears in my eyes when I thought of him for at least six months.

I lost my beloved Poodie 18 months ago. I now remember her fondly and she has a memorial stone in my Zen garden.
The pain never completely goes away but I know she’s creating havoc at the Rainbow Bridge as she waits for me to collect her.

It’s horrible for months, and you never forget them because they are part of your family, but unfortunately they don’t have the same life span as we do, so we do know that one day we will be grieving for them from the day they arrive in our lives. It’s worth it though, for the fun and love they bring. I feel so sad for those posting who say they can’t have another animal in their lives,because there’s no substitute. My parents are in their nineties and took on a rescue cat, she brings so much to their lives - and we will make sure she’s looked after if necessary, I don’t think it’s ever too late.

I too now have a middle aged rescue cat.

Three years on and I still miss my old girl. She was such a sweetheart, a big softie. She went through my divorce and then the death of my mum with me. I couldn't of coped without her, I was a mess. She got to nearly 17 years & her heart was giving up so I had to make the decision to let her go. I sobbed for weeks and would hardly go out. Some people would probably think it was ridiculous, but she was my family, it was just me and her. I finally rescued another little dog, but she must of been so badly treated it has taken her a long time to trust me. I felt even guilty that I had got another dog, that I was replacing her, but I have given another rescue dog a chance at a happy life.

Im so sorry. Its post like these and volunteering at Pet shelters that helped me. Petlosssupport.org and the rainbow bridge. I can honestly say that by doing all these things my pain lessoned considerably after a couple months and I was able to afopt again after 6 months. I swore I would never get another dog. But now my new fur baby who is 9 years old has captured my heart to a degree I never thought possible. I know he will leave me one day and Im not looking forward to it. But I truly believe they are happy on the other side. My dog that died came to me in a dream and showed me he was okay. Please open your heart again, I know its hard, but there are so many dogs waiting for the kind of love you have to give?

For ever!

Our westie was put to sleep 24th August 2014, he was 13 and had lymphoma, we were given 6 months by the vet but we knew he didn't have that long and lost.him in 4 weeks. It was awful and we miss him every day 6 years later . We have a border terrier, he is 4 years old now, he will never replace our westie but we love him for himself. I agree, you never get over the loss of a much loved pet but you learn to live with it.

Pets are part of our lives and families and it is always heartbreaking when we lose them. I really feel for you all as I have had cats who lived to 16 and 18 respectively and it was such a sad time when we had to say goodbye. I know all the posts here so far have been about cats and dogs in the main, but I have a tortoise who has been with me for 58 years, since I was 5 years old. When I was about 7, I found another tortoise walking up the middle of our road and "adopted" it after my mum had made enquiries if anyone had lost a tortoise locally (we lived in Hackney!) This new tortoise had an eye infection, and my mum took it to the vet a couple of months later while I was at school. The vet was not familiar with "exotic" pets, although nearly everyone I knew had a tortoise at one time or another, and he just put it to sleep as he didn't know what else to do. I was absolutely devistated, and still remember how much I cried over little Timmy all these years later. Luckily, I still have my original tortoise and she has been introduced over the years to both my daughters and my grandchildren. I am hoping that she will outlive me as I would truly be heartbroken if anything happened to her. She is even mentioned in my will so that she will be looked after if I go first.........
Virtual hugs to all of you. You will never forget them, but you gave them all such love and happiness while they were with you and that was returned to you many times over. x x x