Pet Loss Support: Hotlines, Free Groups and Help

Updated November 4, 2026

If you're grieving a pet, you can call a pet loss hotline run by a veterinary school, such as Cornell's (607-218-7457) or Tufts' (508-839-7966), or join a free online pet loss support group. If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 at any hour to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is free and confidential. In an emergency, call 911.

Pet loss hotlines are staffed by trained volunteers who listen. They are not therapy and not crisis lines, but many people find it helps to talk with someone who understands that losing a pet is a real loss. We checked each resource below in November 2026. Hours change, so look at the organization's page before you call.

If you need help right now

Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24/7/365, and the Lifeline says "Your conversations are free and confidential." You don't need to be suicidal to use it; the Lifeline describes help for "emotional distress" and for when you "just need someone to talk to."

Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.

Pet loss hotlines

A note on older lists: many pet loss hotline lists online are out of date. Washington State University's Pet Loss Hotline, for example, closed in July 2019, partly because volunteers were receiving calls well beyond what they were trained for, though its number still appears on some lists. If a number doesn't work, try another one above.

Free and low-cost support groups

Lap of Love also offers paid courses and one-on-one sessions, and says its individual support calls "will not take the place of a licensed mental health counselor."

Finding a counselor

If your grief is heavy or long-lasting, a counselor can help. Ohio State's veterinary medical center suggests reaching out for professional support "if your feelings of sorrow or guilt have not diminished after several weeks or if they impair your ability to engage in family, social, work or other functions."

Ways to find one:

• The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement's directory lists pet loss counselors, specialists and support groups, and anyone can use it.
• Your veterinarian. Many clinics keep a list of local grief counselors and groups.
• University veterinary hospitals. Some have social workers for their own clients. Ohio State's Honoring the Bond program, for example, offers support at no cost to clients of its veterinary medical center.
• Your health insurance or employee assistance program. Some offer short-term counseling; ask whether grief counseling is covered.
• Your faith community. A pastor, priest, rabbi or teacher you trust.

Is what I'm feeling normal?

Ohio State's veterinary medical center calls grief "a healthy and normal response to loss." It describes pet loss as a form of disenfranchised grief, meaning society often doesn't treat it as a valid loss, so the support you'd expect may not show up. It lists feelings many people have: exhaustion, changes in appetite and sleep, feeling isolated, and replaying the last moments "as a video playing the same scene over and over." Guilt, it says, "is one of the most common emotions people experience after the death of their pet."

You don't have to justify your grief to anyone. Grief "follows no organized plan, formula or schedule," the guide says, and it often comes in waves.

Other ways to find company

Not everyone wants a group or a call. Some people prefer to write, read or simply be somewhere quiet. Ohio State suggests talking with people you trust to understand, reading about pet loss, staying active, and spending time with friends and family even when it's hard.

Bridgeside is a quiet online place to remember a pet, where you can light a candle at a memorial at any hour. People can also host pet loss gatherings there, and the hosts are other pet owners, not therapists. Its "Need support?" link lists crisis resources, including 988.

For the people around you

If someone you love is grieving a pet, our guide on what to say when someone loses a pet has messages for a text, a card or in person. If the holidays or an anniversary is coming, see the first holidays and anniversary without your pet.