Pet loss support hotlines & grief resources
The grief of losing a pet is real, and you don't have to sit with it alone. Below are free, reputable places to talk to someone who understands — trained veterinary grief volunteers, a 24/7 line, and moderated communities. We're an independent resource and we sell you nothing; these are other people's services, and we confirmed every phone number against the organization's own page this month. Where we couldn't confirm a line was still running, we left it off — a dead number is worse than none.
Available anytime
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Lap of Love Pet Loss Support Center
A genuinely free, always-open support line run by a national in-home veterinary company. You do not have to be their customer to call.
Veterinary grief helplines
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Cornell University Pet Loss Support Hotline
Staffed by trained veterinary students supervised by professional grief counselors.
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Tufts Cummings School Pet Loss Support Helpline
Trained veterinary-student volunteers. Outside hours, leave a message and they call you back.
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Chicago Veterinary Medical Association Pet Loss Helpline
A veterinary-association volunteer helpline. Also runs a monthly “Wings” Zoom group led by a licensed psychologist.
Support groups & communities
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Michigan State University Pet Loss Support Group
A scheduled online support group (not a call-anytime line). Email vsw@msu.edu for the meeting password. You don’t have to have been an MSU patient.
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Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB)
A long-standing nonprofit pet-loss community. Free membership includes host-moderated chat rooms.
Other things that may help
When you're ready, our guides on ways to remember your pet, what to do with the ashes, and the practical first steps after a loss are written the same way — honest, unhurried, with nothing to sell you. And if you need to arrange cremation, we can connect you with a provider we'd trust with our own pet.
Know a free, reputable pet-loss resource we've missed — or spot one here that's out of date? Tell us at editor@hallowedpaws.com and we'll check it and add or fix it.