As humans we have a tendancy to over analyze the feelings of other animals and believe that they are as complex as ours. While dogs may not have feelings as complex and hard to understand as ours, however, they do have feelings and are able to experience such devastating emotions as depression and severe sadness.

How do you tell if your dog is depressed? Your first signs of depression in your dog will be a reluctance to do the things he has always enjoyed or doing them without the enjoyment he always had for them, things like going for a walk, eating treats, snuggling with you on the couch or playing with other dogs – your dog may also be reluctant to eat or drink and simply lay in one spot for most of the day. Unfortunately these are also symptoms of some serious physical illness so your first step should ALWAYS be to get to your vet and have your dog checked out, run his blood work and have a physical run just to eliminate any other possible cause for this change in behavior. If your dogs tests all come back clear you should ask your doctor about the possibility of depression as a cause for this change in your dog’s behavior.

What caused my dog’s depression? Dog’s are creatures who thrive on routine and often times it is a break to this routine that throws them in to a depression, whether it is your new job that causes you to be away from him more often or whether it is the loss of a family member or “fur sibling”, any of these can have a profound impact on your dog and each should be treated individually. If your dog seems to have developed depression due to a change in schedules try to reassure him that things are going to be okay by rewarding him for his patience, for example: if your dog has depressed since you have been away from home a lot more consider hiring a dog walker for an hour a day to give your dog a break in the monotony, also reward your dog when you come home (I keep a bag of treats in my glove box of the car so I bring one in with me when I get home.) If your dog seems depressed since a family member or “fur sibling” passed away, this is a more tricky thing to tackle since dogs, like us, need time to grieve. Give your dog adequate time to grieve while making sure you “treat” him to extra errand runs with you or extra walks, let him know that you’re okay and he will be too. Many families find that bringing a new “fur sibling” in to the home when the whole family is ready helps to distract  their dog from their grief by giving them a new sibling to bond with; however, be aware that this should only be done when the whole family is ready.

Finally your vet may suggest medication, I suggest trying holistic vets if you want to go this way because of the side effects that long term medication use (or even short term medication use in some cases) has on your dog’s liver. If you feel that medication is the only solution for you then make sure that you investigate every aspect of that medication and if you can find other people who have been using the same medication with their dog for a while and find out what you can expect from it and from your medicated dog. Over all I suggest this as a last resort,  your dog is depressed for a valid reason, unlike people they do not go through the stage of life where depression “just happens”, there is a reason for it and it is your job as pet parent to find out what it is.

I explained to St. Peter that I’d rather stay here
Outside the pearly gate.
I won’t be a nuisance, I won’t even bark.
I’ll be very patient and wait.
I’ll be here, chewing on a celestial bone
No matter how long you may be.
I’d miss you so much if I went in alone
It wouldn’t be heaven for me.

I stood beside your bed last night,
I came to have a peek.
I could see that you were crying,
You found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly,
As you brushed away a tear.
“It’s me, I haven’t left you,
I’m well, I’m fine, I’m here.”

I was close to you at breakfast,
I watched you pour the tea.
You were thinking of the many times
Your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at the shops today
Your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels,
I wish I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today,
You tend it with such care.
I want to reassure you
That I’m not lying there.

I walked with you toward the house,
As you fumbled for your key.
I gently put my paw on you,
I smiled and said “It’s me.”

You looked so very tired
And sank into a chair
I tried so hard to let you know
That I was standing there.

It’s possible for me to be
So near you every day.
To say to you with certainty,
“I never went away”.

You sat there very quietly,
Then you smiled, I think you knew.
In the stillness of that evening,
I was very close to you.

The day is over…
I smile and watch you yawning,
And say “Good night, God bless,
I’ll see you in the morning”.

And when the time is right
For you to cross the brief divide.
I’ll rush across to greet you,
And we’ll stand side by side.

I have so many things to show you,
There is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out,
And then come home to be with me.

We all know that dogs have special qualities which make them unique
among all creatures on this earth. Their devotion and loyalty to man,
have set them apart. One of the most enduring eulogies to this affect
was presented by a Sedalia, Mo. lawyer by name of George Graham Vest,
who was later to become a US Senator.. His speech was in response to a
lawsuit on behalf of “Old Drum”, a foxhound who was viciously killed by
a human neighbor. His owner brought suit for damages. Senator Vest
concluded his case with the following speech:

“Gentlemen of the jury, the best friend a man has in the world many turn
against him and become his worst enemy. His son or daughter that he has
reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and
dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name,
may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may
lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man’s
reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The
people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success
is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure
settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend
that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts
him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.
Gentleman of the jury, a man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in
poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground,
where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may
be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to
offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with
the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as
if he were a prince. When all other friends desert he remains. When
riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in
his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune
drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and
homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of
accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies
and when the last scene of all come, and death takes the master in its
embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all
other friends pursue their way, there by his grave side will the noble
dog be found. his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert
watchfulness, faithful and true even to death.”
Old Drum’s master won his suit, amidst a courtroom filled with tears,
and Senator Vest’s statement has been preserved as a classic statement
as presented above.

If it should be that I grow weak,
and pain should keep me from my sleep,
then you must do what must be done,
for this last battle can’t be won.

You will be sad I understand,
but don’t let grief then stay your hand,
for this day more than all the rest,
your love for me must stand the test.

We’ve had so many happy years,
what is to come can hold no fears,
you’d not want me to suffer so,
the time has come please let me go.

Take me to where my needs they’ll tend,
and please stay with me till the end,
hold me firm and speak to me,
until my eyes no longer see.

Please do not grieve it must be you,
who has this painful thing to do,
we’ve been so close we two these years,
don’t let your heart hold back the tears.

~Author Unknown