‘With great love comes great grief’: Exploring anticipatory grief and canine cognitive dysfunction

Abstract

Background: Ageing dogs may develop canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD). In human caregiving, anticipatory grief is well established in carers of people with dementia and is strongly associated with caregiver burden. This paper explores factors associated with anticipatory grief in guardians of senior dogs with and without CCD. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 347 Australian dog guardians was conducted in 2024. Validated instruments were used to measure anticipatory grief, CCD severity and caregiver burden. Correlations and linear models were used to examine the relationships between and factors associated with anticipatory grief, CCD and caregiver burden. Free-text responses about veterinary advice were analysed thematically. Results: Anticipatory grief was associated with caregiver burden (r = 0.28, p < 0.0001) and emotional closeness (p < 0.0001), but not with CCD severity (p = 0.55). Almost one in five respondents (18%) reported that they received no support or advice from their veterinary team regarding their senior pet's health. A majority of guardians (72%) reported that their veterinarian had never asked about the burden they experienced caring for their senior dog. Limitations: The convenience sample and omission of other potential influential factors, such as psychosocial support and personality traits, limit generalisability. Conclusion: Anticipatory grief is experienced by caregivers of older dogs and linked to caregiver burden and emotional closeness but not CCD severity. Together with guardian reports of a lack of support from their veterinarian, this suggests that veterinarians should ask guardians of older dogs about their caregiver burden to optimise dog and human wellbeing.