Pet Loss Support Hotlines and Groups: A Verified 2026 List

Losing a pet can hurt in a way that surprises people, and sometimes the hardest part is that the people around you do not quite understand. A pet loss hotline or support group puts you in touch with someone who does. There are fewer of these lines than most lists suggest, and several popular lists include lines that closed years ago. So we checked each one below on the website of the organization that runs it, on October 19, 2026.

Quick answer: Free pet loss support lines include the Cornell Pet Loss Support Hotline (607-218-7457), the Tufts helpline (508-839-7966, Monday to Thursday 6 to 9 pm ET), the Chicago VMA helpline (630-325-1600, a call-back service) and the University of Tennessee's veterinary social work helpline (865-755-8839, weekdays 8 am to 5 pm). If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988.

Is it normal to need support after losing a pet?

Yes. For many people a pet is a daily companion of ten or fifteen years, and the loss is felt in every routine. Grief after a pet's death can be as intense as grief for a person, and it is often lonelier, because others may not treat it as a real loss. Talking to someone who takes it seriously helps. Our guide to grieving your pet describes what grief often feels like, and our guide to guilt after a pet dies covers one of its hardest parts.

Which pet loss hotlines can you call?

These lines are free, and each was listed on its operator's own website when we checked. Hours change, especially around school holidays, so if no one answers, leave a message.

What is each line like?

• Cornell. The Cornell Pet Loss Support Hotline is staffed by veterinary students who have been trained by professional grief counselors, and it is funded mainly by private donations. Its hours vary with the academic year, so call for the current schedule. You can stay anonymous.
• Tufts. The Tufts helpline is staffed from 6 to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, Eastern time, and has 24-hour voicemail. Messages are returned at the next scheduled shift.
• Chicago VMA. The Chicago Veterinary Medical Association's Pet-Loss Helpline is a free service that has run since 1993: volunteers retrieve your message and call you back to offer support and referrals.
• University of Tennessee. The Center for Veterinary Social Work at the University of Tennessee lists its helpline as answered Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and it also runs a free monthly support group, below.

Where can you find a pet loss support group?

A group can help in a different way from a phone call: you hear from other people going through the same thing. These meet online, so you can join from anywhere:

• Chicago VMA Wings group. A pet loss support group that meets on Zoom at 7:30 pm on the first Wednesday of each month.
• University of Tennessee. A free group held by telehealth, open to the community. Its remaining 2026 dates are October 21, November 18 and December 16. You can start at any meeting and come as often as you like.
• Lap of Love. The in-home euthanasia network runs pet loss support sessions led by certified pet loss coaches. They are virtual, some are free and some are paid, and they include small groups, one-on-one support and longer courses. Some groups are for anticipatory grief, before a pet has died; our guide to anticipatory grief explains what it is and what helps.

Local groups are worth looking for too. Many emergency hospitals, veterinary schools and humane societies run them; the SPCA Serving Erie County in Buffalo, for example, hosts a pet loss support group that meets twice a month. Ask your vet, or search for "pet loss support group" with your city's name.

What about the Gateway grief line?

Gateway Services, the company that owns many pet crematories under different brand names, runs a grief line called the Pet Compassion Careline. Gateway says it is staffed 24 hours a day by master's and Ph.D.-level clinicians, and that it is "exclusive to all partner clinics and pet parents," meaning families whose vet or crematory works with Gateway. Gateway does not publish the number on that page; if your vet or crematory gave it to you, that is how to reach it.

We do not recommend Gateway's crematories, for reasons our guide to checking who owns your pet's crematory explains. That is a separate question from grief support. If you have been given this number and a trained counselor helps you, use it.

Which lines did we leave out, and why?

Some numbers appear on almost every pet loss list but could not be confirmed:

• Washington State University. WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine shut down its Pet Loss Hotline in July 2019, according to the Daily Evergreen, the student newspaper. Many lists still show its number.
• The ASPCA Pet Loss Helpline and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine line are widely listed, but we could not find them on the operators' own websites.
• The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB), which runs online chat rooms and groups, blocked our check of its website.

These may well still work. If you try one, have another line from the list above ready in case it does not.

What if the grief feels like too much?

Pet loss hotlines are not crisis lines, and Cornell says so plainly: its volunteers help with pet loss and grief, and will point you to other help if you need it. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, at any hour, or call 911 in an emergency.

It is also worth talking to a counselor if grief is still stopping you from sleeping, working or eating after several weeks, or if a loss has stirred up older grief. Some counselors specialize in pet loss, and your vet or a local veterinary school can often recommend one.

What else helps in the first weeks?

Small things, mostly. Telling the people who knew your pet. Keeping the collar or a favorite toy out for a while. Writing down a few stories before the details fade. Our guide to helping children through pet loss covers what to say at home, and our guide to pet loss at work covers bereavement leave and what to tell colleagues. There is no deadline on any of it.