Pet Loss Hotline: Free Grief Support You Can Call Right Now

Pet Loss Hotlines and University Support

These services are staffed by trained volunteers, counselors, or veterinary students. Hours vary; check the current schedule before calling.

Lap of Love Support Center: 1-855-933-5683. Available 24/7, every day of the year.

Cornell University Pet Loss Support Hotline: 1-607-218-7457. Staffed by veterinary student volunteers trained by professional grief counselors. Hours vary seasonally; call for the current schedule.

Tufts University Pet Loss Support Helpline: 1-508-839-7966. Monday–Thursday, 6–9 p.m. Eastern; 24-hour voicemail, with calls returned the next shift.

University of Tennessee Veterinary Social Work Helpline: 1-865-755-8839. Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern; messages are typically returned within 24 hours.

Chicago Veterinary Medical Association Pet Loss Helpline: 1-630-325-1600. Leave a voicemail; calls are generally returned from 7–9 p.m. Central.

If you are in a mental health crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Online Support Groups

For people who don't want to talk on the phone — or need support at 2 a.m. when no hotline is open:

• Reddit r/Petloss: Large, active community. Anonymous. The peer support is genuine, though unmoderated posts can be emotionally intense.
• The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB): Runs moderated online chat rooms with scheduled sessions led by trained counselors.
• Lap of Love grief support resources: Structured articles and a community forum from the largest in-home euthanasia network.
• Iowa State Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center: Pet-loss and grief resources, including help locating local support.
• UC Davis Pet Loss Support Group: Monthly 90-minute Zoom group for veterinary hospital clients and UC Davis faculty and staff; check the current schedule.
• Rainbow Bridge grief support groups on Facebook: Multiple groups organized by pet type. Quality varies, but the cat-specific and dog-specific groups tend to be well-moderated.

When to Consider Professional Therapy

Hotlines and peer groups are valuable for acute grief, but they have limits. If any of these apply after the first few months, working with a licensed therapist who has experience in bereavement is worth pursuing:

• You can't return to work or maintain basic daily function
• Sleep disruption hasn't improved after 4–6 weeks
• You're using alcohol or substances to manage the pain
• Guilt about the death dominates your thinking and won't shift
• You've lost interest in activities and relationships beyond the pet

Look for therapists who list bereavement or grief and loss as a specialty — not every therapist has training in this area. Psychology Today's directory lets you filter by specialty and insurance. Some specialize specifically in pet loss, particularly in urban areas.

The clinical criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder (DSM-5-TR) technically require the death of a person, but research by Dr. Sherman Lee has demonstrated that bereaved pet owners can exhibit identical symptom patterns and functional impairment. A good therapist understands this.

The Cost of Grief Counseling

Individual therapy sessions for grief typically run $100–$250 per session without insurance. Many therapists offer sliding scale fees. Some pet loss-specific options are more affordable:

• University veterinary school hotlines: free
• APLB online counseling sessions: free or donation-based
• BetterHelp/Talkspace (online platforms): $60–$100/week with a subscription
• In-person grief counselors: $100–$250/session, often covered partially by insurance under bereavement or adjustment disorder codes

What to Say When You Call

If you've never called a grief line before, you don't need to prepare a script. Most calls start with something simple: "My dog died yesterday and I can't stop crying" or "I had to put my cat down and I feel guilty." The counselor takes it from there.

You don't need to justify why this loss matters. They already know.

The When Your Pet Dies guide includes a curated resource directory, a self-scoring Pet Bereavement Questionnaire to gauge where you are in the grief process, and structured worksheets you can work through between sessions or on your own.