Pet loss causes significant human grief - and companion animals also experience grief when bonded partners or owners die. Understanding both is important for welfare.
Companion animal grief has two dimensions: human grief at losing a pet, and animal grief when bonds are severed by death or separation. Animal grief is real and causes welfare harm - bonded pairs of dogs, cats, horses, and rabbits experience genuine distress when separated by death. The welfare response for grieving animals includes maintaining routines, additional human interaction, and careful timing of any new companion introduction. For human grief, recognising that pet loss is legitimate grief deserving support rather than minimisation is important. Veterinary practices that acknowledge pet bereavement and provide support information improve both animal and human welfare.