It is becoming apparent that most mammals share a universal emotional capacity. Joy, grief, happiness, anger, fear and sadness to name a few. Canines and Felines are very wired into their pet parents emotions. There are hundreds of stories about dogs waiting for their owners to return after they have passed, or grieving the loss of one of their furmates. The signs are the same as grief in humans: Lethargy, sadness, loss of appetite and possible immune compromise.
The emotion of grief in Chinese medicine is housed in the Lung meridian. The Lung meridian is also responsible for our immune system and protective chi. So in humans a lot of times people who are grieving tend to get be more susceptible to illness ie: colds, asthma, pneumonia etc as their immune system is not working at full force because they are grieving. This is true in our pets as well.
Grieving is a normal process, but if it goes on too long then it may be time to try and ease your pet out of the grief cycle. There are some good points in TCM to help with this. Try using the points a few times a week and see if you notice a difference.
Below are just a few that can be used
LU7 Above the styloid process of the radius 1.5 cun above the transverse crease of the carpus see diagram: Helps with worry and grief, Master point for the head and neck, Regs lungs and circs protective chi
LI4 Lu11 is on either side of the dew claw of his front paw just hold on to it lightly for a bit or lightly move your fingers in a circular motion Li4 it is a great point for immune issues It is also a source point so balances out the immune system LU11 is a Jing well point is a great way to tonify and strengthen the entire lung meridian
KI 27 found between the sternum and the first rib and 2nd rib two fingers off the ventral midline brings up and releases old issues, great calming and release point
Also, if there has been a loss in your life be sure and chat with your pet about what you are feeling and let him or her know how you are feeling… it will help them feel better as well.
The article below has some good tips to identify grief in your pet and what to do about it .
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/11/11/dogs-grieve-owner-loss.aspx