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Hi there! I think it absolutely can--anything that causes stress or strong emotions can cause the OCD to flare up. I find that sadness is a hard one for me, as I don't always deal with with it. I have learned it is very important to allow myself to feel it and to be easy on myself. Losing a pet is so painful--be gentle with yourself and celebrate your memories with your dog, and reach out to your support network as needed.

Firstly, I’m so sorry you’re going through that. Losing your childhood pet is an unimaginable tragedy. Stress and enhanced emotions definitely isn’t a bff for OCD. Whenever I’m upset or stressed my thoughts get a lot worse too. It doesn’t have to be linked the brain works in awkward ways sometimes. Any emotional burnout especially loss has a really strong impact on our bodies, both physically and mentally. It’s important to remind yourself of what is true. It helps me to write it down and if I feel like my thoughts are getting worse I will go and read it and take deep breaths. While breathing I imagine inhaling the good thoughts and releasing the negative or compulsive ones when I exhale. Again, I’m so sorry for what you’re experiencing right now. Sending my support.

Hi! I am so sorry to hear about your dog. I had to put my dog to sleep last weekend, and it definitely caused my OCD to try to bait me in with lots of different things. I had to figure out some response prevention messages to help me, like “These thoughts are thoughts, not threats.” I also needed some time just to grieve the loss of my pup. Losing a pet is so hard, so take your time and be patient with yourself.

OCD gets triggered by any dramatic change. Iv had it be triggered by happy things, like buying and moving into a house, and then it got mega triggered when i had to put my kitty to sleep. OCD doesn't have to be linked in any way to what is happening in your life. It just happens to trigger simply because a routine has changed, that's all it takes. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. It gets better. i thought id die with grief but its been 6 months now since she passed and i still think about her but I'm not so sad anymore.