Blog Search

Dealing with loss :
Resources for people who have lost a pet

Many people are surprised and overwhelmed at the extent of the loss they feel when a pet dies. Often, the people in their lives don’t really understand the depth of their grief, and that can make it even harder to cope with.

All of us here at PetConnection.com have dealt with the loss of beloved animals, and we’ve found that talking with other animal lovers, and with people experienced in dealing with pet loss, can be extremely helpful.

In some areas, pet support groups are available; ask your veterinarian to refer you to one. If there’s no group in your town, consider looking online for support. PetSupport.net offers hosted pet loss, illness and grief support chats 365 nights a year. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine maintains a website with links to other resources, online and off. Also, a very nice eulogy for people who've lost pets, here.

For those times when only talking to an understanding person will do, many veterinary schools and colleges maintain free pet loss support hotlines. They are usually staffed by veterinary students trained to answer questions, offer materials that may help you (including guidelines for helping children with loss), and just plain listen. These are wonderful programs, and they’re free for the cost of the call. (If you call during off hours, they call you back, collect.)

Locations, operating hours and phone numbers of pet-loss hot lines are as follows:

Cornell University
College of Veterinary Medicine
Ithaca, New York
Hours of operation: 6 to 9 p.m. eastern time, Tuesdays through Thursdays
607-253-3932

Iowa State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
Ames, Iowa
Hours of operation: 6 to 9 p.m. central time, Monday through Friday
888-478-7574

Michigan State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
East Lansing, Michigan
Hours of operation: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. eastern time, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
517-432-2696

Tufts University
School of Veterinary Medicine
North Grafton, Massachusetts
Hours of operation: 6 to 9 p.m., eastern time, Monday though Friday
508-839-7966

Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
Blacksburg, Virginia
Hours of operation: 6 to 9 p.m., eastern time, Tuesday and Thursday
540-231-8038

Washington State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
Pullman, Washington
Hours of operation: 6:30 to 9 p.m. Pacific time, Mondays through Thursdays; 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays
509-335-5704

University of California
School of Veterinary Medicine
Davis, California
Hours of operation: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Pacific time, Mondays through Fridays; program on hiatus until April 2007
800-565-1526

University of Florida
College of Veterinary Medicine
Gainesville, Florida
Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., eastern time, Tuesdays through Fridays
352-392-4700, Ext. 4080

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
College of Veterinary Medicine
Urbana, Illinois
Hours of operation: 7 to 9 p.m., central time, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday
217-244-2273

Pet Connection is produced by a team of team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Contact Pet Connection by sending e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com.