When does it stop hurting...my boy was PTS

[Vegansnake]

I held my dog in my arms on Saturday morning when he was put to sleep...he was part of the family and we had him nearly 10 yrs..I'm not a soppy type of person...but this has hit me badly..the rest of the family are carrying on with their lives,but I feel this massive ache inside ,and everywhere I look I see dogs.ive burst in to tears 6 times today..nothing feels right in the house.im shocked at how badly I'm taking this..when does it stop

I'm so sorry, it is so sad losing a pet as they are part of the family. We had our dog pts almost a year ago and due to circumstances we can't have another one as it wouldn't be fair. It still hurts, I miss him everyday and the house doesn't feel right without him there

I had my beautiful horse PTS last Monday.. I don't know what support to offer you, and I can't read the poem wolfiefan put up re Rainbow Bridge (but thank you, wolfie, you were so supportive to me) because I feel still so raw, but vegansnake I just wanted to say how sorry and sad I am for you for your loss. I truly get exactly where you are just now and want you to have some . Xxxx really thinking of you right now.

That's how I feel mama,so many things of his all over the house I have to decide what to do with,blankets that still smell of him.😥

Oh plod I'm so so sorry for yr horse and you,there just is nothing anyone can say to make it better..I just want to howl with upset,and raw is exactly right that's how I would describe it x

Vegan I've just seen this posted on another thread. I thought it was lovely if not a bit eye leaky but it might resonate (credit to MrsTwix)

Thanks unbornmorfifico

And please don't dismiss your feelings of loss over a 'human'. My dog and horse were/are more true to me than many (many!) humans. I feel I had a better bond with them sometimes (most of the time?) than most people I meet.. both are/were truly special but my dog especially is my little human shadow.. she is literally always with me. If she's not, then someone I trust has her. She's literally like another child! Like you, when I got her it was like having a new born.. don't negate or belittle your grief to yourself or in front of others.. howl the place down if you need to.. you are grieving the same as they are. Xxx

When we were ready we donated our boys toys and bedding to a rescue. They were very well received and we knew the toys would make another dog happy ❤

Thankyou mama.ive seen a homeless man with a dog in our town centre,I'm going to ask if he would like our boys bed and toys and food..thankyou also plod,I think that's why I keep bursting in to tears because I really need to just howl and cry. And cry ,and I'm never alone in the house to have a really good cry.

So sorry Vegansnake.

Vegansnake, I just wanted to say that I'm so very sorry for your loss. 💐❤️🐾
My girl went to sleep in my arms, two years ago, missing her is a pain that never goes away, but you do learn to live with it, and you will find yourself smiling inside, at the the happy times you shared.
I like to think she's still around, it gives me comfort to think she,'s tagging along on our walks 😄🎾
Blodplod, so sorry you lost your darling horse. 💐❤️🐴
Run free horsey.

Thankyou sugar pie,all the comments are greatfully recived..I suppose I'm just wondering how long it hurts as I've had depression in the past and I'm not now sure if the grief has tipped me back in to depression ,or if it's all still normal...and I can't seem to shut up about him.its all I can talk about,even to random people

It is normal to want to speak about him, and you should speak about him.Most people will understand how you feel. He was part of your family. It will take time for the ache to lessen, and it won't go completely, but as pp have said you learn to live with it.
In your own time, you might find that having another lovely dog around would be great, but that is for the future.
Thinking of you

Thankyou Carrie.this is going to sound like maddness,but I need a funeral type thing..I'm very religious,I need something to give me closure and send him on his way / celebrate his life...I'm wondering if the reverend at my child's school would bless his ashes or something..I just think it might help me move on..has anyone else heard of this being done for a pet?

It doesn't sound stupid at all. I'm sure you won't be the first to ask.

We still have our dogs ashes on a shelf in the dining room. I talk to him every time I dust and someone has put one of his favourite dog biscuits next to him.

Vegansnake, I have my darling girls ashes in a bluebell Tube.
She sits atop my dresser. When my time comes, we will be scattered together, in the wilderness. I wouldn't worry about depression Sweet, you are grieving, and it damn well hurts, and you want to shout from the tree tops, and bend everyone's ear, who will listen, all perfectly normal.
It's totally heartbreaking, I hear you, I honestly do 😢
Let it all out, don't keep it bottled up inside, tell all the world, tell them how amazing, how adorable, how clever your boy was.
One of our local churches, occasionally holds services, whereby you can take your pet, or have your pets ashes blessed, not unusual at all.
Be kind to yourself Lovely, your boy was so very lucky, to be loved by you.🌺

Thankyou sugar and west..now I think of it my child's schools church does a pet blessing once a year..I could take his ashes to that..I just feel guilty for even having this thread going..so many people have awful things to cope with and horrible things happen in the world,and I'm STILL upset...

Don't feel guilty. Dogs are one of life's great joys and what you are going through is entirely normal. Luckily I was on holiday from work when we lost our boy because I sobbed for a week. It took us ages to feel anywhere like normal. Go easy on yourself.

Don't feel guilty about keeping a thread going.. people only have to add to it if they want to.. I think the idea of a blessing is a lovely point of closure. I decided not to have my horse's ashes. Personally for me I have had 2 other horses ashes and 1 box from 1 horse just sat in my garage for over 10 years (box is quite big as you can imagine). Eventually when I moved house I scattered them over our roses (!). Thankfully, this time my friend had the foresight to ask the vet to take her shoes off and keep them. I'm going to get them all polished up and made into something nice (door knocker or similar). I'm so grateful she thought of this because I didn't have the presence of mind to cut a lock of hair from her tail etc.. not that this will help you, but I'm still upset, I randomly burst into tears yesterday afternoon driving home from work, it came out of nowhere and nothing in particular triggered it. Grief is different for us all and I can only guess that time is a great healer. A cliche I know.. xx

This is going to sound really cold hearted but I was a total mess when I had my JRT put to sleep,she was 18, and had been with me since she was a puppy.I loved her to bits.I held her while she was PTS & cried for days after.I still well up now every so often & shes been gone over a year now.I have a new JRT too but I miss her so very much.
My Dad died last week,I must add though,he suffered from dementia for 3 years so we lost him bit by bit & I haven't been as cut up about him as I did by my dog.
I keep trying to rationalise it in my mind & I think it's because I gradually got used to the fact my Dad was deteriorating,so I dealt with it as we went along on the awful dementia journey,but I keep thinking back to how I cried & cried for days after the loss of my dog.
Grief is such an odd thing!

Thankyou,west,plod and chicken....I lost a close step relative a while back ,but we knew it was coming,so exactly like you said chicken,I was Okish with it...at the moment ,I just have this can't put my finger on it feeling of nothing being right,an anxious churning inside feeling,like nothing is right with the world...my youngest and oldest are talking about the new pet we are getting...( there is no new pet)and I'm like wtf.ive not oked this.i don't understand how they can be moving on so quick..the youngest says "I've nothing to cuddle"the oldest says"I've nothing to take for a walk"....I admire you plod for having other horses after all the pain you went through with each one..chicken 18 yrs is a wonderful innings my dog was meant to live that long too.west it's nearly been a week for me now,and I'm still crying every day.this thread is the only place I've got to talk about him,friends and family seem surprised I still need to talk and cry..

Don't feel guilty for needing support. My sister has just had her horse pts. Three over the last couple of years. It's hurts.
OP you can do lots of things to remember your pet. I have horse tail hair I keep intending to have made into a necklace but I can't face opening the envelope, sorting it and sending it away. (He died over a year ago and wasn't even my horse!) You can have rings or other jewellery made with ashes. Saw one today and it was gorgeous.

We are going to get away for the weekend..dh says "to take our minds of things". It's a nice thought .hes kind .going to the sea side.will post when I get back x

Yes Wolfe my friend sent me a link for some heart necklaces made from ashes of pets,

I'm not sure though,I'm thinking I need a nice something to keep the ashes in and I will keep them in my handbag ,I don't even know what I agreed to have him returned to me in,I couldn't see for crying