The Rainbow Bridge

my boyfriend and i will be putting his dog down on saturday and im not sure how to help him cope. hes been dealing with chronic kidney disease for almost a year now and its finally to the point where hospitalization would just be a bandaid. hes refusing food, throwing up, lethargic, et cetera.

this is my boyfriend's childhood dog and theyre both incredibly dependent on each other. dog has major seperation anxiety so the two of them are inseperable. the whole process since diagnosis has been hard for him and its going to continue to be hard for him for a long time and i dont know how to help.

were making the best choice for him, he's not going to improve. the vet was harsh when she told us and his family has made comments that have upset him. ive dealt with loss before but never pet loss and hes very sensitive so im just lost at this point. i love his dog too, hes cautious but still incredibly sweet and cuddly. its going to hurt me too but nowhere near the level it'll destroy my boyfriend. hes debating on taking time off from school over it, stressing over being in the room when they euthanize him, dealing with guilt and already starting the grieving process.

we have 3 other pets in the home and im worried that caring for them (my dog is 14 and my cat recently developed asthma) might hurt his healing in some way.

i guess im asking if anyone has advice? any way to help him heal or at least be more comfortable while he grieves? sorry that this is all over the place and thank you in advance for any help offered

Sugar died May 4th of this year.

Coco left us maybe an hour and a half ago. I

t was really hot where I live today, 97° with a heat index of 110° when I left work at 5pm. Coco’s dad took her for a run around 8pm while my mom and I went to pick up dinner, but it was still too hot. We all took her to the vet as soon as we noticed she wasn’t recovering from the run but it was too late.

I just don’t know how much more I can take. It’s not fair. Coco shouldn’t have died. She was only 2. This was so preventable but I’m hurting so much I can’t even be upset with Coco’s dad. He’s hurting too, I know him and my mom loved her. I just wish he’d known better.

Coco and I had always been so close, her and Sugar used to fight for my attention. Now they’re hopefully playing with each other over the rainbow bridge. I can’t wait to see them again one day.

This is going to be a rambling mess of a story, and I don’t know exactly what I’m hoping to get out of sharing, but here goes.

A couple of days ago my cat ‘Panda’ didn’t come home for his lunch. We were camping in our van with him and his brother (Diego), he is great at coming back to us when called and always back for mealtimes! So when he wasn’t back for lunch I was worried.

We went out looking for him twice but couldn’t find him. He then didn’t come back for dinner. We went looking again, several times, in the light and in the dark with torches. But we couldn’t find him.

We put some wet food out for him in case he came back in the night, and had a very worried, restless sleep. I woke up several times and called his name from our van. In the morning the food was still there. So my partner went out again. This time I explicitly said for him to crawl under all the bramble and thorn bushes. This time we found him.

He was in a bad way. He was awake but he didn’t meow or purr. He was under some thorny bushes and my partner couldn’t reach him so I climbed in and grabbed him. He had wounds on his back legs, a clearly broken leg, flies all around him, and maggot eggs in his wounds.

We took him to a vet immediately. And things started to spiral.

At first the vet thought it was a broken leg, an infection and a heart murmur (possibly from the shock). We have insurance, that’s manageable we thought. They said they wanted to clean the wounds, perform X-rays and then send him to a specialist for surgery.

Within the hour we got the call that it was worse. He had two separate, complex breaks in his back legs and a suspected ruptured diaphragm. They had called around some emergency vets and found one that could take him. We settled our bill of £1k and took him to the emergency vets.

Panda was so scared in that car journey. He wasn’t moving or meowing. I sang to him and stroked him, told him how brave he was. At the emergency vets, we got told that if indeed he had a ruptured diaphragm then the worst case scenario would cost us £15k. We were gobsmacked but held hope that he may not have the diaphragm rupture (it could have been fluid obscuring the image). Later we got a call that it was the worst case scenario. He said the first surgery would need to happen in the morning, so we had time to think, but we shouldn’t put him through the soft tissue surgery without agreeing to the orthopaedic surgeries too. It was all or nothing.

Our insurance would only cover £4K. We had already paid £1k. We had some existing debt but agreed we could take on an extra £5k. We set up a GoFundMe for the rest. In less than 3 hours we were up to £2k on the GoFundMe, we went to bed feeling hopeful. Like we could save him.

The next morning, my partner woke up feeling different. He no longer thought we could manage £5k debt. I disagreed. So I continued to fundraise, I managed to get it up to £2.7k.

Then we got another call. We were told he got worse overnight. His breathing was really laboured and he needed surgery asap. She also said he was showing signs of heart disease. I said I needed to talk to my husband, as we hadn’t quite managed to find the funds yet.

I called him and he said very tearfully, very regretfully that we needed to say goodbye. I called the vet back, I told her that we may need to put him down and we wanted to come in with our other cat to say goodbye. She said there were still some questions around the costs and asked how much could we afford. I said right now maybe £12k. She said come to the vets, she would talk to management and see what they could do.

When we got there, waiting was hell. I cried so much. I couldn’t stop my tears. If it was £12k we would go for it. Heck, I thought we should go for it at £15k.

When we finally spoke to the vet she said that management couldn’t bring it lower and in fact it could cost more, £18-20k, because his recovery may be difficult.

She said there was no way to know how he would respond to anaesthetic. He may survive the first surgery but with the longer anaesthesia of the orthopaedic surgery, there is no way to know right now how he’d manage because his breathing could be laboured due to the rupture and fluid or because of the contusions to his lungs or the heart disease. She said she had received a couple of phone calls in the night that said he might not make it because his breathing was so bad.

She didn’t say that she thought euthanasia was best though. She said we could pay 50% now and 50% in a month or two.

But if it went up to £20k (not including the £1k we had already spent on a credit card), that would mean we were looking at £11k in debt, if we had managed to fundraise to our goal, and £13.5k if we didn’t.

I wanted so badly to take on the debt. To live in destitution. To sell every single thing we owned to get there.

But my partner has just begun a new job with a significant pay decrease. We also already have £5k in debt which we need to pay off. And it would have meant that we probably wouldn’t be able have a baby anytime soon, which we have been discussing doing in the next couple of years. It meant that we would maybe never be able to buy a house.

We ultimately decided to euthanise. We were there. We gave him strokes and told him we loved him. We told him we tried really hard to save him. We told him how brave he was.

This was the hardest decision I have ever made. It’s been less than 2 days. I keep going over everything in my head and pleading to turn back time. I want to change my mind so badly. I want to take on the debt.

I hate myself for not doing more. I hate myself for choosing finances over our baby. For choosing a potential future baby over our current fur baby. I blame myself. I blame my husband. I feel like I failed him. I should have fought harder.

I have asked the powers that be to let me turn back time, to let me change timelines. I have asked for a sign that he is okay.

But he is gone. I don’t know how to live without him.

We had to say a sudden goodbye to our cherished cat Boo on Wednesday evening and I’ve been wracked with emotion since. I miss her so much and Im normally quite a logical person, but I had a random thought that I just can’t get out my head:

What if Boo’s spirit is around after her death.

We had to let her go at the vets and she hated it there, so what if her spirits stuck there, scared and alone and wondering why she’s been abandoned and no one will help her.

Or if she’s tied to us and around at home - what if she’s wondering why we won’t put food out or pet her. Why we have taken away her liiter tray and bed. She could be yowling at the top of her voice pleading with us and just thinking we are ignoring her.

I don’t know if it’s just lack of closure or how sudden her death was but I can’t get these sort of thought out of my head.

She died the night before her 19th birthday and her last day was not a good one, she went downhill so quickly from the morning. I always thought when her time came we would get notice and would be able to give her a final day of fun and love. That she could be at home with us when she passed.

I just wish I could have given her the last day and send off she deserved.

I love her and miss her so much and hate thinking she could be scared, alone and confused

It may sound dramatic to those who don't get it, but I know you all do.

Our dog was everything. She was our girl. And I have mental illness and have been unemployed for a few years now, so her and I have spent nearly 24/7 together. She was very much my emotional support dog without ever meaning to be.

I don't have kids and never will. Like I said, she was our girl. And our home was filled with love and light and laughter. She followed us everywhere, to every room, always by our side. Every single time we left the house and returned, she would be ecstatic to see us and we would burst through the door and start singing silly made-up songs to her while she galloped around and barked.

It was just constant smiling and playing and love. And now there is silence and a horrible small cardboard box that "she" is in.

But I know she isn't in there. She's in my mind's eye and my heart and my pain. I hope someday I can think of her without pain. I don't know where my baby girl went. I don't know why life has to be this way. I knew the day would come and I thought of that often, and yet everything in me still feels like this is some impossibility.

I wish we could all be together forever.

My dog suffered immensely when my father who has memory issues left her inside a parked car during a heat wave. The car was on my brother's property and he doesn't drive that car often. He took the dog without my knowledge and I didn't realize she was missing until way later. 3 days later my brother opened that car and saw her. She was left in there around 9pm and the next day was 100 degrees. My brother was able to check his surveillance to find out when he did that. We are all completely devastated. I have been crying relentlessly and have not been able to eat. No one deserves to go that way. I don't know how to deal with the pain knowing how long she suffered. I'm so distraught. She was my companion animal that I walked with almost every day. How do I deal with the grief?

My uncle left my 2 guinea pigs ( i had them for 4 years )outside and didn’t tell me . And found them skinned by neighbors cats. Im so mad that he forgot to tell me . This would have never have happened if he told me he left them outside..

My aunt’s dog passed away due to heart beating fast, I can’t live my life with this! This is really the worst thing ever! I literary cried so hard for the dogs dying and famous people dying today, if only if I can invent things that can bring humans and animals back to life or… Make nightmares about them dying then you woke up then they’re not dead!

Hi there. I just lost my 17 year old doggy who was the most wonderful pet of all time. I am absolutely heartbroken. She passed away in my arms at home after suffering from an enlarged heart. I hope I didn’t make her suffer by not electing to put her down sooner. Do our doggies know how much we love them? I loved this little animal with every bone in my body.

Fly high wally dog 17 years I didn't want you go I will always love you and boomer now you too can run a play I'll miss you're little nose poking though the gate when I leave in the morning my little chihuahua I love you and will miss you so much

Changed our bed sheets tonight .... now i can't stop crying about how our boy can't instantly get the sheets covered in his hair. Miss you bunches Doodle bug. Hope you're shedding all over heaven

I've had pets all my life, but this one was special.

I 'rescued' Chippy the black naped oriole fledgling, one of the wild native birds of Singapore, after he was grabbed by some kids. I offered him my finger and he hopped on and didn't let go. I didn't see a nest nor hear his parents, so I brought him home as he perched on my finger. I decided to keep him, and I watched him grow from a flightless, fluffy yellow featherball into a more birdlike shape. I hand fed him a variety of diced fruits and mealworms with tweezers, and he started learning to drink water, to eat on his own, and learning to fly. He chirps loudly when he hears people or the main door, probably expecting to be fed. He would wait to be hand fed, even though there's food already in his cage, this mafan.

I guess the best memories were just mundane things like watching him grow and learn new things, and just everyday normal interactions. Learning to drink from the water bowl, learning to eat on his own, trying out different fruits, learning to fly progressively longer and longer distances, even changing the tone of his chirps. He was never afraid of humans, and would fly to sit on us. I remember the first time he flew to the top of my head and sat there, chirping and looking comfortable as I walked around, and him flying to sit on my phone as I was taking pictures of him. He would try to climb our arms to sit on our shoulders. He loved looking at my computer screen, hopping all around my desk, and pooped on the keyboard. Twice. Mundane things that are now special and cherished as the chapter ends abruptly.

I regularly let him out to fly around the house but this time he crashed into the only window that was left uncovered, crossing the rainbow bridge shortly after. I held him for over an hour as his body turned cold. Shortly after he passed I went to the same spot I found him and this time I saw 2 adult orioles. I pass that spot quite regularly and have never seen nor heard any other orioles. I don't really believe in fate but I found myself wondering if they were sent by Chippy to provide some sort of closure lol.

I guess I'm making this post (sort of a repost actually) as a memoir. I miss him terribly, and I wish we had more time together. His chirps are now my alarm tone, just as he used to wake us every morning. I hope that one day I can find or adopt another like him. It's been a week since Chippy died, and I still miss him like its the first day.

Till we meet again, Chippy: https://imgur.com/a/KQwyo2s

My heart breaks everytime I think about it. I still subconsciously look for her when I get home and feel foolish I remember she's gone.

I want to get another cat someday, but it feels like doing so would betraying her memory. Is this feeling normal?

I am getting to a place where I can be around people. However, if someone asks me about my baby, or if I have to talk about her, I just burst into tears. I want to be able to talk about how wonderful she was, and I can’t. I want to share about how awful her last week was, and I can’t.

It hurts so much, and I miss her every day.

Does this get easier?

This will be my first weekend away from my apartment after the loss of my baby. It feels so weird to leave his ashes behind. Typically for a weekend trip to my home town I would bring my boy with me.

I haven’t cried in so long and I feel so awful about that. I still feel horrible. But I hate that I feel like I’m moving on because I haven’t cried. I miss him so much. It hurts everyday but why am I not crying? I feel like I’m gaslighting myself to believe I didn’t love him or he didn’t mean as much to me as I thought.

In good news, I’m getting a tribute tattoo of my sweet boy this weekend. I hope to share it with yall when it’s done.

I don’t have much else to say anymore. Everything I could’ve said was whispered in his last moments and over the past few days. I only hope he’s okay now. I don’t know what to do with myself. I can’t bear to unplug his fountain or empty his food. Even the litter box is a looming threat.

How is it supposed to be me and him against the world if there’s no him?

I just want someone to tell me that he’s still with me, that he’s watching over me.

I loved him more than anything. More than anything.

I have helped raise 3 family dogs (including a craigslist puppy) and a stray cat my family took in. I finally moved out with my boyfriend and we decided to get a kitten. I knew it would be different than a puppy, and did a bunch of research into it. I was looking around the area for the perfect little one to give a home, but applications kept getting denied because rescues prefer kittens to be adopted in pairs or into a home with another cat. As much as I wished I could oblige- I know vet costs can be expensive, especially with how many vaccines a baby needs.

One day I’m scrolling through Facebook and I see a post- a kill shelter about an hour north of where I live was over populated and every animal there is euthanized if they aren’t adopted within 1-2 weeks. With the encouragement from my boyfriend, I went to check them out. I get there and see how dismal the shelter is. They were at capacity for dogs and the cat kennels had 10-15 kittens in the bottom left one. The top right had three kittens that were not moving or responding to sound. (90% sure they were dead). I looked at the kittens in the bottom left kennel again and that’s when I saw my girl. A small white kitten with a black nose curled up in a kitten pile. A black kitten jumps up and bites her ear and she played back. I wanted to get her to a safe place.

I asked if she was available and the shelter employee said she was- that she was wormed and that she would give a voucher for the spay and vaccines. There were no records for the kitten. I was told she was 8- maybe 9 weeks old. I fill out the paperwork, and I take her home in a cardboard box. She meows a little but quickly goes to sleep on the hoodie I put in there for her.

When we got home she was immediately interested in exploring. She was extremely vocal. Nibbled at the food I put out and used the litter box like a pro. She really loved playing in the litter box before doing her business. I had her checked out by my new vet the next day, explained where I got her and she suggested I make an appointment for a week or two from then for vaccines/wormer since we didn’t have the date of the last ones. The vet also said she looked too small for the age I was told. She said she was closer to 6 weeks old. We go back home and everything is normal. She got a flea bath and warmed back up. She still nibbled at her food and wanted to play. She was always running, jumping and climbing. It wasn’t until Saturday that things started to change.

Saturday morning she ate, but her energy was gone. I called the 24/7 vet line in the afternoon who assured me that “kittens just sleep a lot” and to keep an eye on her. I did just that- and on Sunday morning when she still hadn’t eaten, I panicked. I got her an appointment that day with my vet. Shortly before the appointment, she started to throw up. I caught it on a nearby paper and saw something moving. She had thrown up a live round worm and a rather large round worm egg. She also had an accident on the blanket, which I brought in for analysis at the vet.

The vet confirmed she had roundworms and was in shock that she was still in relatively good shape. As she gave her the wormer she told me she typically only saw kittens puking worms when they were in critical condition. “Her worm load is so large that both her intestines and stomach are full and the worms have no other way out.” She prescribed food and gave me instructions for syringe feeding for the night. Her tech ran out and stopped me before I left. She had me take a picture of the emergency vet that they work with and made a drop off appointment for the morning. I thought this was odd but stayed hopeful.

When I got home I set up a little quarantine area for her with a warmer and started timers for feeding/watering her. This started around 4 pm. She was seeming to bounce back at first. She pushed back on the syringe and had energy. It was around 1 am that it changed. She stopped pushing the syringe away and was more lethargic than she had been. I shortened my timer to every 20-30 min to check on her. Around 3 am she couldn’t walk. She tried and I watched as her legs would not work. She kept dragging herself to her water bowl but wouldn’t drink or do anything else.

I called the emergency vet that I was told to use. They had a pet going into surgery and wouldn’t be able to help, so they told me to try giving sugar water & if she didn’t respond to bring her to another emergency vet. That vet was less than 10 min away so I brought her there. They took her back and gave her fluids / put her on a warmer. They told me there was a 50/50 chance she would make it through the night and they didn’t think she was strong enough to make it through the week. She was underweight and extremely weak. Her sugar and body temperature had dropped significantly.

After talking it through with the vet, it was clear that the only way she would make it through the whole thing was surgery- but she was too small for it. They brought her back in for me to hold as she passed on. She let out one tiny broken meow and looked up at me while she faded for good. I felt her go stiff and cold in my arms. She passed away around 5 am Monday morning.

I had her for less than a week, but I was with her the whole time I had her. I am still extremely broken over it. I’ve spoken to many vets about it- trying to understand if it was something I could have prevented. The understanding I have is that the shelter probably lied about deworming and she was likely too far along by the time I got her. The local vets have told me it’s rare but this year they have seen it happen a lot.

She was my first pet and I feel like i failed her. It’s been a month since it happened and I still wake up from nightmares about watching her deteriorate. My boyfriend who has raised kittens with his family keeps telling me I did what I could and it’s not my fault, but I still feel like I didn’t do enough.

Today was a tough one. I was able to be with my friend of 15 years for their final moment today. The decision had to be made last week and we got the first in home services appointment for today. I was lucky to know it needed to be decided and have the time to spend together. We spent the whole past week going to all our old homes, all the parks we visited, and revisited memories. We had a party last night with balloons, steak, cake, gifts and a card. I could not have had more of an opportunity to say goodbye. I love my friend. I held her in the last moment and felt her head go limp in my arms. The same arms I used to hug and pet her before the vet arrived. I said goodbye as they placed her in the bag and kissed her head one last time. I am so devastated and would do anything just to have another minute with her. She was so kind, loving friend I could have asked for. I hurt so much seeing her lifeless body just hours ago. She will forever be vibrant in my memories and dreams. Was it all just a happy dream?

I think the vet's office discarded my sweet pup 😔I paid for individual (not group) cremation and a paw print when she died on May 17th. When a couple weeks passed, I asked about her and one of the girls at the desk said it can take about 3 weeks. So I waited until June 17th and went in to inquire and another worker went over to 3 packages (of boxed up ashes) to see if hers was waiting for me. Nope. He left and came back and told me he would call me after calling the crematorium to see the status. Which he did- and informed me that there was a mechanical issue with the oven but they had her there and would be proceeding. He told me it usually takes only a couple days. It's now the end of the month and no one has called. My concern is that there were OTHER remains that came back as ordered (the ones he checked when I was there on the 17th) How were they processed if the oven was out of operation? I am afraid they literally made a mistake and threw her out and what am I to believe about the ashes I might finally receive? Would they be honest and tell me or pass random ashes off as hers?? It just all feels so sketchy now

Callie's been gone for nearly twenty-four hours. A day ago she was seizing. I've been crying the entire day. She was our girl. Our dog.

This is my first time ever dealing with loss, and I'm absolutely destroyed. I was sure she'd make it to at least thirteen. I don't know what we're gonna do without her. She was so, so anxious, and yet she helped our anxiety. Every minute that goes by is another minute removed from when Callie was here.

I know we couldn't have done anything- even if the vet had stopped the seizures we were most likely looking at chemo and pills for her, or euthanasia for her. It's just not fair. She should be here, and I keep expecting to hear her tip-taps on the floor and see her walking in. I miss her, I miss her, I miss her. I love her so deeply. I keep wishing she'll come back to us, happy and healthy, despite wholly knowing she isn't. It feels like she's staying with relatives. I'm never going to pet my Callie girl again, never feel her stomach moves with her breathing as she sleeps, never get my face licked by her, never have her push her head into the ground, offering up her back for you to play with her as her tail's a-wagging.

I watched a video today of when my mom announced we were keeping her- we were all so little. We were overjoyed to have her, and every day she made our days brighter with her light.

Callie girl, you are so loved. You are the best. The prettiest girl in the universe, and I miss you so much. I love you Callie. I wish you were here, happy and healthy. I hope you're at peace now. I love you.

My baby had to be put down last week because of kidney failure. She was fine and then she didn't want to eat her food. She would eat other stuff but she always ate her food. Took her to the vet 2 days later and after blood work we got the terrible news. With no signs before, her kidneys were terrible. She stayed on fluid in the hospital 4 days. We went to see her everyday. The fluid didn't work. Her kidneys got worse. We brought her home and she got better for a couple days and was playing. Then it hit her again. She tried so hard to hold on for us. We could tell she was suffering and we couldn't let her suffer anymore. I don't want to go on. I don't want to live. I keep hoping I will wake up and this is a terrible dream. She was our life. And she was only 9 years old. I will never get over this. I cry and then get mad and want to burn myself to take the pain away if just for a little while. I have been praying and begging God to take me out of this world.

on sunday i lost my beautiful baby cockatiel, finn. i bought him from a local pet store that specializes in birds in march, and didn’t get to take him home until early may (he had to be weaned off formula.) last monday i took him to the vet because of an inflated crop, they charged me $1,000 for a few tests and medication to treat an infection. he wasn’t getting better and on sunday he lost all of his energy and became limp. i waited at the vet for 3 hours while the “avian team” did absolutely nothing because i know they would’ve charged me if they did something. they didn’t even tell me he was dying, they came out and told me he had passed. i didn’t get to sit with my baby while he passed, he likely died all alone and scared. they told me it was likely a virus, but i don’t know if that’s true or if they’re just trying to cover their ass. he was just a baby, not even 1 year old yet. everytime i enter my apartment i just feel empty and so alone without him. i know i did everything i could but i can’t help but feel extremely guilty because of the chance i did something wrong, and im too scared to research anything because if i DID do something wrong i don’t know how i could live with myself. i wish i could’ve done more for him and i wish i took him to a different vet, but im not sure if it would’ve made a difference. i miss my baby so bad.

Just got the call from my mom, she took our 15 year old family dog to the vet, he has late stage kidney failure. The plan as of now is to make sure he's comfortable through the weekend, and then make arrangements from there and see how he is.

It sucks. I take solace in knowing that he loves our family, and he has a lovely dog life. I'll miss him a whole lot, it'll be so strange not having him in the house. He will go to a very cozy doggy heaven.

I lost my best friend this past Sunday at only 5 and it has been one of the longest, most painful weeks ever. I got him back in 2019 when he was just a puppy. He was the first and only pet I've ever had because my parents didn't allow it growing up, and he was the best dog I could've asked for. Before him, I always dreamed of having a dog and imagined what my first dog would be like but he far surpassed those expectations. He was the biggest sweetheart, and despite his size (being almost 80 lbs) he was never mean/aggressive and would roll over onto his back if a Chihuahua barked at him. I used to get sleep paralysis a lot in high school, and he would often put his head on my chest whenever I did to calm me down. He was more than a pet to me he was family; my best friend and I would've jumped in front of a car if it meant saving his life.

Earlier this year, he began having seizures. The first time he ever had one was on my bed, and having never witnessed a seizure, I thought he was choking. We shortly took him to the vet where they told us that he had a seizure, telling us to come back if they persist and to go to the emergency room. Not wanting to think the worst, I was hoping it was a one-off incident. It wasn't. He slowly began having more and more seizures, we would frequent the vet where they began prescribing medications which increased in dosage over time. He also began to change, he began to seem more confused, had less energy, wouldn't be able to play hide and seek with me, seemed uninterested in squeaky toys (something that wouldn't have even lasted 10 mins in his presence previously), he was always tired, and he began to walk in circles. Since I am in university, I was only able to come home during the weekends and every time I came home the difference in his personality was jarring. My once fun loving, happy, sweet baby barely left his bed where he slept. He was always so so tired. In March I got a call, after I got back from a late class that after visiting a vet neurologist, the results showed that he had a brain tumor and only had up to six months to live at most. This was three days after his birthday and I remember being absolutely broken, not being able to get off the floor. The news absolutely broke me and despite me knowing something was seriously wrong, just to get confirmation destroyed me and killed any hope I had of him making a recovery. Each time I saw him after that his condition only worsened. He would have accidents inside, something he never used to do, and nothing interested him anymore.

We lost him this past Sunday. I met my family at the emergency vet after my mom called saying it was time. When I got there, he was lying on the bed and barely moved to look at me. Seeing him like that just broke me. I could only hold and kiss his head, while crying, I couldn't even speak. When the vet came in, it's like he knew, he actually looked up at her while she began with the euthanasia. I could only say I'm sorry through tears as he stopped blinking and when he passed, he started to get so cold. I kept wanting to wake him up, to shake him so he could move, he didn't. A piece of me died with him that day. My baby, best friend, gone in an instant in my arms. I feel so broken, and I haven't been able to sleep the same since. Every time I try, I feel him going cold in my arms. I know that this was the most humane and best decision for him, and I know he's far happier now, but it hurts so much. I can't stop crying. It doesn't feel real. I want him to come back. I miss him so much.

I'm sorry for the long post, but thank you for reading. How have you guys coped with loss of a loved pet?

Today I was advised by my vet to put my cat to sleep and I did so. I've been crying over it all day and worrying that I've made a horrible mistake and acted too quickly, even if it was at the vet's recommendation.

My cat Luna (8-9 years old) haD FIV and had never shown any complications from it in the six years since I'd adopted her. She was a perfect cat and I loved her so so much.

About a month ago my roommate noticed Luna limping occasionally, but it would come and go and didn't seem serious. Over the past week she started acting strange, like not sleeping in my bedroom (she normally slept right beside my head on my pillow), not coming to see me in the mornings like she normally would. I figured it was because of the heatwave and her being a long haired cat, she probably was just too hot to want to move.

Well about three days ago she got a really bad upper respiratory infection, kept stumbling, wasn't able to make it into the litter box, was barely eating or drinking, etc. All of this was alarming so I made an appointment to take her to the vet this morning.

The vet ran tests and told me that she was suffering from kidney failure. Her pupils were different sizes, her white blood cell count was extremely low, and she was dehydrated and a bunch of other stuff. She was so congested she was barely able to breath, but she was still relatively alert and able to put up a fight if she didn't want to be touched. Anyways, the vet recommend heavily that euthanasia would be the best option seeing as the root cause of the kidney failure was most likely her FIV, and even if we treated her symptoms it would only slightly prolong her life. And I couldn't imagine putting her through all of that and potentially making her suffer more. I decided to agree to putting her to sleep.

But now it's been about 7 hours since she was out to sleep and I can't help feeling extremely guilty and like I robbed her of a life, especially because she was only 8 or 9. I'm worried that I made the wrong choice and that she would've recovered and bounced back... It also doesn't help that when she was being injected with the sedative before being euthanized, she yowled and convulsed like she was being hurt. And the entire euthanasia process took like 15 seconds and I thought she was supposed to slowly fall asleep. I just can't stop replaying it in my head and feeling like I betrayed her.

If anyone's actually read this far then thank you. Idk what I'm looking for-- I guess just some reassurance that I hopefully did the right thing... I hope I did.

I consider myself a death and grieving expert, having endured the loss of many loved ones throughout my life. However, I had never experienced the loss of a pet until recently, and let me tell you, pet loss and human loss are NOT the same. Despite having dealt with some of the most challenging losses, including three suicides, 2 overdoses, & several more I can’t even count on one hand, none compare to this.

Last week, we had to put down our 12-year-old dog due to age-related issues. She was in pain and had dementia, no longer recognizing us. It felt selfish to keep her here, even though I desperately wanted more time with her. Everyone questions the afterlife at some point, but since her death, I’ve been consumed with worry about it. I NEED there to be an afterlife so I can see her again. I’ve never questioned it this intensely with any human loved ones I’ve lost, but I’m terrified now.

I’m also genuinely worried that, in the afterlife, she’s scared and lonely because we’re not there. She was the sweetest dog, so loving to everyone she met and loyal to her family, and it breaks my heart to think she might be alone. Everyone I know that has passed away never met her. Before we put her down, I told her about some people up there and encouraged her to find them. Her ears perked up as if she was listening, and I hope she took my advice, but I’m still so worried.

This has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, and that’s saying a lot. I can’t leave my room without feeling instantly depressed because I was always greeted by her. I swear I hear her whines and claws on the hardwood floor throughout the day and night. I feel like I’m going insane because I’ve never reacted this way to a death before. Normally, I’m amazing at grieving, but this time, I can’t grieve the way I know best. I feel like a crazy person and I miss her so much.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

I don’t wanna spoil but I hope no one else ends up a blubbering mess like me

My boy fell ill on Sunday and had to be out down on Monday due to untreatable bone cancer on his spine.

Since Sunday I've done nothing but cry. I've felt like my whole world was collapsing around me. My work was kind enough to give me compassionate leave and today was my first day back in the office.

I won't lie the morning sucked. I kept having to run to the loo to cry and my chest physically hurt. At lunch time a few of my friends went to the pub with one of his dogs (who was a doggy pal of my boy). I laughed and joked and talked about him. That afternoon when I got back to work I felt okay. I laughed with my colleagues and actually had a okay day. I felt at peace with what happened. I felt lucky to have spent the last couple years with him. Don't get me wrong I didn't feel normal but I felt, for the first time, okay. I even went for a drink with some colleagues after work.

When I imagined him dying before I thought I wouldn't be able to ever feel okay again. I thought I would just crumble. I couldn't imagine my life without him. Now I'm feeling alright I'm racked with guilt. How dare I feel okay without him. Did I not love him enough? Did I not care? He was my best friend.

I don't know how to feel. I think he would want me to be happy but I feel so guilty for carrying on. I wish he was with me right now to give me a cuddle. I wish I could hang out with him. Why am I not more distraught. Everyone says it will get better but I don't want it to get better. Part of me wants to be sad forever. I don't understand why I don't feel worse right now? I don't know what to do from here. The guilt is killing me and I can't fully explain or understand why. Has anyone else ever felt like this before?

I recently experienced the loss of a dog through a friend. I can feel her pain. This friend had my dog's brother and we connected often on raising them. It was a sudden death, he must have caught pneumonia from daycare and it become a silent infection. He died while at the emergency vet. He was sedated and stopped breathing from torn lesions in the lung. They are devastated, he was almost 3.

The breeder already offered another puppy to my friend because they feel horrible and feel it would lessen the pain. I can see how people can feel like that, but I'm not sure its helpful. She said it sounded like it would help but she was scared of moving too quick.

What has been your experience? Did you get another dog quickly, waited or never got another one again?

You may have seen my previous posts, but my soul cat died in front of me in a traumatic way. It happened SO quickly, I didn’t even have time to process.

If you have a similar experience, what helped in dealing with the trauma?

I’m having a rough time because it keeps replaying in my head.

Thanks ahead of time. 🖤