Companion animals show behavioural responses to the loss of bonded companions that parallel grief in humans. Understanding these responses helps owners support grieving animals.
The capacity of social animals to form attachments creates the capacity for grief when those attachments are severed. Dogs that have lost a companion show measurable behavioural changes — reduced activity, reduced appetite, increased vocalisation, and altered social behaviour — that are consistent with a grief response. Horses in bonded pairs show similar responses to separation by death. The welfare implication is that owners of companion animals have a responsibility to manage companion loss thoughtfully: avoiding adding a new animal before the grieving animal has time to adjust, maintaining routine and social contact, and seeking veterinary support if grief responses are prolonged or severe.