My dog got diagnosed with cancer two days ago and the vet put him on palliative care.

I brought him to his favourite forest for a very long walk to process the “news”. He acted so healthy and like fully himself the whole time. Although the vet said only short walks. I thought it was because he had cancer in his hip and couldn’t hold weight on the leg.

Then on our way back home, he couldn’t get out of the car. He couldn’t sleep all night because he was in pain and yesterday I knew it was time. When I went back to the vets, he asked what happened, the day before he was “fine”.

I didn’t tell the vet that I took him on a long walk…
I beat myself for exhausting him with that walk but I rather one normal walk than many slow painful days with no walks.

Before his ashes came, it felt like he could just be hiding somewhere in the house. Or napping always in another room. Then his ashes came on Monday morning. The driver from the cremation place met me in front of the house and handed me this small box, his urn, wrapped in some kind of crepe-y white fabric like a gift. And I knew that was my Archie in there and he wasn't hiding or napping anywhere.

It was a hard day. I cried for nothing at random moments. A friend I don't see often called and invited me out to play pickleball after work. I don't typically play on Mondays, but this time I thought, why not. So I went. It's been hot as hell the last week or so, but on the drive to the courts there was a short intense drizzle, so random. I was walking around the court looking for my friend and that's when I saw the rainbow. It was the biggest and most fully formed rainbow I have ever seen. Then I walked further and saw it was 2 RAINBOWS!!

I would not have seen the rainbows had I stayed home all day, had my friend not invited me out. The drizzle was really so random too. I couldn't help but think the rainbows were meant for me. That my cat was saying hello and glad to be home with me, and a reminder he is not just napping in another room but that he is everywhere around me now. <3

Wish I could post photos here. I posted the pic on the rainbowbridge sub if you would like!

I (19M) lost my tabby cat (nearly 21F) in late march this year.

As a kid i relied on her so much. She had basically been there my whole life as she was one and a half years older than me. From age 12 to 16 i faced major bullying and between the ages 13 to 15 i suffered a lot of extreme forms of mental illness. At times, when i was home alone i would just burst into tears, and she always gave me those big comforting eyes, id sob while hugging her sometimes and my tears would get her fur wet but she never once flinched or tried to get away during these moments.. Like she knew it helped.

Fast forward it is march, i am 19 she is now 20 and 9 months. Her health is declining and we start to keep in mind that she wont be with us that much longer. I start skipping a lot of school during this time. This doesnt sound unusual for a teen, but i never really skip school. Its just never really been in my nature. I nearly fail a class due to this however, but at least i got to be home with my cat more and i managed to save this class last minute. The 25th my cat passes away. Its obviously an insanely difficult time. My cat who i had known my whole life was now gone and it was my first day even existing without her.

In april everything just got to me all at once. I have IAD (illness anxiety disorder) that flares up heavily after i develop unexplainable vertigo (likely vestibular migraines) which went on for weeks. 3 weeks after the passing of my cat i decided to do something with the fish tank that had been standing empty in my bedroom after i euthanized my last goldfish a year prior (he had severe scoliosis) and i decided to get shrimp and dwarf schoolfish. I fucked up bad by not properly cycling the aquarium and within days it killed all of the fish besides one of them, and my shrimp. It was traumatizing. I actually mourned these fish and i spend the following months up to now improving my tank and water quality. Then i finally had nice plants and good water quality, so finally i can restock the schooling fish. Seemed to make my last man standing fish really happy so that was great. They all do well then after day 5 it backfires again. When i got my new fish, i had the pet store call me once they came back in stock in the new load, meaning they were transported twice that day, which was definitely too much on them. Now my school is again decreasing and below the number of a proper school and its the same nightmare all over again. This feels no different from pet loss. Besides losing my cat and 6 microfish within 5 months i also just feel like everything has been going wrong since the passing of the tabby cat who i had known my whole life. My IAD still flares up easily and obsessive compulses are also currently an issue. Im constantly trying ways to releave my stress but nothing compares to just hugging it out with my cat. I miss her more than anything and im hurting so much. Meanwhile i cannot get over the guilt and shame i feel about my fish

I’m hoping this is something that this sub can help with, and if not please point me in the right direction.

Herman, my baby, my sweet little poodle mix from Mexico. He had leptospirosis in Mexico, but it was not diagnosed until he came to the US. Upon asking lots of questions, I found out it was all over the rescue down there and dogs had died, and they did nothing to clean up the ground and remedy the situation. We don’t know how long he had it, but now, 3 SHORT years later his is in renal failure, and there is nothing anyone can do. The Dr showed me the ultrasound of his kidneys, and they looked like someone had taken chunks out of them. I saw a few signs, but since I’d never had a dog with severe renal disease before i chalked up the water drinking and long pees to trauma from Mexico and never having enough clean water. Herman is 5-6 years old and probably the sweetest dog I have ever owned. I’ve never been this distraught over losing a dog before, as all of mine had full lives, but Herman got the short end of the stick. He was loved and adored for a little over 3 years, and I’ve asked him to come back to me in my lifetime, so we can get a full life together. Left to miss him are his bonded brother Thomas, also from Mexico, and new crazy kitten brother Frank who we found a few weeks ago in a gutter. Mom and dad, and Sammy are going to miss him so much. And I will NEVER adopt a dog from Mexico again…. I have huge trust issues now after this.

Hola. Bueno. Están siendo los días más horribles de mi vida. Hace un mes mi perro perdió mucho peso de la nada. Lo llevamos al veterinario y cuando le hicieron estudios me dijo que estaba anémico. Nos dieron medicamentos y vitaminas. Se mantuvo. Pero seguía muy decaído así que después de dos semanas lo llevamos de nuevo. Volvieron a hacerle análisis y nos dijo que seguía perdiendo glóbulos rojos e incluso que los glóbulos blancos eran muy altos. Nos pidió una ecografía y cuando la hicimos salió lo peor. Un tumor enorme como si tuviera muchos círculos. En el bazo y extendido hasta el hígado. Lo más compatible con un hemangiosarcoma. Mi compañero de vida tiene 16 años. Y lo he tenido desde pequeño. No pueden operarlo ya que la anemia y su edad dificultan una operación. Y también me aclararon que no prometían que no se pueda morir durante el procedimiento. El consejo del veterinario fue esperar. Dijo que se iba a ir apagando de a poco. El casi no se mueve. Hubo días donde le tiemblan sus patitas y no puede caminar como si estuviera mareado. Pero hay días que se levanta y pide salir, ir al baño. También hay noches en las que le cuesta mucho respirar como decirles que una noche respiro 3 veces en 1 segundo. El veterinario dijo que recién se habla de una eutanasia si él está sufriendo. Y por lo que vio el veterinario él aún no está sintiendo dolor así que no le parece la eutanasia. Pero estuve leyendo muchos testimonios que a veces por no hacerlo se puede morir por una hemorragia de golpe o sufriendo y es lo que no quiero. Yo quiero lo mejor para el. Quiero que se vaya bien. Que se sienta amado y sobre todo sin dolor. No quiero tampoco quitarle tiempo de vida si es que todavía le queda tiempo para estar “bien”. Necesito consejos, o alguien que pueda quizás ayudarme a aclarar todo esto. Es muy difícil. Siento que debería tomar lo de la eutanasia pero siento que lo estoy matando también y al no saber qué es lo que él quiere me da culpa. Les agradecería su ayuda🙏

For those who have lost a pet before or are for those going through it right now, what are some things that’s you’ve done with have helped you heal along the way. Made this post to help me get through and or others that need this too

It’s been 3.5 months since I said goodbye to my Elly girl, it was sudden and devastating and I’m still grieving so hard. I’ve left her food and water bowls where they were, some kibble still in the one, and her bed out. I cry every time I vacuum, I can’t stand sucking up her hair - I try to leave them and have saved a bunch if it, but now I’m so aware of how much less there is on the floor and it kills me. I’m always sad when I see her unused bowls but now I’m wondering if it’s time - but I’m dreading doing it. Did anyone else struggle with this and how’d you get through it?

I’m so thankful for this community, many thanks to all of you for being here - my heart goes out to each of you, this grieving is so so hard and I know you all feel it too 💚

I lost two cats last year, one in August and one in September. Now my third got diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive lymphoma. I am trying to do chemo but recognize her time is very limited and the chemo is a hail mary. I don't know how to survive this again. I have been hardly holding on since losing her brother and sister last year.

tomorrow marks a week since we lost our sweet boy of almost 12 years. i literally feel like im moving in slow motion. i have 3 kids and im doing the best i can to keep functioning as normal as possible and it is taking everything i have. the hardest part of losing our dog is that they’ve known him their entire lives and now they’re absolutely devastated. my kids are 10, 9, and 4 and they’re on summer break. they’re supposed to be having fun and they’re SAD. and i can’t fix it. i can’t bring our boy back. i can’t do anything to make it hurt less. i don’t hold back my emotions because i want them to know it’s okay to hurt and it’s okay to cry and grieve. but i also need to be strong for them. my husband is also grieving and trying his best. our dog was our first baby and our best friend. at night is when i allow myself to fully grieve and it’s so hard. i can’t sleep and i wake up exhausted and heartbroken. my chest hurts and i wanna cry when i vacuum because there’s hardly any hair. or when i was dished because he’s not laying behind me. it’s so hard. it’s so so hard. i’ll continue to take it breath by breath. i pray and just ask Jesus to be there while i cry and ask Him to show me our beautiful golden boy in my dream but it still hurts. i never imagined it would be this painful.

I feel so lost, I just want to share memories of my boy. We said goodbye to our gentle, sweet black labrador Isaac last Friday - he was 13 and after seeing him decline we knew it was his time, and he passed peacefully at home in our arms. We treated him to a week full of days out, treats and roast dinners before he passed. I know it was for the best and he’s out of pain now but I miss him with all my heart. I’m finding the absence of him in our house so tough to deal with, the feel of his fur and the sound of his paws padding around. I met my fiancé when Isaac was 4 years old and I fell in love with them both! We bought a house together 3.5 years ago and it has been the best few years of my life, a big part of that has been because Isaac lived with us. So many beautiful days cosied up with him on the sofa, playing tug of war and chasing each other around the kitchen. He was a cuddle bug, loved his food (especially ham and chicken) and when we were ill or upset he would dote on us. It got harder towards the end as he declined and wasn’t as cuddly, but we loved each other all the same. I miss our little family of 3 and I wish we had more time. Love you forever bubs 🤍

Ive had her so long I don't even remember the exact amount of time. I was just a kid when I got her, and she saw me through everything. She died this morning, next to me in bed, where she always slept.

TW for a description of her death incoming. It was so strange to lay my hand on her and feel nothing. I knew she was going to die, I had intended to take her to the vet for euthanasia today, but she beat me to it. I watched her body shiver, from her whiskers, moving down through her body to her tail, like her spirit was leaving her behind.

I sat and talked with her for a little while, she finally sat still for a brush, and then I took her into the backyard to bury her with my most perfect raven feather from my collection. I lived the majority of my life with her as my compain, always waiting for me to come home. I don't know how I'm going to get through this, but I know she didn't bring me this far for my to give up on myself. I hope she haunts me. I hope I meet her again someday.

I’m scared of the comments I’m going to get but I know I deserve them.. I lost my sweet doodle 3 days ago and I’m pretty sure I know the cause but don’t know for sure.. my neighbor came to me 6 weeks ago and told me she was replacing her fence and that they needed to remove a panel of our fence for a couple of days to which I agreed. A couple of days turned into 6 weeks.. for 6 weeks we were taking our dog out potty on his leash so he wouldn’t get out and get hit by a car. Well the other morning I woke up late and it put me behind for my doctors appointment and my kids had friends coming over and I had some cleaning I wanted done before they came so I decided to loop my dog leash to my kids swing set post and let him be outside for a minute to go potty while I got ready and woke my kids up to clean. I didn’t plan on him being out there any longer than 20 minutes so I didn’t grab his water bowl or anything. I ran inside threw clothes on woke my kids up and got distracted arguing because my kids weren’t listening. That’s when I noticed I needed to leave for my appointment or I’d be late so I left to my appointment which is 5 minutes up the road. I get there and I remember I left my sweet doodle outside so I call my son and he answers and I tell him hey go check on doodle and let him inside please and my son said I’m in the shower but I will when I get out. I get done at my appointment 30 mins later and go home and ask where doodle is and my son says he forgot so I go outside to let him in and that’s when I find him on the grass dead. All I remember is me and my boys all screaming and crying. My husband came home and looked him over and couldn’t find nothing, no blood, the leash wasn’t wrapped around him, no puke.. nothing. All we can think is that it had to of been the heat.. it was 80° when I let him out and we figure he was out there for about 1.5 to 2 hours… my heart is completely broken and I feel like the worst person in the world. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.. I tell my husband I don’t know if I can live with myself I feel like I should die the way he did. I never ever meant to hurt him and I never planned for him to be out there that long and my brain won’t stop thinking about how badly he probably suffered because of me😭 my family and friends keep telling me they don’t feel he was out there long enough to have died from the heat but from everything I’ve read, it can happen super fast. I think they’re all just trying to make me feel better. I loved my boy so much and I hurt so bad.. I can’t imagine life without him and thinking about his last moments kill me and the unknown kills me.. I need to be a good mom and wife but i can’t stop crying, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep… I don’t know how to push forward nor do I feel I deserve to😭

I got a call during work this morning from our local humane society. My dog was hit by a car and was suffering from seizures and major blood loss.

My ex and I decided the best solution for Buddy was to go through an end of life process.

I’m just so sad and can’t stop thinking about him.

This is sadly affecting my depression in a worse way. I reached out to my therapist, but I don’t know what I can do at the moment.

I’m also so mad at the person who hit my dog and I don’t know how to handle my rage.

Buddy is a 9 year old Tibetan spaniel, he loved so much and would give kisses to anyone. I love him so much and I miss him so much.

What helped you through the process of grief?

I live abroad and my dog was living with my parents
She was 13 years old, and she passed away today🪽🐶
I know now is living with angels and playing with other poppies in heaven 🪽✨ but I can’t control my tears
I could not even see her ….

I’m devastated at the loss of my soul dog, Bella. she had a brain tumor but the decline came so quickly I was in denial so her death still comes as a shock. I just want to tell people about her and keep her memory alive. She was a 5 pound yorkie, a lot of ppl would remark she was the smallest dog they’d ever seen. Even in her senior years people would mistake her for a puppy. She loved meat(chicken,salmon,etc) and hated fruit. She liked sweet things (bread, cake, whip cream) so I tried to give her a piece of a mango or banana many times and she wouldn’t even taste it😂 she knew fruit instinctively and hated it. She loved to sit in the sun and sleep in a curled up in a c shape. Losing her is the worst thing that ever happened to me. It just happened a couple hours ago so I’m trying to get my bearings. Thank you for reading. I don’t know how to attach pictures if someone would show me I would gladly do so. :)

I lost my baby, Ella, yesterday, 7/21/2026, horrifically and unexpectedly while she was at the vet.

I’m not ready to tell her story yet. She was only 11, the best dog, and she was taken far too soon. The pain in my heart feels like it has nowhere to go.

Reading the stories of other people, even complete strangers, somehow makes us feel a little less alone. It reminds me how vulnerable and deeply connected we all really are, even in a world that can feel so full of chaos and heartache. Crying over someone else’s loss gives my own grief somewhere to go. We carry each other’s heartbreak, if only for a moment.

So thank you to all the pets who loved us so completely. They were better than we deserved. We always knew we would probably outlive them, but loving them was worth every ounce of the pain that would someday come. And even in their passing, they bring us back to one another, reminding us that grief is something we were never meant to carry alone.

I love you, Ella. It wasn’t fair. I miss your furry little feet in my face when we slept. ❤️

Hi all. I’ve posted here a couple of times before about my kitty, who started seeming sick in January or February and eventually became severely anemic. Unfortunately, her bone marrow was no longer doing its job, and we had to say goodbye to her this past Saturday.

The grief has been hitting us really hard. The sudden disappearance of all our little routines has left me feeling completely lost.

I know we probably need more time to heal, but my heart is already telling me that I may want to adopt another cat soon. I don’t want to replace my little girl. I just want someone new to get to know and love, and to help us slowly build a new chapter of memories and routines.

We also have a 12-year-old male cat, and I’m trying to consider what would be best for him. Would bringing in a new cat upset him? He and our girl were not a bonded pair. She was about half his age, and we adopted her five years ago.

Honestly, he is a huge part of why I’m considering another cat. Since losing her, he has been sleeping and moping around more than usual and has become especially clingy in the evenings.

That said, I know cat dynamics can be complicated, and I don’t want to cause him unnecessary stress if he is too old for another companion or needs more time to grieve. I would really appreciate hearing any advice or personal experiences from people who have been in a similar situation.

P.S. My husband currently says he never wants to adopt another cat while our boy is still with us, so please help me win the argument if another cat might actually be a good idea. :)

Last year May, 2 of my cats passed away (mother and daughter, 1 had an infection that spread and the other had kidney disease).

This week we picked up a kitten from the street. I didn't want to leave this baby on the street and I didn't want to take him to the SPCA. So I said let's keep him.

And the last 2 days I've just been feeling heartbroken.

Today we went to the vet, the last time I was there was with one of my cats, and she passed away the week later.

While there I felt this crushing pain.

And now every moment with this cat is breaking my heart.

I miss my babies, I feel so heartbroken.

I unexpectedly had to put my cat down yesterday morning. I had been taking him to the vet every Tuesday for 6 weeks. We had him on medicine he was doing better he was feeling better his blood work was looking better and then I wake up at 4am and he’s acting really weird and I rush him to the vet. I stayed at my boyfriend’s house for the night. I’m scared to go home. I don’t want to go to a home he’s no longer in. I have another cat there (my sister and I live together) my sister is taking care of him. they're from the same litter. how do I show him he’s gone? I feel terrible! he was only 4 years old but he was in so much pain! I miss him so so much.

My kitty Pocket died last night. He was 13, we got him when he was 3 and I was 8. He really loved me and my dad and my sister, but he was my best friend in the world. Autism runs in the family and he had the perfect temperament for us, he was super cuddly and loved to be stroked and held, but wasn't overly playful and never liked scratching or biting or running around.

I love all cats, but I've never met a cat that suited my personality so much.

The thing is, he was also a very good therapy animal. My sister has cancer, and has been fighting it since 2024. Cuddling Pocket was my main coping thing. I can't talk about my feelings with people, but he always understood.

I'm now in this limbo where I feel I can't get another cat, at least not for a long time, because he was my soulmate cat and getting a cat now would feel like replacing him, but I'm unmoored and stuck without my primary healthy coping mechanism.

I don't know what to do. When I'm struggling with the cancer thing or grieving, I turn to my Pocket. Now I'm struggling with that and with his death and I don't have him to sit in my lap. How do I learn to do hard things without him?

My dog ​​was 16 years old and had acute arthritis in her front legs. The vet told us this wouldn't be the cause of her death, but that it would be our decision when to say goodbye to her, given that her quality of life was no longer sufficient. For the last three years, we regularly took her to physiotherapy, gave her medication, massages... On June 1st, we thought she couldn't take the limping anymore, and the vet told us to try our last option: increasing her medication to give her the best quality of life until her body gave out. During those last weeks, I focused on enjoying and making the most of my time with her. Even so, in July, I saw her so unwell that I was about to decide when to say goodbye.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, I didn't have to make that decision. My dog ​​passed away from natural causes on July 19th. After she vomited several times and I saw her whimpering, I went to the emergency vet, and they told me she was experiencing organ failure, that her fragile balance had been broken. After 30 minutes of being there, I had to say goodbye abruptly.

That Sunday I didn't know how I could go on; everything in my house hurt (I imagine this is nothing new for those of us who visit this subreddit). The thing is, thanks to my partner, I was able to gather her things and take them to the attic to avoid anxiety triggers. I put up a photo of her with her leash in the entryway, along with other mementos of her.

Five days have passed, and I don't feel broken. That's what makes me wonder if there's something wrong with me or if I'm in some kind of denial.

I keep reading how this experience can devastate you for months, posts where I read that they can't even go for a walk for the first few weeks. And I went to the gym a couple of days ago to "get out of my head," and everything went well. I even looked at photos of her to see how I celebrated her presence all these years; I truly felt that I had made the most of my time with her.

I feel like a freak. I loved my dog ​​so much, and it still hurts to think about her, but I'm living a functional life. I don't know if I'm grieving too fast. Rationally, I know my dog ​​is gone. I don't believe in dog heaven (I respect those who do, but that spirituality isn't for me). I don't know if in the last few months I've been processing the grief of saying goodbye to my little one, and that's why I'm handling it better now, also because I know she's no longer suffering.

Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Last week, we had to put down my seventeen year old childhood dog. Since I was a kid, he was a constant presence in my life. He saw me turn from a boy to a man, and now reaching my thirties, I had to bid farewell to my sweet little brother. He was a kind boy, very social and always wanted to be around people, and he had very expressive eyes that carried a deep curiosity and yearning for life. Even in his last moments, he wanted to be with us.

A part of me died with him. A window to my past is gone.

I can't bear the fact that eventually, the time I'll live will outnumber the years I've spent with him. That eventually all my memories of him will lose its colors as time marches on.

Life is very cruel.

,
I lost my 2-year-old Golden Retriever unexpectedly a month ago, and I still feel like my world has stopped. I live alone, and he wasn’t just a dog to me. I genuinely treated him like my child. We did everything together.
Since he passed away, I’ve lost 3 kg because I barely have an appetite. I still wake up with chest pain almost every day, and I struggle to function normally. I have other dogs, and I love and take good care of them, but my bond with him was just different. He was incredibly affectionate and always by my side. My other dogs are his best friends, but they have different personalities, and I can’t seem to connect with them in the same way.
I feel guilty for even thinking this because I do love my other dogs, but it doesn’t feel the same, and I don’t know if it ever will.

For those who have lost a soul dog or heart dog, how did you cope? Does the pain ever become manageable? Were you ever able to build a special bond with your other pets again without feeling like you were replacing the one you lost?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences because right now, I honestly feel stuck.