Pet Loss Support Groups and Hotlines: Where to Actually Find Help

Sometimes what you need isn't an article to read — it's someone to actually talk to. If you're looking for real people who understand pet loss specifically, not just general grief support, here's a list of hotlines, helplines, and groups that exist for exactly this. Most are free, several are staffed by veterinary professionals or supervised students, and a few are available any time of day.

A quick note before the list: phone numbers and hours for volunteer-run services can change without much notice, so if one doesn't connect right away, it's worth trying again or checking the organization's current website before assuming it's gone for good.

Available right now, 24/7

Lap of Love Pet Loss Support Center — 855-933-5683. Run by a national in-home veterinary hospice and euthanasia company, this line is open around the clock and is free to call whether or not you've ever used their services. Paid one-on-one grief coaching is also available separately if you want more structured, ongoing support.

Veterinary school helplines

Several veterinary schools run free pet loss hotlines, typically staffed by veterinary students who are supervised by professional grief counselors — a setup that means you're talking to someone who understands both the emotional and the veterinary side of what you're going through.

Cornell University Pet Loss Support Hotline — 607-218-7457. Open Monday–Friday 6–9pm ET and weekends 12–9pm ET (hours can shift by academic semester).

Tufts Cummings School Pet Loss Support Helpline — 508-839-7966. Open Monday–Thursday 6–9pm ET. Voicemails left outside those hours are generally returned.

Chicago Veterinary Medical Association Pet Loss Helpline — 630-325-1600. A free, volunteer-run line that accepts voicemails anytime, usually returned by evening. It also runs a monthly "Wings" support group over Zoom, led by a licensed psychologist.

Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine — 540-231-8038.

Utah State University Pet Loss Support Hotline — 435-757-4540, Monday–Thursday, 5–7pm MST.

University of Tennessee Veterinary Social Work Helpline — 865-755-8839.

Other free or low-cost lines worth knowing

PetFriends — 856-234-4688 (New Jersey) or 800-404-7387 (outside New Jersey).

SPCA of Texas Pet Grief Counseling Support Line — 214-461-5131, serving North Texas.

Companion Animal Related Emotions (CARE), Illinois — 217-244-2273.

Scheduled support groups

Michigan State University Pet Loss Support Group meets over Zoom the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, 6:30–7:30pm ET, free and open to anyone — email vsw@msu.edu for the meeting password.

Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB) — aplb.org. A nonprofit offering free, host-moderated chat rooms most evenings, with optional paid video groups for more structured support.

If you'd rather pay for one-on-one support

If you'd prefer individual counseling specifically focused on pet loss rather than a group setting, Lawrence Kaufman, Pet Loss and Grief Counselor — 855-738-5677 (toll-free) or 561-498-2200 (local), is one example of a fee-based specialist in this area. Your own vet may also be able to recommend a grief counselor local to you who works specifically with pet loss.

If it feels like more than grief

If what you're feeling has moved beyond grief into something that feels unsafe or like more than you can carry, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7 — call or text 988, or chat at chat.988lifeline.org. It isn't pet-specific, but it's there for exactly this kind of moment, whatever brought you to it.

You don't have to pick the "right" one

There's no wrong place to start — a 24/7 line if you need someone right now, a scheduled group if you'd rather process this with others over time, or a one-on-one counselor if that feels like a better fit. All of them exist because this kind of grief is real and because enough people have needed exactly this kind of support before you.

And if what helps most right now is somewhere quiet to put down what you're feeling — their name, the photos, the specific things you'll miss — a BeyondTail memorial page is there whenever you're ready for it, with no call required.