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How to comfort a senior dog grieving an owner's death at night?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chinese Shar-Pei | Female | spayed | 13 years and 4 months old | 85 lbs

My mother passed away about 2 months ago and her 13 year old Shar-Pei will not stop whining/barking in the middle of the night mostly and constantly searching for her even with putting down my mothers clothing/blankets etc.. I'm out of ideas on how to try, any advice appreciated

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on March 4th, 2018

I would increase her exercise and keep he up during the evening so she is very tired at bedtime. You also can give Benadryl to help her sleep. You can find the dose on this website. If it continues you can get relax medication from your veterinarian or you can try a Sonic Egg from PetCo. It will emit a sound when she starts to bark. Usually this will stop this behavior quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chrissy.

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