Our Dog Lost Her Best Friend

Here is my personal story of how I helped heal my dog's depression.

It's been 22 days since our 1st family dog Apollo had to be put to rest because of a crazy onset of Addison's Disease. I feel confident in being able to speak on the topic of dog depression since our Golden Retriever Camper had a challenging time losing her only playmate.

Every dog is different, but for Camper, the depression set on immediately. The day we took her brother to the vet, and he never returned, was when she stopped eating.

Once Camper stopped eating, she became lethargic and lost energy, she physically looked very sad. We immediately knew she needed to leave the house, so we began walking her twice a day. Camper was 100% happy on the walk and then the moment she stepped inside she became sad and lost all her energy again. A few days in, she began to vomit.

We thought the first day she threw up maybe it was car sickness, but then she consumed too much water and threw up three more times, so we made an appointment with the vet. We had to wait over the weekend for the upcoming vet appointment, so we bought her wet dog food to help her become more interested in food again, and she was! However, the bile buildup from not eating the previous days was too much, so she threw up every 8 hours.

Luckily, this was an easy fix at the vet's office, and she received medication and a doggy-type IV DRIP. We cooked her 1/2 a chicken breast along with plain rice for four days to go with her meds and her tummy has been great since!

This didn't mean we could stop keeping her busy though, she is still on two walks a day regimen, cuddles at night, she has a toy rotation system, so she doesn't get bored quickly.

~How to Help Heal your Depressed Dog~

Update the environment

• My husband and I took a trip to the pet store to purchase Camper a few new chew toys to replace the old ones, and we slowly gave 1 to her every day for five days. Here are a few toys that we got Camper and she is OBSESSED with them: Fish Bone, Kong Circle, Pink Octopus, Lick Mat :)

• Quality Time - Spend quality time with your pup. This could include walks, playing fetch, and cuddling up on the couch.

Switch up dry dog food with some wet dog food or homemade food!

• We only trust FROMM (not sponsored) for our dog food, so we quickly switched from dry to wet food. This transition was effortless since it's all the same pure grain-free ingredients.

• Our vet recommended hardening her stool from the excess bile we needed to feed her 1/2 breast of chicken, 1/2 cup of plain rice, and 1 TBSP of pumpkin. This excited her to eat, and she finished her meal EVERY TIME. Now she is back to her regular dry food routine.

• A Balanced Diet - Provide your dog with a balanced diet to maintain their health and well-being. This can also help boost their mood.

Introduce more play dates, the more interaction the better!

• This was a little hard because kennel cough was going around, so dog parks were a no for us, but we got together with some trusted friends for fun!

• Both dog and human playdates are helpful, the interactions with new or old friends help them understand not everything has changed, and it keeps their minds off the sadness.

• Socialization - Make sure your dog is getting enough socialization. This can help reduce stress and anxiety, which are common causes of depression.

More walks!

• Removing your dog from their shared house and yard helps, where a lot of old routines and memories are held and helps heal them. Here is our waterproof walking set!

• Make sure your dog is getting enough exercise. This will help release endorphins, which can help lift their mood.

• Stimulating Environment - Provide your dog with a stimulating environment. This can help keep their mind active and prevent boredom.