Are Pain and Mourning for a Pet and for a Family Member the Same?

Many people lives with pets and the most part of them are considered as a family members (Crossley et al. 2022). So, when a companion animal dies, people experiences pain and mourning. Despite the recent increase in research interest in human-pet relationships, to my knowledge there is no review that answers this question: Are pain and bereavement for a pet and for a family member the same? The present narrative review may be a first step in answering this question. METHODS: This review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. After removal of duplicates and examination of titles and abstracts, 49 records were included in the review (see Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 for further details). The retrieved articles were selected and evaluated by reading each one in full text (see Appendix 3 for further details). DISCUSSION: This review, was beyond the scope of a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the intensity of mourning for the loss of an AC compared to mourning for the loss of a human. However, in examining the literature collected in the present study, we can highlight some significant recurring themes: A. Intensity of grief over the loss of one's pet; B. The relationship between the owner/caregiver and their pet; C. The individual's vision and perspective of life after the loss of their pet; D. Society's disenfranchised grief. CONCLUSIONS: The research indicates that AC owners experience a spectrum of pain and grief intensity when their pet dies, ranging from moderate to excruciating. This grief is often compared to that experienced upon the loss of a close family member. In addition, this review reveals a pervasive underestimation of the grief associated with the loss of a pet, both by society at large and by individuals who do not own a pet. This disenfranchised grief can have a profound emotional impact on those who experience the loss of a pet. It is also clear that veterinarians can play a role in helping AC owners to grieve and in improving the wellbeing, resilience and quality of life of people around the world experiencing pet loss. Further research is needed to develop a measure of DG that is specific to the loss of human companion animals (Brown et al., 2023).