I took my small dog out this evening for his nightly walk before bed and he ran after a rabbit and was run over by a truck traveling at least 50 MPH and instantly died. I couldn’t find him at first and called and called his name, but he didn’t respond. I went out to the road and saw his lifeless body just laying there. My heart is broken, but more so for my 2 daughters (8 and 11) that I had to tell. I’m broken at the moment. He was my little buddy (only about 10 pounds) and followed me everywhere I went. I had him almost 4 years. I feel guilty, like I wasn’t keeping as good of an eye on him as I should have been, but it all happened so fast. He had never run to the road before just wondered around the yard.

Just need to share to left it off my chest.

I don't know what to do with myself, I've had him for almost a decade and losing him like this so suddenly doesn't feel real. I keep crying randomly, I can't sleep anymore, my heart feels heavy and I just feel empty. How do people move on from this? I've never experienced such loss before because I never had anything to lose, but with my kitty gone I feel like my world is crumbling down. I don't know what to do with myself..any advice is appreciated.

My kitten had been spayed in a vet and she got a weird skin condition from it, orobably razor burns and she got lethargic etc. I brought her to the vet 5 times and thry always said she was going to heal but she didnt heal for more than a week with situation getting worse, I suspected the vet didnt know what he was doing so i brought her to another vet, and they said my animal got a virus called panleukopenia (probably from the vet), they took her to intensive care and yesterday after 5-6 hours of intensive care she died from heart attack. I feel so guilty about my kitten, i wish i never brought her to that vet or spayed her at all, she died after feeling terrible for a week but the vet didnt tell me anything was wrong so i was late to take action. She was with me for 5 months and i feel so damn guilty for her death or moving on

We put our 9 year-old Great Dane Rocco down on Friday. It was a gut wrenching decision. Over the past few months, we've witnessed him slowly starting to fall more, losing his balance, and unable to bear too much weight on his back right foot that had an infection that refused to heal. It got to the point where he would sometimes fall onto his poop after going. Sometimes, he'd be on the couch, and he'd just let out a little poop, and we'd have to clean him, the couch covers, our pants, etc.

He could no longer do stairs, so he was sleeping on the ground floor, and we would take turns sleeping down on the couch next to him... otherwise he would stand at the foot of the stairs and just whine and whine. It was heartbreaking.

At the same time, he loved life. When given the chance, he would try to bound around outside, play with our other dog, and man oh man, did he love eating. He loved us completely - he was thoughtful, kind, and very perceptive. He had such a special bond with my wife.

After a particularly bad weekend last week, we made the appointment with the vet on Friday. It was so obvious that this was unsustainable, and that he was in pain. We cried all week - he was such a wonderful, smart, insightful, and sensitive boy. A true gentle giant. Over the week, he sometimes showed positive signs - getting up on his own, eating voraciously,.. he even went up the stairs on Thursday to be by my wife at her desk - it was amazing to see. My wife kept asking me if we were doing the right thing, and I tried so hard to stay strong. I know it was the right thing, but it was just awful. It would have been so easy to just not do it and wait until he was really sick.

I know that we could have kept this up for weeks - months? Kept him with 24-hour care, making sure he had help up when he fell, got his butt wiped after he pooped, having someone sleep with him - we could have done that, and he'd still be here, next to me right now.

But we didn't do that. We loaded him into the car on Friday, drove to the vet, drugged him up, and ended his life. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm crying just thinking about it. I still have waves of guilt feeling like we did the wrong thing for our guy.

I know it will get easier with time, but the guilt of taking this big, beautiful boy - who trusted us completely - and ending his life, is just haunting me.

I know we all share this bond here - thanks for reading.

These pictures are all from this week.

https://imgur.com/a/roccos-last-week-NCanIuX

My poor Skippy passed away this Friday due to a heart issue that caused leaking brought on by old age. He was 12 and a terrier mix. I got him at 4 from the pound so I had him 8 years. That wasn't nearly enough time. He was such a loyal and protective dog, following me from room to room and sharing snacks. He lived a great life after we adopted him. Skippy didn't care for people or dogs much but loved my mom and I and eventually loved my husband too. I am so sad he's gone and our home is so empty and quiet. I'm happy he's at peace Because he got really sick at the end and had a seizure which was very traumatic. Skippy was even there for me after I lost a pregnancy in November,laying on my stomach which he never did as if to comfort me. I'm having a daughter in September and I wish he could have met her at least but I will show her pictures. :( I hope he's in a very happy place with lots of treats and soft blankets and places to dig. RIP Skippy I love you so much.

My sweet senior lady was put to sleep in our home yesterday.

She had a rapid and aggressive decline due to her diabetes. She lost close to 20lbs and went completely blind. I consultated with 4 different providers, including our primary vet. I recognized she was suffering and pushed forward with scheduling the euthanasia.

Now that it's over, I'm so devastated. I feel like this is all my fault.

I keep having sudden waves of sorrow and sobbing. I don't know what to do.

I can’t imagine loving anyone the way I loved my dog Ruby. I have no intention of getting another pet, but I have no problem caring for other animals either. I will always want to help animals in need. My problem is opening my heart again to the same depth of love I had with her. I don’t want to love anyone that way again because that was OURS. Am I making any sense? Just thinking about being close like that again to another pet, or even person triggers me and brings me to tears. Have any of you felt this way before? I feel like I will be closed off emotionally the rest of my life because of this.

I got my calico cat Esme when she was 10. She gave me another 7.5 years, and we used to joke that she'd keep going forever, she was so kittenish.

It's been a little over a week since she passed. I'm somewhat okay now, but I still cry at night when I'm trying to sleep. After all, she was supposed to be there, cuddling with me, for forever.

She was supposed to be there when I woke up. Supposed to be there for treats and snack time. Supposed to be there for her canned food times, meowing for us to hurry up and feed her.

She was supposed to be there to greet me when I got home, and supposed to be there trying to get at my food. She was supposed to be there playing in the living room while we watched TV, supposed to be underfoot in the kitchen when we cooked.

She was supposed to always climb into my lap or onto my chest at the most inconvenient times. Supposed to begrudgingly allow being picked up and given kisses. Supposed to love being petted but unimpressed by scritches.

She was supposed to be my friend for forever. She was supposed to be there during highs and lows, always ready to lend support.

But she's not. She is gone. I'm still here, and she is gone.

She was 13 years old and progressed from healthy at her regular checkup to being diagnosed with a heart murmur and heart disease to heart failure in a matter of days. She had a bout of gastroenteritis after the first vet checkup, and the cycle of getting dehydrated, receiving fluids, getting dehydrated again and more fluids, going back to the vet over and over must have been too taxing on her poor heart. Yesterday she was in respiratory distress so we brought her back.

My partner and I did not want to see her hospitalized. She would have hated it and been terrified. She just wanted to be at home with me. I had made the decision a couple of days prior that if they told hospitalization was the only next step for her, we would ask what we could do to make her comfortable and ease her dying instead. My partner was in agreement, so it made the decision to euthanize her at the emergency vet an easier one.

But it was so fast. I didn't get to say goodbye to her. She was breathing so fast and her little heart was pounding so hard in my hand. All I could think was that she was suffering and I had them do it right away. I held her and told her I loved her over and over. I just wish I could have looked into her eyes and explained all that she meant to me first. But she was in too much distress. I know that but it hurts so much that it had to happen so quickly.

For seven years she has been the first face I wake up to and the last warm head I kiss at night. Today I woke up alone.

ETA: She was a miniature schnauzer with brown coloring. Everyone always commented she was the smallest schnauzer they had ever seen with the most unusual coloring. She was always in my arms, always wanted to be picked up and near me or on top of me.

Lola was my first cat, and she was with me for nearly 12 years. Losing her felt like losing a part of myself.

I didn’t want to just keep her ashes in a plain jar. So I started working on something more personal—an urn that looked like her, sleeping peacefully, just like she used to.

When it was finished, I placed it by my bedside. It gave me a strange sense of comfort, like she was still watching over me in her quiet way.

After that, a friend of mine lost her dog, and I offered to make something similar for her. She cried when she saw it. That moment made me realize how meaningful something like this could be.

I’ve since made a few more for people who’ve lost their furry friends. Each one is different, and every story is special.

Just wanted to share in case someone out there is also grieving and looking for ways to keep their pet close.

It's been almost a month, I can't stand to think out the exact days, since I lost my baby girl. Generally I've started to handle it well or decently, but tonight I found a puppy i'm thinking of adopting and it just hit me so hard that she's gone. She's my mini-me, I can't believe she's gone I can't. We haven't picked her up yet either and I'm so scared to. To be honest, because my family doesn't seem to care all too much that she's gone I've been shoveling these feelings down and it's so horrible when they come out like right now. I can't believe that she's not here trying to jump at my computer right now, or that she's not jumping (playfully) on me or our other dog, or that her little pitter-patter can't be heard. I don't get dreams of her, I feel like she's completely gone. I think of her all the time, what she's probably doing right now but it's so hard to accept she's not waiting at home either. Before she passed my five pet birds all caught a sickness and passed away one after the other too, and today my little sister (who's a little younger than 10) asked me "Hey sissy, I want a pet, but i'm worried that because all of your pets die you'll make mine die too" and my mom laughed loudly saying it's pathetic, and screwed up, and funny. Then I went to the dog park with my boyfriend and our other dog and seeing her shy to play with the other dogs, when our other little girl helped her become so outgoing was heartbreaking. There's moments I feel complete just knowing she was in my life for a time and i'll see her again, and there's moments like right now where I feel completely gutted, incomplete, the worst. I can't believe she's gone, I can't believe she's not hiding under my bed right now or in her play-pen waiting for me to open it so she can jump over the little fence and follow me around everywhere like she always does. This is so horrible.

just before christmas my dog had to be put to sleep, she basically went from being fine to unable to walk, or function, properly without being in pain or distress within 5 ish weeks quickly. It was really sudden and blindsighted all of us. It was and has been really really difficult for all of us, I've been struggling a lot and the grief feels like one of those things we just don't talk about, even though I'm trying too, it feels like nobody is listening.

Just when i felt like i was getting better? if thats possible? I realized i'm really lonely, i don't know how else to describe it other than the fact it feels really lonely and empty in my house despite theres 5 people living in it. maybe its not and its just me but i . really feel like i could do with like, a pet. Is this normal? I'm 17, and ive tried bringing it up to my parents but it feels like they arent hearing me when i say how hard its been for me. They are older, and have said how hard it is to lose people and they way they worded it seems like they're scared to lose anything again. I understand how they feel, and care about how they feel, but at the same time i feel like I'm falling apart and i don't know what to do anymore. Im autistic so i dont know if thats why it feels like there is a disconnect when i try to talk about it? i feel really selfish and guilty thinking about it sometimes because I know it sounds really bad, i think.

Its not like i think the new animal would suddenly make everything better, but i think it would help me. I don't even mean like it would replace my dog kind of way, because she was so sweet and so lovely and i know nobody could replace her. I kind of think of it like my heart making more room, because i would love them both. I've ghosted the idea of another animal but been told a mix of the things mentioned or laughed off/not been taken seriously. I feel like im only getting worse.

TLDR: ive been struggling with being extremely lonely after my dog died, and not sure how to go about that. I feel like i could really do with an animal in the house but, i think im the only one who does and Family members aren't listening.

sorry this turned into a rant but does anyone have any advice? is this even like. normal?

Just felt like sharing this because it weighs on me and I'd like to know if anyone has had similar experiences.

A month or two ago I had a really upsetting dream about a disaster that ended with the death of my beloved pets, Jimmy and Buckwheat (the shelters named them lol). I have aphantasia so when I visualize dreams it seems so REAL to me.

I woke up at about 5am that morning, on the verge of tears, and immediately got up to go lay with my dogs on the floor. I got up, walked over to their beds, and they werent there.

My second dog Jimmy had passed away about 3 months before and my first dog Buckwheat had gone almost a year and a half before.

I cried for a solid 2 hours after and stayed in bed all day.

It was so devastating because I hadnt had the guts to look at photos of either of them since they had died and in the dream I could actually see them. Worst grief I've ever felt.

I thought of this about thirty minutes ago and it still brings me to sobs. I miss them so much.

…and I still miss my cat just as much now as I did on August 23rd, when I lost her. She was with me for 17 years and I don’t think I can get over her. My kids ask for another cat, but I don’t know if I can do it. I’m still so sad.

My beautiful boy was put to sleep on Wednesday 26th March and I cannot believe sometimes that he's gone. It was pretty sudden and the shock of it hits me like a train at times.

I'm a psychotherapist and have ended up taking time off of work because how the hell do I hold a safe space for clients when I'm crumbling to dust inside? I've felt ashamed telling people my dog died because to them it's an animal, but he was so much more than that to me, then I feel guilty for feeling embarrassed and that ultimately my boy was the one who suffered and died. He was in my life everyday for 9 years and 6 months. We thought we would have more time but it was cut cruelly short and he was in so much pain.

Everything feels like such an effort. Eating feels like I'm ramming chunks of stone through the eye of a needle. I get flashbacks of the day we had to make that decision and it's like being flayed alive. Losing a pet is absolute torture. I knew what I was signing up for but to live through this pain is unbearable at times.

I feel like I stepped off the Waltzers to catch my breath and everyone else has kept on living and working whilst I've ceased to exist except in this vacuum of pain. Now I have to step back on to the spinning ride and get on with it. I don't know how to move with it at the moment. I don't know that I want to.

I don't expect any replies to this, just needed a place to get this off my chest without those damn pitying looks or being told to "take a breath". I know I will move forward and the new normal will eventually settle in. It fucking sucks right now.

We spent the day sitting on the balcony in the sunshine and she passed in our living room while I held her in my arms. Today was a wonderful last day with her and that doesn't make the emptiness now hurt less. I am absolutely shattered inside and I don't want to go to sleep without her here with me. It feels so wrong.

I adopted my girl when she was 2 years old after being abandoned as a kitten, and we spent 13 amazing years together. So many adventures, laughs, snuggles, tears, and memories. She was my baby and my savior all in one tiny grey and white fluffy package. The bond we shared was beyond words, and she saved me just as much as I saved her that day at the shelter. It hurts so much knowing I won't ever look into those sweet green eyes ever again. I knew I would feel absolutely broken after the vet left with her body this afternoon, but I am not sure how I will ever be able to pull myself up off the floor. I feel absolutely destroyed and while I know that 'grief is love with nowhere to go', that this was the 'right thing to do' because she had aggressive cancer, and this is an indication of just HOW MUCH I love her, it hurts so damn much. To the very core of my being.

My house and my heart feel empty. A part of my soul went with her today. I would do anything to have just one more day back. Or even just one more hug.

I'm nervous about calling out of work tomorrow, because I know I'm going to need more than just one day to grieve, and my boss doesn't understand. She was my everything.

Thinking about my cat Frank tonight. My sweet cat who slept next to me with his chin resting on my arm, who had back and forth meowing conversations with me, whose fur me and my wife used to call impossi-soft, who would meow so loud when we came home from a trip...

My older dog is coming up on 9 years old. Still totally healthy and energetic. I don't know how I can go through this again with her, or my other dog for that matter.

I hate what smart phones have done to society in terms of attention span and having to always be available, but at least it means I can see all my videos of from years ago. It struck me today while looking at videos of my cat Frank that one day I'll be looking through my dogs' videos the same way, and the thought just crushes me. Maybe that's healthy, I know pre-grieving is a thing. I think it helped me quite a bit with relatives dying of old age. I think I even pre-grieved for Frank too, but ironically it was a good like 6 years before he died when he had some issues with seizures that he mostly recovered from just fine. Him living so long after that I was holding out hope I'd have him for a few more years than I did. His medical issues the last few months all seemed surmountable until they didn't, and it seemed like he was ready.

Cat owners will know that thing cats do where they slowly blink their eyes at you to show affection, or at the very least that they're comfortable. When Frank was struggling at the end, he went quite a bit of time without doing that when he used to do it with me pretty much daily. Then, halfway through that week when he stopped eating, he did it, even though his back legs were weak enough that he was staggering when he walked and sometimes needed to be helped across the house. I took it to mean that he was ready and not to worry. Who knows if that's what a cat really feels but I know he cared for me. It was such a special moment to me. I wish more moments from when he was healthy were as vivid in my mind, but I guess there are certain things that stick with you during times of stress.

I miss you, Kitten. I hope you're getting lots of good sleeps on the other side, that there's lots of sun to bask in, and that there are friends to give you as much love as we did while you were with us.

Finding a support where care is given regardless if you know someone or not is really cool. Every comment I read, cherish and think about deeply. I used to feel like, absolutely insane to feel like this over an animal but it helps so immensely to have you all here.

My gorgeous little girl passed away 6 days ago. She was only 6, and a Cairn Terrier so she should have had a good 6-10 years left. She was absolutely fine on Sunday, I got a video of her running around playing in the bushes with my Mum, then monday she went down hill, and Tuesday she was put down. The vets found cancer all over her spleen and internal bleeding. I can't believe how fast it happened. I feel absolutely lost and awful. I wasn't there, she lives with my Mum in a different town (i'm at university). I facetimed her on Monday night so she could hear my voice and say goodbye, but I didn't get to see her. Didn't get to give her one last cuddle or pat or sniff or kiss. She was FINE. And then she wasn't. I feel so awful. I miss her so much. I can't believe she's gone. It all happened so fast. Mum told me AFTER she passed that they could have taken her spleen out and given her chemo. I know that this wouldn't have been fair on her. I just hope she wasn't in pain. I think she wasn't since she was so lively. This has been the worst week of my life. I would give anything to just get one last cuddle. One goodbye. Her name was Biscuit. I just want to talk about her and share my loss because she was so so so special. My everything. My little girl. I will always ALWAYS love and miss you Biscuit, goodbye <3 <3 <3

i still miss my dog a lot, and sometimes I can’t help but cry. I accepted that he’s gone and that I won’t be seeing him, but there are times when I’ll call out his name forgetting that he won’t, I just got so used to it yk?

My beautiful soul dog passed away on the 22nd of March. It was a complete shock, with him deteriorating from his normal happy and energetic self, to his body shutting down from sepsis due to 2 large masses which were suspected to be metastasized cancer.

My partner and I took our other border collie for a walk alongside the beach front where my boy spent most of his life, including many walks and swims at the beach, and we ate at one of the cafes he'd always come to. We ended the day eating steak, which I'd cook up for him each year on his birthday.

I haven't cried in a week now, but the emptiness is always there.

I miss my buddy so much.

I lost my sweet soul dog at the end of December and I’m really struggling with that loss. He was my entire world for 14+ years and he knew me better than anyone. He was my soulmate, my heart dog and my best friend.

Which brings me to my question. I was supposed to pick up another puppy today but backed out today. I keep going back and forth. I do have another dog, who is amazing and he’s really perfect.

I’m really anxious about getting another dog and “replacing” my other dog. I logically know that it’s not replacing him and that love isn’t finite but this is so hard.

I know it is different for everyone but I just curious when you decided to get another dog.

I will add that when we got Lazlo, Xander went through some really serious health issues and I really struggled to bond with him. I’m worried about being able to bond with the new puppy.

I know rationally that I'm doing the right thing, since my almost 15 year old dog's quality of life is only getting worse, but it's so hard because she's the first pet I've ever had. I've never faced such a massive loss like this. But watching her deteriorate from the sharp, sassy pup she used to be is even more unbearable. She was my best friend for so many years and loved cuddles but now she acts like she can't stand to be touched.

It just feels extra real now that the date has been set. I know that she'll finally be able to rest peacefully after but part of me wants to take it back just to keep her here a little longer, selfishly. It doesn't help that I'm basically the only one in the household who's doing the additional emotional labor of putting everything together. I don't even want to think about how I'll cope afterwards. But the least I can do is make sure she's comfy at home, with her whole family by her side.

just needed to get some thoughts off my chest. Thanks to anyone who read through it all and best wishes to those going through the same thing.

RIP my babygirl Lolita 10/05/09 - 02/04/25
She was the most beautiful girl , a mixed Jack Russel Terrier / Min Pinscher.

For a little bit of context, we lost our mom when we were all pretty young.
I was 17, my sister 15 and my brother 6.
Our world was completely shattered but my dad accepted for us to adopt a puppy, so we can learn to love and be loved again.
We got her when she was 2 month and she was our first ever dog.

For the past almost 16 years, she gave us so much happiness because she wasn't "just a dog", she was a bridge through grief after our mom's passing showing us that joy could still exist.

The cuddliest of dog by sleeping in our beds, drowning us with licks whenever she had a chance, being playful every single time and looking at us with her beautiful eyes.
She was our sunshine, our everything.
She never spent time alone as there was always someone at home being close to her.

I explained it on another post how we went from hope to total despair.
But to make it short, she had difficulty breathing in february, we thought for long that it was a slow cancer. It turned out to be the most agressive one.
And she passed the same day of her CT scan from what it seems like bloodclot from hemangiosarcoma.
At least the whole family was here the last few hours of her life, talking to her, kissing her.

We are now utterly destroyed, having to experience another traumatic loss.
We were hopeful but knew the end will come someday, but not that quick.
She was fine the same morning, and we had to let her go just before midnight.

My dad lost a daughter, my sister her babygirl, my brother her sister.
I lost my very best friend.

We are now living in an empty house, sometimes hearing her paws, her drinking water, throwing her tennis balls around, snoring or sighing in her blanket.

We feel like we are going crazy.
I still want to kiss her head, smell her wonderful scent, play with her belly, giving her the most delicious snacks...

Thank you for all these 16 years together babygirl, you saved us but in the end we couldn't save you.
We hope you can still watch us from heaven and you can now keep company to our mom .

I will always love you like I have loved you for every single day you spent on this earth.

See you soon Lolita <3

This is a picture of her https://imgur.com/a/hkvhTtB

I’m losing my best friend in the entire world. She has a tumor on her spleen and she’s a 14 year old GSD. I’ve loved every dog I’ve ever had but this girl is like connected to me in a way I can’t even explain. I’m not a spiritual person or religious at all. But this dog and I…it’s like we share one heart. Her breathing is getting worse and it’s like I myself can’t breathe. She still has a lot of good moments, but her bad moments are getting worse and it’s absolute hell.

I have two other dogs that I love very much but I didn’t even know it was possible to be this connected to something that it feels like she’s part of me. I made her my entire world. How on earth am I going to open the door for the hospice vet to come in and take her away from me? I can’t even bring myself to set a date. Losing her brother 3 years ago still feels like yesterday. How am I going to do it again?

I feel like without her I nothing to live for. I’ve been so desperate not to lose her I’ve even been reading into per psychics. I don’t believe in shit like that. I think they release advantage of desperate people. But now I’m that desperate person.

I just don’t want to live. Intellectually I know I have all these things, my husband my parents my two 3 year old dogs, and I know i am/should be grateful. But without her I just see no point in continuing.

I went to the doctor, they were sweet but they think I’m crazy. She is not just a pet she is my baby and my world. My husband is my human soulmate but she’s my dog soulmate. How will I live without her? I dread everything that comes after she’s gone too. I’ve been here before and I just can’t seem to handle this one and it’s not even half over yet. I just want to die with her.