Woman Actually Develops 'Broken Heart' After Death Of Her Dog
So it seems the term 'broken heart' isn't just a saying. Doctors in Texas have written a case report about a 61-year-old woman from Texas who suffered from “broken-heart syndrome” following the death of her dog in 2016.
According to Wikipedia the phenomenon also known as a Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, "Is a type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (who'd have thunk it), in which there is a sudden temporary weakening of the muscular portion of the heart. This weakening may be triggered by emotional stress, such as the death of a loved one, a break-up, rejection from a partner or constant anxiety".
The woman in question, Joanie Simpson told the Washington Post “I was close to inconsolable, I really took it really, really hard.”
There was a somewhat happy ending to the story, Simpson was treated by doctors and made a full recovery. She also stated she will continue to own pets even after the passing of her beloved dog:
It is heartbreaking. It is traumatic. It is all of the above. But you know what? [Dogs] give so much love and companionship that I’ll do it again. I will continue to have pets. That’s not going to stop me.