I’m a 39-year-old man, and it’s been just four days since I lost my boy. I’ve been crying every day, and my family is getting worried because I’ve always been someone who hides his emotions. But this loss has completely broken me.He was with me for 17 years. I don’t even know how to explain what he meant to me. He was part of my everyday life for almost half of my life, and now suddenly, he’s not here anymore.

I still make his bed. I still keep water for him around the house. I know he’s gone, but somehow, doing these little things makes me feel like he’s still around.I’m struggling to accept that he’s not coming back. And honestly, I don’t like it when people say things like “grieving this deeply over a dog.” He wasn’t just a dog. He was my son,

I’m 39, and I never thought I’d be this broken by anything in my life. I don’t know if it’s normal to cry this much or how long it takes to feel even a little okay again.For those of you who have lost a pet you loved like your own child, how did you get through the first few days? I could really use some words from people who understand. 💔

I still look at the same place that my dog loved to cuddle, not only that, I still run towards any food that I accidentally drop to the floor like she's still here, and sometimes I still think that I have to go for a walk with her. It's been almost seven months since she passed away.

Im not sad, im not crying, I dont think im feeling anything right now. Loki is a German Shepherd, almost 13 years old. My wife has been crying on and off for the past 3 days and Im just sitting here like nothings happening. The vet just messaged me, ​he will be here at 7:15. Its 6:36. Im sitting at my kitchen table. We just had dinner. My boy had a lovely day today. We brought him to the beach by the lake, gave him McDonalds, and ice cream, and a cupcake, and all the treats. He's been struggling a lot and we know its time. And I have no idea how im going to handle this. I have a 7 and 5 year old, they've never experienced death. My mother in law is coming. She's going to be here in 10 minutes. She's going to take the kids out after they say goodbye. They dont need to be exposed to that. My mom is coming but she won't make it before he's gone. She's stuck in traffic behind a car fire. My best friend should be here in 10 minutes. My wife's friend is here. She's a vet tech. I dont tbink thats relevant. Its 6:40. Im scared. I have to be strong for my family. Someone has to. We can't all lose our minds. I dont know if its going to hit me when it happens, or maybe it won't. Maybe it'll be tomorrow. I've never had to put a dog down. He's been with us for so long. Hes been through 3 moves. He's been in Virgini, and Hawaii, and Maryland. He's a good boy. We have another dog. She's an American staffordshire terrier and she's 9. Im so scared she's going to decline. She was a pound puppy. She loves Loki so much. We need to make sure ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​she gets a lot of attention but im so scared. Its 6:43. My mother in law just got here. The vet is going to be here in 32 minutes. Im just rambling at this point. I have to be strong. I dont know what I'm going to do. I've never had to put my own dog down. Im going to miss him so much. ​​​

Just gonna say this is the closest thing I’ve seen to my own mother grieving over a death of a child. She’s recently divorced (gray divorce) and our dog has been her companion. She took him on walks, fed him, played with him, etc. I work early mornings so I would be asleep when my mother comes home, and my brother’s schedule is all over the place. So she only had the dog to be her companion. When we were at the clinic room, our dog was stressed and my mother sat on the floor next to him and calmed him “don’t worry, mama is here”. When our dog was being euthanized, it felt like a stab through my chest when my mother was sobbing heavily to the euthanasia being injected. It truly does feel like witnessing a mother seeing her own baby departing.

*****trigger warning- suicidal ideation******

I had a pretty persistent depression I was being treated for before my cat died. SI quite often. I half-knew then that my cat was the light of my life.

I can’t believe I took him for granted.

I wish I knew then that any expense spared would be worth it, even in financial straits.

I wish I knew that rapid breathing, even if all else seemed normal, was a sign he needed to go to the ER asap.

I wish I had the presence of mind to have made the right choices.

I have had a very, very hard time dealing with regret in the recent past, in regards to even inanimate things. This is another level entirely.

He was so young. And I completely banked on having him in my life for so much longer.

I feel like I’m in the alternate timeline of a Christmas Carol where Tiny Tim is dead, but I’m both the parents and Scrooge, and this isn’t a vision. It’s permanent.

I’ve already posted here about the cat and not many replied because no one here is going to tell me it’s not my fault. Because it is.

It’s hard enough that he isn’t here, I just don’t know how to live with the completely founded guilt and the vicious and constant visions of what-if.

I've had my dog for over 16 years. He's been by my side through it all. He a massive growth on him that was inoperable and yesterday he had to be put down because of the pain he was in. I tried to help him as much as possible but i always told myself that he should not suffer pain.

So the decision was made. I've been readying myself up to say goodbye to him for over two years now. Checking to see if he still breaths at night and silly stuff like that. Thinking it would make it easier for me. I can tell you now that did not help.

He's almost 24 hours gone now and today i opened the living room door carefully cause he always waited on me closely behind the door. I opened it ever so slightly, peeked my head inside only to realize he wasn't there. It broke me.

These past 16 years with him have been great. And i'm grateful for the time I had with him. But my god this hole in my heart, pfff. I know it will eventually get better and it's still fresh but i wish the dogbed wasn't empty right now.

My husband (31M) and I (31F) lost our 12 year old lab yesterday. I am suffering. We cried all day yesterday and then he had to get on flight while I stayed home with our kids. I cannot stop crying. I don’t think we realized how important she was to our family, like we just always saw her with us. We got her a couple months into our marriage at 19. She was our baby before I actually had babies and then she was there with us through all the milestones and more. Last night I ended up ordering her an urn on Etsy at midnight and then tossing and turning till my husband left around 4am. I will be alone tonight while the kids go to their grandma’s. I am supposed to work a 12hr shift tomorrow. My husband said to call out but I need to get out of this house. It all reminds me of a memories of her and then I start crying. I’ve already called out twice this week related to the hurricane we just had. But how am I supposed to be normal? I am shaky and my chest physically hurts. I don’t think I ever want to get another dog again.

i had to euthanize my 19 year old cat today . i got him when i was 10 , and i'm currently 27 . i don't remember my life without him , and he is so engrained in my routine . he passed away around 11 this morning , and tonight is my first full evening without him . i don't know what to do .

he was diagnosed with late stage 2 kidney disease back in september , and went on medication and subcu fluids . all was going well until a couple weeks ago , and he had an abscess near his rectum . started treating that and he HATED it , always whining and squirming . then , a week ago , he began panting with his tongue out and couldn't calm down . i ended up rushing him to the ER where he stayed overnight in an oxygen chamber and was given medication . an x-ray revealed he had an enlarged heart , a BUNCH of fluid in his lungs , and what looked to be a tumor or lump of some kind . the vet told me he had congestive heart failure , and it clashed with his kidney disease . it's basically impossible to treat both at the same time ( one medication drains the fluids from his lungs , but kidney's NEED fluids with kidney disease . the medication for the heart failure would have accelerated his kidney disease ) .

i made the decision to do at-home euthanasia 3 days later (today) . he was in my lap for the sedation and the second injection . i pet him and told him i loved him and said i was sorry . i watched his chest stop rising . when it was all over , i could see his eyes had turned to look right at me -- i was the very last thing he saw .

i'm numb . i have 4 other cats , so i'm not entirely alone -- but he was different . he was one of my first pets i can remember . he'd been with me through so much . i keep thinking i should have taken him to the vet sooner , when his kidney disease would've been much more managable . maybei could havve prevented the CHF . i took really good care of him , and i know i did , but i just can't help but go through all of the "what - ifs" . maybe he could have had more time . i can't help but feel like i put him down too early -- but i know he was suffering . his breathing was all ... wet . he hated all of the medication . all he did was sleep , and i had to help him back onto the bed when he drank water . he kept having accidents .

i know deep down that i did the right thing , but i just wish i could have him back . i keep feeling like his spirit is with me . i caught myself "petting" the air where he used to lay his final weeks . i'm not religious (i think?) but i swear his spirit is watching me .

how long until this empty feeling goes away ? how do i stop blaming myself ?

he was so kind . i have a few recordings of him purring from the past week , including this morning . i don't remember what his meow sounds like . he hadn't meowed in a long time .

i miss him . i'm sorry if this wall of text barely makes sense , i'm tired and just had to get this all out .

This all happened so quickly and randomly. On sunday, my mom and I noticed my 6 year old cat hasn't been eating, and has been sleeping a lot. We just thought she was maybe a little bit sad over something or was just being a little lazy bum, but it changed when we noticed that the next day, monday, she was stuck in the same place since the morning until 11pm, when my mum went to make her bed, with that, she hasn't eaten in 2 days. We thought she was sad because my dad left the house recently and missed him, so me and my mom agreed for me to look out for her the next day, because my dad was coming over to put a mirror on my wall, because i was leaving school a little bit earlier that morning. If she reacted the same way and just stayed in the same spot, we agreed to simply take her to the vet, to see what's up.
Monday comes, she throws up in the morning, she's walking weirdly like she doesn't have any balance, and me and my dad see that as a sign to take her to the vet immediately, it was 10.30am. I stay there with her waiting, because the vet was at 12.25p.m and my dad had to go work, so I stayed there with her. The lady from the vet after observating and looking at her said that she had to stay there, and asked for my grandpa's (he showed up while I was in the waiting room and stayed there with me) my mom's and my phone number. We found out she had a problem with her pancreas, and that her liver, was too small for her, it didn't grow while she was growing. And my dad and my mom told me the same thing, we hope that she comes back next week, but the vet said that they were running out of time.
I didn't prepare myself. I didn't do anything. I didn't care how many times they would say that she had a 50/50 survival chance, i was only imagining her coming back and continuing my life with her, sleeping with her, playing with her, sitting at my balcony with her.
Thursday comes, my dad picked me up from school again because I wasn't gonna have one class again, we were supposed to go see how she was in the vet, because the last time i saw her was wednesday's evening, she was purring to my touch. We thought she was getting better. Turns out, during the night she got worse, her body wasn't reacting to the medicine that they were injecting on her, and that she was on a separated room, because she was in a dangerous situation. I then called my mom and she told me, if she was better in the afternoon we were gonna go see her. 5p.m comes, my mum arrives at home from work, i was already ready to go to the vet, she then comes to my bedroom, and tells me, Mimi died while she was asleep, a painless death, her organs didn't resist.
I just couldn't stop crying for the next few hours, my dad came over and cried with me. I was the closest one person in the family to my cat. We did everything together. I was living for her. And now i'm left with nothing. Right now it's exactly 5.p.m, one whole day after she told me she was gone, and I just can't accept it. She was gonna be 8 years old next year. I'm finding ways to believe that she's just sleeping somewhere in her usual sleeping spots in the house, but if I go there, i know i won't see her. I wasn't able to go to school today because i woke up without her by my side, I went to the grocery store and the sun was shining so bright, i was hoping for her to be behind the door when I was unlocking it. I can't accept that she's gone. My baby's gone. I wish I wasn't outside all those days in summer and instead I was with her. R.I.P mimi. I put up a storie of her on my tiktok @cherishedreams, and I keep going there to see it and refuse to believe my baby is not here.

Yesterday I was feeling just a tiny bit better, and this morning. Then it just hit me like a freight train about half an hour ago. My boy is gone, forever. My sweet Snuffy is gone forever. I can't even describe in words the amount of pain and sadness I feel. I miss him so incredibly much. I just want him back so bad!! This hurts, it hurts so bad!

(im heartbroken and sobbing when i write this)

despite i will never know how old she was, not even her previous owner knew (probably 7-8 years), these 4 years she made my life so freaking much better. so sweet, kind, loving, loving touches, trusting, playful when i played with her. everything was fine, very fine.

the last time like a month ago i set her on weight scale she weighted 4,6 kg. she had brown black fur on her back and top of her head and white belly and paws. and those big golden eyes oh i so loved to observe them, so so beautiful.

i don’t think im able to tell about her without sobbing hard but ill try. i know she lived happy relaxed loving satisfied life where i loved her sosososo much more than myself. through toughest moments she was there.

she passed from pulmonary embolism. 2 days before yesterday she was completely fine, 1 day before yesterday when i returned home from school she was lying on the ground, crying , legs cold and stiff. took her to vet, the bus took 30 minutes, but i wish i’ve taken a taxi. i was sobbing when doctor talked about serious risks and the fact she can die. i put my hand and she lay her head down on it and rested. i really wished with all my heart that she will survive. she was so sweet for passing.

she survived the night but passed away when she was recovering. doctors informed how she survived and said she’ll be monitored. i remember my heart pounding in anticipation when i heard that. even my mom (56 years) cried yesterday after when she delivered the news, the last time she cried when i was a kid (5 y.o.)

i am NOT coping well. i feel so sh/tty, heartbroken and so angry at the world and how unfair it was to take my girl away so suddenly. i thought at least she would live for a year. she was my only sunshine, because of her i stood up in mornings to feed her because she was hungry. every time i returned home she jumped from my bed after napping and met me in hallway, rubbing purring etc. now i dont even know for whom returning back home.

even school is toxic and sh/tty and i have problems there that school psychiatrist is solving but THIS was not on my plan. i have to finish 2 more years and i graduate and i have to study hard but i guess god stopped supporting me

i have to eat right now, heated up some food mom made a few hours ago but after i opened a gallery my iphone showed “pets” photos and its HER AND HER FACE when she was so fine literally 4 days ago. i cant even open my gallery without breaking down. i dont feel like eating and im just sobbing. oh i used to cuddle with her every night before bed, and i taught her to come to me when i call her. she jumped and purred and i stroked her. this is so painful to remember and realise i wont be able to breathe in her sweet scent on top of her head. my little baby. and i dont have much support. its so hard i wish i stayed at home that day. really wish i stayed home. idc about school and grades i just want her back. its hurts too much my girl Mica.

As the title says .... Tomorrow marks 2 months since my whole world, my baby, my best friend, my soulmate, died. He was a 9 year old Maine Coon and I have never felt so much pain in my life since he's been gone.

About two weeks ago I stopped crying every day. I felt immense guilt over that, and honestly still do. Like I'm not honoring him if I'm not a mess every single day. I feel like the intense pain has transformed into mostly numbness now at two months. It still hurts but it's like my brain is trying to protect me. It knows I can't sustain this much sorrow on a daily basis long term. Even though I'm not crying every day anymore, I still like every day is passing me by and I'm just ..... An empty shell.

Tonight I hugged and sniffed his stuffy for the first time in weeks. I still make his spot up in our bed before I fall asleep. I sit here now crying and missing him so much. I am still so devastated and lost.

How is everyone else doing?

My mom passed away Sept 20th and tonight I went to pick up her dog from my dad to take him for a sleepover and I hit and killed him as I was pulling in the driveway. It was a total freak accident, and he passed within minutes. I am so traumatized 😓 he was a piece of my mom and one of the only things that brought me comfort regarding her. I babied him. I loved him. He was my little brother. I don’t know how I’m going to be okay knowing I just took my dad’s company from him after already missing my mom. I will miss you forever my sweet Toby baby. He was only 6 years young. 😪❤️‍🩹

My beautiful boy has cancer.

That's it. He was perfectly fine yesterday. This morning his lymph nodes were abnormally swollen so we took him to the emergency vet and it's stage three lymphoma. He has maybe a year at most. I feel like my world is crashing down on me. He's just a baby. He's everything to me. He's only two years old.... we're a nonsmoking household and we don't use pesticides but I still feel like I failed him. I'm just in shock right now. I can't imagine life without my sweet boy.

I feel completely numb. It's only been a few hours but I can't imagine keeping up with my daily routine or anything like that. The worst part is things have been getting better for me lately. I've been struggling with depression since I was 12 (22 now) but now I'm worried this is going to send me into a complete spiral. Just thinking about it for more than a minute makes me feel sick. Has anyone else been through this with a young dog?

I just lost my baby pug Koko two days ago. Not gonna lie, but I'm hella devastated. I'm getting exhausted from crying and crying since he passed away. I can't be sure if he died peacefully but he had various health complications that he'd been struggling with and I'm sure he tried his best to keep fighting back. But that last day, he just... gave up. I guess he felt it was time to leave for good.

That day, I was at home, which doesn't happen often because I live at my apartment, but I stayed over that night when he died. He was getting better, then he was getting worse in between.

He was family. He was my best friend. He was my brother and the best ever brother i would ever ask for. He was my little menace. He was my favourite ragebaiter. I would also love to ragebait him, and I'm sure he used to love it.

I'm missing him so effin much. I can't get over it. I mean, of course, he was, is, and will always be one of us. A core part of me that I will carry with me till I die.

He was the one who saved me by just being Koko. A old soul and wise monk of a pug. Saved me just by being himself and gave me a companion that i needed desperately without realising during lockdown when I was at my lowest peak. He cured my depression. He's been there for me even when i wasn't there till he died.

I'm looking forward to my demise to see him once more and play football and ball chasing with him once more. I hope he is in a better place. I effin hope.

I hope I gave him everything he would need for nine years. But I feel like nine years is a little less. Maybe because I'm too silly to wish him to be immortal.

I just love him so much. Most probably more than anything in the world. I don't think I would love anything as much as I loved him. He was just... my everything.

I'm getting more and more devastated every day. Good memories keep coming back, and so do the bad ones. The night when he died and the cremation imagery still haunt me. I don't know why. It's just... haunting me.

The night when he died, Mom came downstairs, crying devastatingly, and told me, "Koko ki hoyeche janina" (I don't know what happened to Koko). I ran upstairs in shock and asked Dad, "What happened? What happened?" And he, very uncomfortably and in an awfully quiet voice, said, "Koko aar bneche nei" (Koko is no longer alive).

It still haunts me. As time passes by, it's getting worse. I can't help it. :3

I just lost my cat of 11 years very suddenly two days ago. He was fine one moment and then we learned he had advanced heart failure and was gone within a few days.

For those who grieved so so deeply, how have you moved forward? It feels so dark like there is no end in sight to this.

My body aches and I feel like I can’t accept this. I feel like there is expectation for me to be sad but only for a little because he was “just a cat”. I feel like I am afraid of feeling better because that means I have adjusted to him being gone, but at the same time the weight of this grief feels terrible. I can’t bear to think it will be a month, then a year, then 5 years since I held him. I feel like he was my happiness and it feels like a part of me is gone.

He was literally my child, my soul-pet, my best friend, my whole heart and I am not handling it well.

I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I wake up feeling a pit in my stomach the instant I realize he is gone and never coming back. This wave of nausea and anxiety washes over me over and over throughout the day and I can’t escape it.

I dread bedtime because he slept next to me every single night and I would sleep with my face in his back. He had the best fur.

It feels like a muscle memory, I instinctively want to reach for him. To hold him and kiss his face. He was so cuddly and would form his body to mold with mine when we cuddled. I would pull him tight to me and he would purr and sometimes stare into my face and purr as he fell asleep because he wanted my face to be what he saw as he closed his eyes. He was on my lap constantly, we talked to each other all day.

He and I were deeply deeply bonded with each other and spent every single day together as I work from home. He was my family and I feel so deeply sad. I have experienced loss of many people and pets in my lifetime and none have wrecked me like this. The grief feels suffocating.

I feel so angry that the universe would take him from me. I’m lucky in that I was very present with him, I have no regrets and know that I catered to his every need, every request for snuggles, every playtime. He knows I loved him deeply. I would pray while he was alive for the universe to please never take him from me early, to let him grow old and pass naturally because I knew how much he meant to me. I can’t understand that my love for him, my fear of losing him, how important he was to me meant nothing in the end. That I couldn’t protect him from everything and he still left me before I was ready and very suddenly. I feel angry that my favorite time of year, cozy season, where we would snuggle up and watch holiday movies feels like it is ruined now.

I need him now more than ever and he’s not here. How do we survive this?

I'm reaching out here in hopes that someone else has gone through something similar and can offer some perspective or words of encouragement. We tried fostering a dog with the intention of adopting him, but I'm struggling so much with the decision that I don't think I can keep him.
My husband and I lost both of our dogs this year. Our 15-year-old Dachshund passed away in April, and our 14-year-old Dalmatian passed away at the end of August. Our Dalmatian was my soul dog, and losing him hit me incredibly hard.
Just days after he passed, I started looking at adoptable dogs online. My husband said he wasn't ready, and I don't really know why I kept looking. It felt compulsive, like I couldn't help myself. Three weeks after our Dalmatian's passing, I came across a sweet Corgi mix who was in foster care. My husband still wasn't ready, but two weeks later, he changed his mind. I submitted an application on Saturday night, and the dog was at our house Monday evening for a trial.

As I'm writing this on Friday, I've been dealing with crippling anxiety all week. I already struggle with anxiety and OCD, and since losing our dogs, I've been lonelier than usual. I work remotely, my husband is gone during the day, and I don't have much of a social circle.

I think I was looking for companionship because I missed having a dog around. I realize now that wanting a dog and being ready for one are two very different things, and a dog can't fix the loneliness and grief I'm experiencing. I think I need to work on myself and give myself more time to grieve. At this point, I don't want to keep the dog.

The difficult part is that my husband sees potential in this dog and wants to keep him. Before I told him how I was feeling, he said he'd support whatever decision we made, although he'd obviously be sad if we didn't keep him. Since I've told him I don't want to move forward with the adoption, he's been angry, confused, frustrated, and devastated.

I understand why he's upset, and I feel terrible that we're in this position. I also don't want to keep a dog when I'm feeling this overwhelmed and uncertain, especially when I know he deserves a home where he's genuinely wanted and ready to be cared for.

Has anyone else experienced adoption regret or realized they weren't ready for another dog after losing a beloved pet? How did you navigate it, especially if your partner felt differently? Am I making the right decision by acknowledging that I'm not ready, even though it hurts my husband?

TLDR;My husband and I lost both of our senior dogs this year, including my soul dog. I started looking at adoptable dogs shortly afterward, partly because I was lonely and grieving. We brought home a rescue dog for a trial this week, but I've been experiencing crippling anxiety and have realized I don't feel ready for another dog. My husband wants to keep him and is devastated that I don't. Has anyone else experienced this, and how did you handle it when you and your partner disagreed?

I've had my dog for 16 years now, since I was 8 years old. She's always been a wonderful sister to me, and I adore her more than anything. About two days ago, she started to struggle more with walking, and seemed largely unable to keep herself up. We let her rest to see if she'd improve since she's had dizzy spells in the past that have passed. Unfortunately the next day she wasn't doing better. She would still eat and drink and could stand with assistance and walk around a little bit before tiring out, we decided it was time to euthanize her and contacted an at home euthanasia service who couldn't fit us in until 2 days from then. Then in the last 24 hours she stopped being able to stand, eat, or drink on her own. She lies in her doggy bed, coming in and out of sleep with muscle twitches now and then. She isn't responsive to anyone anymore, and just tries to move or whimpers softly every so often and we reposition her in her bed which calms her down and lets her drift off to sleep again.

I've been rolling through panic attacks now and then, I am insanely distraught over her suffering for so long before we can euthanize her. I'd take her to a vet directly but she has for the longest time been in extreme distress anytime we take her to the vet as we've had to do the last year for some health scares. She seems to be in pain when we move her and at home euthansia just seems better for her.

There are 15 hours until her scheduled appointment and I just can't sleep right now. When I tried to go to sleep in my bed I woke up after an hour with the biggest pit of anxiety in my stomach. I can't leave her bedside at all in case she needs me. But waiting for the appointment is actual torture for me and her. Every time she tries to move and whimpers I genuinely feel my heart breaking. I don't know what to do for her. I worry I'm not helping her enough. I don't want her to suffer anymore. I am having panic attacks so bad I can't even shower right now or eat properly.

My heart is completely broken. This past Monday I had to put my dog of 15 years down. My sweet little baby is in doggy heaven now. These past couple of days without her have been so hard, I look at her empty bowl, her empty little bed, her favorite sun spots, everything feels so empty. My heart is shattered. I have another dog, and seeing her alone without her companion is so sad, it worries me, she’s never been alone. There’s no way I can get another dog to keep her company, so I’m really hoping she’s able to survive without her partner. I am trying to give her extra attention and love, but she still looks sad. :(

I’m suppose to get her ashes back on Thursday and I cannot wait to have her back with me. I cry everyday just thinking of her, and my last memory of her and her lifeless little body. I wish I could have her back. When does it get easier?

I've collected some stuff for Día de los Muertos. I've done it for a person before, but I've never done it for my soul dog. However, I get mixed feedback on TikTok- some say wait a year, and some say it shouldn't matter. So I'm coming here to see if anyone can advise me on whether it's OK to do it this year or if I should wait until next year. I don't want to jeopardize my soul dog’s journey. Thank you guys so much for reading this

EDIT: my soul dog, Milli, passed on 08.29.26

Hi everyone, I have something very heavy on my heart.
Six years ago, I adopted my Staffordshire Bull Terrier from a rescue when he was just three years old. He was my soul dog, my rock, and we went through so much together. We shared countless beautiful memories and made each other happy every single day.
Over the past year, his stamina had decreased a little. Three months ago, our vet detected a heart murmur and recommended seeing a cardiologist, but said it wasn’t urgent since he seemed otherwise healthy.
We went on trips together, enjoyed a beautiful summer, and he continued eating well, playing, and being his happy self. I had no idea anything serious was wrong.
Two days ago, I found him dead in his bed, looking as though he had simply fallen asleep. He was only nine. I never saw this coming.
My world has fallen apart. I haven’t been able to eat, can barely make myself drink water, and I feel like I’m no longer myself. We have a nine-month-old daughter, and my mum is currently helping care for her because I’m struggling so much.
My mind keeps telling me:
“I failed to protect him.”
“I should have made that cardiology appointment sooner.”
“If I had, he might still be alive.”
“It’s my fault he’s gone.”
If I had known what would happen, I would have moved mountains to help him. But I genuinely had no idea. The guilt is eating me alive.
My friends keep telling me I couldn’t have known and that he passed peacefully in his sleep. But all I can think about is that he was only nine, loved life so much, and might still be here if I had acted sooner.
Has anyone experienced something similar? How did you cope with the guilt and the loss?
Thank you for any advice or words of comfort. And if you’re grieving a beloved pet right now, sending you the biggest hug. ❤️

Earlier today I found out my grandparent's dog dog. I know this technically isn't my dog, but me and my mother had lived with my grandparents when I was young, we still lived in the samw town and visited frequently until they moved to another city when I was entering high school. But they had gotten this bichon poodle and I had grown up with it. I remember all the times we had to look after her, all the times she stayed with us, when I was still little and they had just got her. And my heart just hurts. I can't stop crying.

Oct 16, 2016. We brought our sweet boy Clyde home from the shelter. I met him a few days prior and he was the only dog in the shelter who wasn't barking at every person who walked by. He just came up to the front of his kennel and sat like a good boy.

I'll never forget his first night with us. At the time, we were living in an older house that had a narrow hallway that led to the bedroom. He was wearing a cone because the shelter neutered him before we picked him up. He was so excited to explore his new home. When we went to bed that night he just kept pacing and exploring the house. But every few minutes he'd come check on us to make sure we were still there. Because the hallway was narrow he'd scrape the cone on the wall every time he'd come down the hallway. We thought he'd eventually settle but it went on for over an hour with no end in sight. My wife had to work the next day so I went out to the couch to sleep there. Clyde came out and laid on the floor at the end of the couch. I petted him a little and rested my hand in him. We both fell asleep pretty quickly after that. From that moment, he was my sweet boy.

We said goodbye to him on May 17 this year. I miss him everyday.

This will be long and negative, so apologies in advance. I posted about the sudden loss of my cat on Monday, and I think I was still in a state of shock when I wrote it because it was still so fresh. I thought I had an idea of what to expect because I've lost pets before, but those losses were all related to complications from old age so even though they hurt like hell, they were expected on some level and were accompanied by a small sense of relief that they were at peace.

This time it's so different. I know that cats are very good at hiding when something is wrong, but she really had been acting completely normal until Sunday when she suddenly began declining and we took her to the vet just to find out there was nothing they could do for her. She was 10, which isn't necessarily young for a cat but isn't that old either. I thought we still had years left.

I adopted her 7 years ago, and until her, I don't think I fully understood the meaning of "soul pet." Whenever I was home, she was right by my side like a shadow. She'd watch from the window when I left for work in the morning and greet me when I got home, weave between my feet and follow me when I walked to a different room, and even wait outside the curtain for me when I showered. She followed me around and "talked" to me when I got ready for the day or did chores around the house. Whenever I was in bed reading a book or looking at something on my phone, she'd crawl onto my chest and rest her chin on my wrist while watching me and sometimes even fell asleep like that. Even when she wasn't directly on me, she'd always lie down right against me or make sure she was at least touching me with her paw. I used to lovingly joke that she was a jealous little baby because whenever I gave attention to our other pets, even if she was in a different room, she'd immediately come running to make sure I pet her, too.

Even though she was always with me, I don't think I ever realized how much I was subconsciously accommodating for her presence until she was suddenly gone. I keep catching myself doing things like looking toward the window for her when I leave the house, or glancing toward my feet while I walk to make sure I don't accidentally step on her.

I've been having a hard time getting anything done at work, and I hate listening to all of the "company talk" because it feels even more stupid and pointless than it did before and I just don't care about any of it. It feels like I lost a part of myself, and the world is suddenly dull and hollow. If I could remove several years from my own life and give them to her instead, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'm dreading this weekend because Sunday will be the one week mark. The one good thing I can say is that I'm very grateful for my husband and other two cats, because they're all wonderful and are saving me even if they don't know it.

Even though this a very sad sub, reading through the stories here has been helping me cope somewhat because it helps to read things from people who fully understand, and it helps me to imagine that my baby is in good company, wherever she may be. For anyone grieving, I hope you're able to heal and find happiness again.

hi everyone. my babygirl's first birthday (without her) is coming up tomorrow. i'm building her memorial and i wanted to know if anyone knows the best way to preserve the clay pawprint and the ink prints of her nose and paw? i've had them tucked away in my nightstand for over a month now because i'm scared to damage them. but i want to display them now. any help?