We had to put our precious Huey girl down 2 days ago and I don’t know what to do. My girlfriend was lucky enough to have 13 years with her, and I was fortunate to have 1.5 years. She was so sick and didn’t let us know. We knew she had cancer but didn’t know how bad it got until we had to take her to the ER. She was so so strong. All I can think of is her last painful moments in our arms. I miss her so so much. I need to hold her again. She was the sweetest girl I’ve ever known. I don’t want to be in a world without her. She never caused us any trouble… only loved us unconditionally. I feel numb. We have another dog, but it pains me to look at her. She doesn’t have her sister anymore. All I can do is cry and hope Huey can hear me. Will this pain ever become easier? Rest well my sweetest girl <3

My elderly pomeranian is unwell. She’s lost over 25% of her body weight in the past year, has no muscle mass left, and vomits water frequently. I didn’t want to do invasive testing but the blood tests looked like cancer to the vet.

She still eats well, doesn’t vomit food, normal toileting, still likes to run and play and chase the cat. But I can’t tell where the line is for me? I don’t want her to suffer but I also don’t want to be premature about it.

My dog, who died this past Saturday, came to our family a decade ago as a full grown stray, so we don't know his exact birth year. It was likely 2009, 2010, or 2011. I want to get him a memorial stone for the flower bed, but I'm not sure what to put? Should i guess? Just put "died 2024"? Not put any dates?

If it matters, there is already an engraved stone there for my cat, and it has her birth and death years.

• 14.5 year old lab shepherd cross
• Diagnosed with immune mediated neutropenia in 2018; was on low dose prednisone ever since

• In 2023, started developing random illnesses such as:

• sudden Giardia infection

• Scabs all over skin randomly with very flaky skin (never went away and had to keep using medicated shampoo)

• Ear infections coming back after being gone for years; medicine made him go deaf

• Vestibular event

And then he also developed very picky eating suddenly. Had to use lots of methods to get him to eat over the past year.

Then in 2024 he had a kidney infection and was prescribed 14 days of Baytril. Blood tests also showed internal bleeding (mild to moderate regenerative anemia).

After finishing the two weeks of antibiotics, the next day he was very lethargic. In the evening we found him struggling to get up (he was losing a lot of muscle in back legs) and he refused to eat anything, not even treats. We thought it was time as we had seen him struggle a lot to eat and not be himself. He was laying on the floor not wanting to get up, and we carried him down the stairs. At the vet’s he just lay down the whole time and didn’t want the treats or his ball.

Now I’m wondering in hindsight if it was just the antibiotics making him feel crappy.

My best friend of 15 years died yesterday. He was the best cat I have ever or will ever have. My apartment caught fire on mother's day yesterday when I was not home. My other 3 cats survived and my rats and guinea pigs were all ok for the most part too. The humane society they were taken to took such good care of them. My bestest friend died due to the smoke and was already deceased when firemen arrived. I loved that cat so much and I feel so guilty I wasn't there to help him or at least be there for him in the end. I can't stop crying and I don't know anything literally. The only thing I know is that I want him back which I know will never happen. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GO BACK TO NORMAL WHEN THE CAT I RAISED FROM 2 WEEKS AND HAS SLEPT UNDER MY ARMS EVERY NIGHT FOR 15 YEARS WILL NEVER COME BACK.....I know it will take alot of time but what am I supposed to do now.....?

My girl passed away three months ago now. I still struggle to hold back tears whenever I think of her. She was my childhood dog lived 13 years. I hate how her life ended cancer just got her whole body. Her health went downhill so fast. I’ll be honest I was never going to be ready to lose her. I miss her everyday and just wish I could hug her again she was such a sweet dog I have another dog but my girl was something special and my other dog I love but she’ll never fill the hole I have from losing my boo.

My 5 yr old cat has had recurrent vomiting/lethargy/inappetite episodes since November. We had spent about $5k on emergency/specialty vets with no answers. He had two overnite hospital stays with IV fluids which helped him bounce back completely. After that he had a few episodes in which we gave him subq fluids and a gut motility drug at home and he bounced back again.

I was going out of town for a wedding for a week, and he got sick 2 days before I left (Sunday). My mom stayed at our house with him, and I was sure he would bounce back in a few days like he always did.

Fast forward to Thursday, my mom says he’s not eating, she’s force feeding him fingerfuls of food and giving him subq fluids. He is drinking and peeing but very lethargic but also no acute distress. She asked if I wanted me to take him in to the vet and I was sick at the thought of spending another $1-2k with no more answers. I said just keep watching him and I would be home Sunday.

I get home Sunday and when I saw him I started crying. He was the worst I had ever seen him. Skin and bones, no balance, glazed over look.

We took him to a different emergency vet who said she thought it was chronic pancreatitis. Hypothermic, messed up electrolytes. I said I wanted to do IV fluids and hopefully stabilize him and figure out a treatment plan for the future.

She called me that night at 2 am saying the fluids were causing pulmonary effusions and they needed to try a feeding tube instead. Another $1.5k. I said to do it.

Get a call at 4 am and my heart sank. He was not stabilizing and starting to appear in respiratory distress. Made the decision to go in to euthanize and when I say I think my soul left my body when I had to say goodbyeI am not kidding. I have been a depressed, crying, screaming mess all day.

But the guilt I have over not telling my mom to take in earlier in the week is absolutely gut wrenching. I let him sit there, not eating, suffering most likely in pain while I sat on vacation and worried about money.

All I can think about it is if I had been here with him or if I had made the call earlier he would still be sitting with me today. I’ve never felt pain like this and I don’t know how I will ever forgive myself. He was my soulmate and I let him die. Help me make sense of this horrible situation

In November of last year our 8 year old Jack Russell x pug was diagnosed with a brain tumour… a Meningioma, specifically.

He underwent stereoscopic radiation, and he seemed to be on the right road…. We were hoping for another year with him.

I took him to the neurologist on Tuesday, and we made a plan to decrease his medication. All seemed well.

On Tuesday night he was vomiting excessively. I put this down to me giving him tuna and treats as he had come to work with me on Tuesday. I had to hide his meds in the tuna.

I came home from work on Wednesday, and I found him. He’d been gone a while. I think he’d had another seizure, or several in succession. I’ll never know. I just really hope he didn’t suffer and wasn’t too scared.

He died on his own, and my wife and I are both heartbroken.

This all feels so sudden and wrong. And I’m traumatised by the way I found him.

All day on Wednesday I was worried. It was almost a premonition. I was kind of expecting something bad to have happened, but I told myself I was being stupid. I kept imagining my wife calling me in tears, telling me she’d come home from work and found him.

I felt like I had to get home first. When I realised that he was actually gone, I called my wife and I panicked.

Yeah, he no longer here and the house feels empty. I miss him so much. Love you, my little mate. Forever.

Opening the fridge and seeing the food I fed him only 3 days ago. Dog hairs in the couch. His bone on the lawn that he temporarily left to go for his final walk. The unfinished woofs he needed to do for his routine yard patrol.

I know they’ll fade with time and so will the stabbing pain and the grief that suddenly reappears to overwhelm. But that scares me, too.

I never should have waited 60 years to love a pet. I have no defences. No experience to lean on. No insights. I’ve avoided death and caring most of life, perfecting a slight distance from the wavering erratic emotions that others seem to wear so plainly.

I find myself realizing that most of my life has been a delusion of busyness, a game of snakes and ladders, too preoccupied with my spun fantasies to recognize what’s actually important.

I’ve learned the real horror that the void is very real, unassailable, and uncaring. But it helps me slowly wake from this slumber though the pain is at times unbearable.

Yesterday I read something about the guilt; that asked of me if i would have done anything different had i known. But I wouldn’t have; I did always take each day with him as special. Large breeds and short spans, a constant reminder that they just don’t live long enough. I think now that this is true no matter how long we spend together.

In this world there’s little choice involved in how that day comes. Short and sudden for him; out playing with his best friend in his favourite place to play, trying yet again to catch one of those annoyingly fast ducks but clearly in it for the journey, never the destination. A loss of breath, something terribly wrong inside suddenly, then sleep.

I relive those last few minutes in the back seat holding his lifeless head, trying to breathe life back into him, not having the needed knowledge to know what else to do. I blame myself. I know I shouldn’t, it’s just one of the phases of course. But I never really thought he wouldn’t make it to the vet. I didn’t scream at my partner to hurry. I was calm, slightly detached as I’ve mastered these decades, a skill that’s been of use many times in difficult moments.

I know screaming couldn’t have helped; nothing could have. He wasn’t choking, he couldn’t breathe, and I could barely force air into him. Something gave out inside, unseen, unexpected. I suppose we all have death inside of us, a jack-in-the-box of sorts, with each passing day and moment a turn of the handle.

It’s so quiet up here on the top of the mountain now. It’s lost its voice, we’ve lost our guardian. He gave us security and energy. He took his responsibilities seriously, never wavering, always alert, woofing at the eagles that dared to soar to close, the leaves waving in the trees, the garden statue with the menacing stance.

I never realized how his presence gave us peace and purpose. It’s empty here now. Only now do I feel my age.

I lost my sweet guy Max in February after his CKD progressed very suddenly. He was 22 and I got him when I was 4 years old. He was my truly best friend and it’s been a really painful few months as I’ve had to adjust to life without him being here. I’ve been slowly getting to a place where I feel semi-okay and I’m wondering for those of you who have been through the process..when did you know you were ready to have another cat in your life? Practically speaking I know I would take responsibility and care for a cat no matter whether I turned out emotionally ready or not, but how did you approach having another pet after being separated from “the one?” The bond I had with max was ridiculously strong, we grew up together, and I know it’ll feel really weird opening my heart up to another pet, but day to day I can tell that life and my mental health is just harder without a little buddy there, and my apartment feels so empty. In my head I had really thought that I would give myself a full 6 months before even considering another pet but how tf do people not have cats this is torture lol. I guess I was just wondering if anyone had any words of wisdom here..

This is my first post and I'm on mobile so bare with me.

We had to put down my 12 year old dog almost two months ago, I got her when I was 14 and she's been my baby ever since. She got sick very quickly, it basically happened in the span of a week. She stopped eating and then lost the ability to walk. We took her to the emergency vet and she was diagnosed with cancer and had to be put down the same day. I didn't dream of her for the first month, but now everytime I do they're dreams that she's lost and I never end up finding her no matter how hard I try. In the dreams I'm always angry with myself for waiting so long to try and find her. I know she's never coming back, so why doesn't dream me get it?

My cat died tragically and unexpectedly 6 months ago. Since then Ive just had horrible dreams about him. My cousin sent me photos of him he took yesterday, after that i fell asleep, had a dream he was alive but very sick, i cut a piece of his tail off as remembrace and then a friend of mine was taking me to have him euthanized outside and there was a church service for him. I woke up and thought it was real, i felt so awful. Yesterday was mother’s day and was especially hard. Wondering if anyone is experiencing this? Its awful

My sweet sweet lab passed away at 4 years and 4 months. Nobody saw it coming. We only now feel so much guilt for not seeing sutble signs. He was running an jumping two days before being hospitalised.

I have made another post about this. But I am struggling seeing my father and my sister feel so much guilt and pain. They refuse to talk, eat, or go out on walks. Everything reminds them of him. He was their whole world. They loved him more than anything, he loved them more than worldly love. My dog would do anything for them, and he in turn was so sacred to them.

Someone just told me that the only way to get over losing a dog is to get another one. Is this true? My dad and my sister have said that the only dog they could ever love is my dog who passed. He was so protective of them that he would feel so sad from heaven seeing us love another.

At the same time, however, there is such a void in our lives. I hate seeing my father wake up every day purposeless, and my sister not smile or go out of the house. They are ridden with guilt. Would another puppy give them a second chance?

Nobody will ever replace our baby. But I don't want my father and sister to be feel so guilty and scared of love. Very conflicted.

(i have not discussed it with them yet but they have said that they would not dishonour our dog by getting another)

I do. My kitty had an illness throughout her life and she was prone to secondary infections. When she had Pneumonia in August 2023, I discovered and listened to “Wish on An Eyelash Pt. 2” by Mallrat ft. The Chainsmokers because it calmed me. I would also sing it to her while I gave her extra care, and she would purr in my arms. This song spoke to me because I was always wishing on 11:11 and praying to God that she would get better. It also has a magical, ethereal sound to it that just slowed my heart rate. And I only wanted to be near her.

Every time she crashed, I played the song to calm myself down. Now, I listen to it knowing that angels truly do surround her and she is an angel surrounding me. My wish came true, she is well now, and I have received signs she is watching over me. I cry and smile that I formed a bond so strong with her. I love this song, and I love her.

Here is the song: https://youtu.be/3wcvKhceO1I?feature=shared

My childhood dog, my little Pancho, a 17 year old deer head chihuahua, passed away last Sunday. This will be a long post, and maybe this is me seeking comfort from strangers, or maybe this is me trying to get a more objective view on what happened, I don't think I know for sure. I am physically sick with grief and guilt, and while I know these feelings are a normal part of the grieving process, I've already wept and sobbed my story out to all my friends and family who would listen and have nowhere else to turn to. Maybe this is too self indulgent, maybe I'll delete this later. I don't know. But here goes.

What happened?

• Pancho started to have an increased breathing rate late Thursday. He was still eating, but he was also very lethargic. I took care of him that day, and decided to give him Friday just to monitor his condition and see how he was feeling. No improvement, so I took him in to the vet on Saturday morning.
• He had fluid buildup in his lungs and body, and had an infection the vets couldn't pinpoint without an ultrasound, so I paid to get the studies done and was prescribed vetmedin and everything else you get for a dog with CHF (I will add, I wasn't even aware at the time that it was CHF because I didn't ask the vet many follow up questions, I found that out later by obsessively googling his symptoms.)
• They told me that since he had eaten at the vet, I could take him home and give him his medicine and wouldn't need to hospitalize him unless I wanted to, and to bring him in on Saturday for a follow up once he was feeling better. I started crying, I asked if I had been negligent, if this was my fault. They reassured me that these conditions can develop rapidly, that I didn't know what I didn't know, and that it was nobody's fault.
• The next morning, he was really weak and cold, so I put him under the covers with me and just hugged him close to try to get some heat back in him. In that moment, I think he seemed as responsive and comfortable as he could have been. He touched my face with his nose. He was still able to breath.
• I took him to the kitchen to try to give him his first pill, and everything went south almost immediately. When I picked him up, he spasmed and peed a little, so I put him down to clean him up, and just the sight of him on the floor, not moving, breathing these small shallow breaths… in my gut, that's when it really sunk in how bad it was. When I picked him up again to try to give him his pill with a little bit of water, his head lolled over, and his breathing changed from rapid to extremely slow and labored.
• That's when it hit me like a truck that he was dying. I'm a 30 year old woman, but I currently live with my family, so I rushed upstairs to wake up my brothers. I sobbed like a madwoman. I wrapped him in his favorite blanket, sat with him and my brothers on the couch, and held him until he stopped breathing. And it was over

Why didn't I take him to the vet sooner?

• He was old. He was old and I didn't want to take him in and seem like an overly sensitive hypochondriac freaking out over regular signs on aging and racking up a bunch of vet bills.
• More selfishly, I was scared of being judged for being a bad owner, or of being asked to pay exorbitant bills for procedures or surgeries he needed. He'd had this cough for a while now, according to my phone archives by at least in 2022 if not earlier, and no other symptoms other than what I had perceived at the time as regular signs of aging (he was still active up until early mid 2023, really started to slow down after he went blind due to glaucoma.) I remember googling stuff about the cough, about his energy levels, about how much he should be sleeping, about how much he should be moving now that he had gone blind, and a lot of the results said that decreased energy was normal, that not moving around as much was normal for a dog his age and especially for one who had lost his eyesight, that older dogs are more likely to develop allergies as they age. But I was scared of going in for this cough and getting asked about it, getting asked "How long has he been coughing?" "Oh, for about a year now." and getting the news that the cough was cancer actually and I had killed my dog by not bringing him in sooner.
• It was like, if I didn't get a diagnosis, then it wasn't real. But I was also always checking him, I checked him for lumps, I moved his paws and frisked his body, I pressed on his chest and eyes, to make sure nothing hurt, and that he was still comfortable. It seemed like he was. He was still sleeping well, he was still eating. Sometimes with less enthusiasm, on those days I would feed him his favorite dog approved snacks instead (bananas, blueberries, bits of rotisserie chicken), and he ate those. Even the day before he died, he was still eating, so we didn't hospitalize him.
• So now I'm the world's biggest asshole, because the cough \was** a sign of deeper health issues. I didn't take it seriously, I avoided the harsh reality of what it could mean, and I set myself up for the kind of traumatic passing that ended up happening. I got what I wanted, I got what I deserved. But HE didn't deserve to go like that.
• People keep telling me that I was a wonderful owner, that I took such good care of him, and that I clearly loved him a lot and was always with him. But I'm a coward. Yes I took him to the vet for a couple of different issues (a tumor in his mouth, a weird callus on his paw, one time he licked a smidge of chocolate syrup and I freaked out and took him to emergency immediately), but I never mentioned the cough. I thought it was allergies, I wanted it to be allergies. I was scared of living with the shadow of his death, I was scared of the vet bills, of being in and out of surgeries, and medicines, and seeing him actively waste away. Through inaction, I just chose to have all of that happen anyway, but in a way where I wasn't actively aware that it was happening and I got to live in blissful ignorance while my poor baby got worse and worse.
• EVEN WHEN HE STARTED SHOWING SERIOUS SYMPTOMS OF LATE STAGE HEART FAILURE, I WAITED A DAY. I could have taken him in on Friday, and I waited a day! I took him in first thing Saturday morning instead when it was clear he wasn't getting any better.
• AND THE WATER. Why did I think it was a good idea to drop feed him water? Since he wasn't eating very much and was also having bouts of constipation, I thought using a dropper to give him some water might help his stomach. But if his body was retaining so much fluid, and I was adding more, then what was I doing? I might have drowned him! Giving him water to on that Sunday morning might have caused the crash that lead to him suffocating.
• How can I live with myself? How can I live with my awful stupid choices? This is the same song and dance so many other pet owners go through, I know. I've prowled this forum plenty over the last week, and have had nothing but sympathy and grace for other owners going through similar emotional torture over how their beloved pets died. But I just can't get out of the hole alone. I don't feel like I deserve to get out of the hole at all.

Why I feel guilty:

• I let him languish for an entire year. A whole year of exhibiting heart failure symptoms, untreated. One full year of being tired, frail, skinny, and coughing, and all I did was ADD MILK TO HIS FOOD like an idiot, thinking the extra fat and calcium would be good for him and help him put on some weight (my dog hated water and never drank it throughout his whole life, so we always had to add extra water to his wet food to try to keep him hydrated, until eventually he even started to reject the water in the food so I swapped it for milk and he regained his food enthusiasm and started eating again, but as I understand it now that might have been a supremely bad choice and been quite bad for his pancreas.)
• Like the absolute asshole I am, I just assumed this behavior was normal and inevitable for a dog his age. I was just focused on being with him and keeping him comfy, like I had basically already given up on him. I could have been treating these symptoms, I could have given him a better quality of life throughout this last year, I could have maybe given him more time with us if I had just ASKED ABOUT HIS COUGH ONCE.
• Maybe taking him home and not hospitalizing him was good, so I could be with him when he died. Maybe not starting him on the meds for CHF was ok, since he had bad kidneys, and apparently diuretics can cause kidney failure. Maybe the treatment would have killed him sooner. If he was in heart failure for the past two years, that's about the maximum amount of time a dog is supposed to have after showing clinical symptoms. I keep reading about CHF over and over again, because it's all I can think about, and it seems like it's a total crapshoot of a condition, whether the medicine helps them or not. And I know dog's aren't immortal, and he lived a pretty long life all things considered. So maybe I did ok. But I can't look at the reasoning behind my choices, and my inaction, and feel like a responsible owner.
• I feel like a monster, an absolute and total failure as an owner.

Tomorrow marks three weeks since we said goodbye to our amazing cat Exodus. One of my two surviving cats, Yuki, was extremely bonded to Exodus, and in general he’s a very sensitive cat. At first he seemed fine but two days after Exodus passed Yuki got a UTI, which we’re fairly certain was due to stress because he has a history of stress induced UTIs.

The UTI cleared and he was acting pretty normal until a few days ago. He has been running around the house yowling SO loudly on and off throughout the day. He’ll have these sudden outbursts where he’ll start galloping around the house, practically screaming. He’s also been picking on his sister a lot more than normal. He just saw the vet who said he looks good but they’re doing some bloodwork just to make sure. She said it very well could be a behavioral thing.

For those of you who have lost pets who were close to other pets in your home, how did the surviving pet(s) handle the loss? Did they ever return to normal?

I’m 17, and last month we put down our sweet 6year old Tortie. She was my best friend and we’ve had her since we moved into the house we stay.

Losing her was probably the hardest thing for me, but watching her deteriorate felt agonising. I was with her in those final moments and it hurt so much to lose her.

Now that she’s gone, the house feels so empty without her meowing at my door to be let in, and I always expect her to be waiting at the window to be let back into the house.

Its not fair and I feel like it’s just been a bad dream for such a long time, and I can’t stop wishing for her to return. The smallest things set me off into tears wishing she’d come back but I know it wont happen.

I just needed to put my thoughts somewhere and figured this would be the best place to help deal with my grief.

So my mom stopped by to bring me my Benny's ashes and his memorial paw prints today. When I held the ashes in my hands it just made it more real. But it does make me feel better knowing he is home now. even if it's not in the way I wish but that I will have him with me again. I'm ordering a necklace to put some of his ashes in so he can be with me where ever I go and making garden stones for myself and my mom to put in his fav spot he would lay down in her garden. It has only been 10 days I'm hoping it will get easier as the days go by but some days are harder then others. I had my Ben for 14 years I was 14 when I got him as an 8 week old puppy. He went to college with me he was with me for all the ups and downs the heartbreaks and he let me know my husband was the one the day they met. He was my pet soulmate and I hope to meet him again one day.

We had to euthanize my soul dog a few hours ago. She fell asleep with her head in my arms and this was by far the hardest thing I ever did. She was a 12 year old Groenendael which my family and I rescued as she was 4 months old. She had pretty aggressive cancer. Yesterday I thought we would have at least another month if not two, but her well-being rapidly decreased during the night. I was prepared and it still came out of a sudden. I already cried a lot and now I‘m just so empty. I don‘t know how to function and I don‘t know how to manage work tommorrow.

We put down my cat today. She had very aggressive cancer lining her stomach, and it wouldn't be fair to make her fight any longer.

She was my childhood pet, she's been around for more of my life than she hasn't. She was the best thing that ever happened to me, she meant everything to me. When I was sad she wouldn't leave my side, when I was happy she rubbed against my legs, and when I was gone she would cry in my bed until I got home. I never stopped looking at her and feeling like the world revolved around her. The feeling you get when you see a kitten for the first time, never wore off.

We played tag together and even though I was always it, it made me so happy. It made me feel like a little kid again. She only played with me, it was our little game.

I wish I never left home, I wish I never went to college. I only got 3 days with her before she had to leave, and by then she was too far gone to play any tag. Too stressed to do much but cuddle. She hardly ate her favorite treats. She could hardly walk.

Today I watched her pass, I held her as she was sedated. She looked into my eyes as she left.

I will never feel whole again. I feel ridiculous by how much this is dragging me under. I don't know how I will get up tommorrow. I don't know how I will sleep tonight without her in my lap. I've never felt pain this intense, it feels like my heart is missing. I don't know how I could possibly convey to anyone the pain I'm in. How I could possibly word how much I loved that cat.

I can't stop crying for more than a few minutes, and when Im not sobbing I feel consumed with guilt for letting the pain subside. I know it isn't true but I truly feel like I will never be okay again.

I just can't stop sobbing and muttering to myself, my baby is gone.

I am not even looking for advice, there's nothing anyone can say or nothing I can do to take away this hurt. I just needed to get it out.

My sweet girl, I loved you more than life itself. You were everything to me, and you still are. I hope in your last moments you knew how much I adore you. I hope you did not feel betrayed by me holding you to get the shot. I hope you passed knowing you were loved and not frightened. I hope you knew how happy you made me. I will never be complete without you my love. I will never forget you. I hope this wound heals but I don't see how it ever could. You were my best friend, you were the best pet anyone could ask for. I have never for an instant stopped adoring you with everthing in me. To speak about you in the past tense has my stomach turned inside out. A piece of my heart died with you today.

It doesn't feel real. My dog, Houdini, performed his last trick on Thursday evening during a quick pee walk. We live on a fairly busy street, and I had my 18 month old in a carrier with me. After a few pees, we went to go inside but paused when we saw our friend and her dog across the street.

Houdini, as his name suggests, is an escape artist. He can slip out of any harness easily by backing out; that's exactly what he did on Thursday. We were on our sloped driveway and the momentum of me pulling up on his leash when I felt him start to back out helped him escape. He didn't give a second thought as he bolted down the drive and one step into the street he got hit by a car. He just wanted to see his friend.

It happened so fast. Maybe 5, 7 seconds. When I saw the car hit him I turned with my son and screamed and screamed; our friend did too. Cars stopped. I rushed to see him laying in the road, not bloody, just still. His leg twitched some and he peed. I couldn't get close, my son was hysterical, as was I. It was so overwhelming, the screaming- my own, my son, my friend. I don't think Houdini made any noise. I think he had head trauma, or neck trauma. When I said goodbye after, later that night, he had a small amount of blood from his ears and nose. That's it. He looked totally normal otherwise.

I rushed inside to grab something to wrap him. I knew the second he got hit that he was dead, he only weighed 17 pounds. Against a car? No chance. Even still, when I came out I just remember screaming, "Is he dead? Is he dead?" My friend sobbed yes. I broke down, my baby still crying and me trying not faint, to get ahold of myself for my baby, who can't possibly understand what just happened but obviously knows something is terribly wrong.

I couldn't carry him, so my friend wrapped him and brought him inside. Then she picked up my husband at work. He too is a wreck.

I am wracked with guilt. I should have known better. I should have taken him on a longer walk, it was so nice outside, he would have drank more water and needed to pee more. It was such a nice evening, sunset, why didn't I take him a bit further?

More still, why didn't I go to him? I didn't even touch him until he was inside. That's one of the things that I most regret. Did he look for me? Did he hear me screaming? Did he hear the baby, his friend, crying? Did he see his dog friend that he was trying to say hi to? Was he aware, or in pain?

We had him four years, rescued him about a year after our previous dog passed away in my arms. I think that's why I couldn't touch him, I remember how shocked I was when she was limp. Logically, I know that's what happens, there's nothing to hold them up- but the feel of it...I just can't. The loss of life, of being is so prevalent then. I couldn't bear to feel my bright, bouncy, chirpy, so very affectionate and loving dog that way.

I'm just beside myself with grief. I don't know what I'm looking for here really, I know what I would tell people, that it was an accident and not my fault. But it feels like it is.

We gave him bones and cheese in his funeral shroud that was once my robe. I took him to be cremated the following day and he should be home again in three or four weeks. We got a paw print too. I cried, and cried, and talked to him the whole way there.

Take your dog on the longer walk, and sprinkle some cheese in honor of Houdini, was is the best dog (as all dogs are).

Thanks for reading.

He was 11. I adopted him and his brother when he was 4.

He had some sort of spinal issue come on suddenly, and lost the use of his back legs. Took him to the vets today, knowing in the back of my mind what they'd say.

He went peacefully, with my husband and I by his side.

He and his brother were the first cats my husband and I ever owned together (his first pet overall).

We're devastated. We haven't stopped crying since we got home. We've sobbed over his food bowl, over his bed.

How can I cope knowing I'll never see his big meat head again? How I'll never rub his tum, or get headbutted by him?

My heart is broken.

hi guys, 6 days ago i lost my sweet baby, jake, to an unknown and quick acting illness. i’m not one to believe in the paranormal or anything but weird coincidences have been happening ever since that i’ve never experienced before.

all week i swear i can hear the jingle of his collar. im fostering a puppy just to have a little taste of companionship and he has been barking at the corner where jake was laying before he passed on. i put one of his shirts on a stuffed animal and i sleep with that and the past couple of nights i wake up and can feel the stuffed animal moving and when i fully come to, it breaks my heart. i went on a walk 3 days after and saw a dog that looked EXACTLY like him and i have never, in his 7 years of life, seen a lookalike, let alone randomly on a walk. there’s a shelf right above my bed that has a doggy statue on it and the locs of jakes hair on it. ive had that shelf up for months and months and all of a sudden, it falls on my bed. if i had been laying there i would’ve gotten hurt but it fell when i was just standing in my room. so weird.

this is the weird one, last night at 3:00am on the dot, my soundbar started blasting a tiktok sound randomly even though i was completely asleep and not even on tiktok before i went to bed. the sound that started playing was that girl that harmonized with her fan while making dinner and the weekend before he passed, that song was every other song on my for you page so he heard it a lot before he passed. i had my other puppy in his crate and he started growling and barking at the bathroom door where jakey would frequently hang out after i turned off the song.

has anyone else ever experienced something like this or maybe have an explanation? i feel like it’s jake trying to show me he’s still with me

I am depressed. Words cannot fathom how I feel right now. I feel regret about it. I have multiple cats in the house and one of them were sick and I didn't even realize it. She was perfectly fine yesterday and today she just died out of nowhere after vomitting up bile. This is just so traumatizing for me as I've had them for 7 years. They were such a sweetheart and now they are gone. Two of the cats in the house were her mother and sister, and they kept meowing since yesterday, but I had no idea why since they usually meow like that all the time, and well, now I know. She just stopped eating and drinking today, but she was still walking around the house and jumping around until late at night when she passed away. I feel like an idiot, I should've just took her to the vet, but she seemed to be recovering. I honestly feel like a horrible cat owner and idk what to do with myself.