For many of us, pets are more than just animals. They are family. So, when a beloved pet dies, the grief can feel overwhelming.

For some, like me, it does more than break your heart. The death of a pet can reopen old emotional wounds, intensifying past trauma and worsening existing mental health challenges.

When my beloved dog died recently, I was blindsided by the weight of the grief. It wasn’t just sadness. It felt like the ground had shifted beneath me. For someone already carrying the weight of past trauma, losing my pet magnified my anxiety and made the world feel far less safe.

And I’m not alone. The death of a pet can intensify existing struggles for people already living with mental health challenges or trauma. This sometimes triggers severe anxiety and depressive episodes or even symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress.

Think about losing the one source of comfort that never judged you, never walked away, and always made you feel safe. For many people living with trauma or mental health challenges, that’s what a pet represents.

When that bond is broken, the grief can feel overwhelming – stripping away a vital coping mechanism and sense of security.

And when a pet dies suddenly, the shock can make the grief even harder to........

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