My Holland Lop rabbit, Floppy, just passed away this past week. It came out of nowhere; on Sunday she wouldn't eat very much and wasn't going to the bathroom as much as usual. She usually was running around like the crazy, spunky bunny she always was, but barely moved around the room. My girlfriend brought her in on Monday morning to the vet, and they gave her meds that were supposed to get her all better. As she was about to leave the vet, Floppy collapsed, and she was forced to be put on oxygen and left at the vet. Two hours later, we received the call that she went into respiratory arrest and died. The necropsy showed pneumonia and blood in her lungs. She had just turned two years old .

I don't know how to go on without her. Floppy made me so incredibly happy, and now she's just gone. Just like that. This anguish is just so overwhelming...I find myself crying sporadically throughout the day, begging God to bring her back. And I don't even think I've fully registered the fact that she's actually gone...

I feel so terrible too because I wasn't even around to comfort my bunny through all this. I was out of town, and all I could do was sit on the phone and pray for her during this 24 hours of horror. My poor Flops had to go through all that without me there for her...

Right when Floppy went into the oxygen chamber, my girlfriend put the phone near her, and I couldn't even manage to get myself together from bawling to say something in a voice Floppy would recognize.

I'm so sorry that this is so disorganized...I just don't know what to do, or how I'm going to go on without her... I can't get myself together at all. I just feel so terrible that such a sweet girl like Floppy had to die so young... I feel like my heart will be broken forever...

Floppy was adorable, I'm so sorry for your loss, we've all been there.
I think when they get ready to pass, they can recall us. I don't think they think we deserted them.
Floppy will always have the love, and good times you two shared together, now you should think of that too.


Take Care

Dear Flops,

I am really sorry for your loss. I know exactly how you feel. 5 weeks ago tomorrow my beloved Doberman died unexpectedly. He had a heart attack while playing ball with my husband. I was 2 hours away from home so I was not with my sweet boy when he needed me most. I can't even remember if kissed him when I left for work that morning and then went directly out of town. The next time I saw my baby he was gone and laying on a table in the emergency animal hospital. I am desperately hoping that he knew just how much I loved him. My heart is broken and I don't know when or if I'll ever stop crying. He was my heart and I truly think a piece of me went with him. I can only hope, for all us who come to this site to pour out our grief, that time really does heal all wounds. Only those of us who have loved an animal really understand the holes they leave in our hearts when they go. I'll keep you in my prayers tonight that you find some peace and that your grief eases with each passing day.

Carol

I'm so very sorry for your loss. I know exactly how you feel when you say you don't know how you're going to go on without her and how she made you so happy. My precious cat Sydney died three weeks ago and ever since then I have felt like there is something wrong with the world. It doesn't seem right without her and my life doesn't seem right without her. Give yourself permission to hurt and grieve. It is going to take time and I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you will eventually start to accept it and heal. It's not something that happens consciously, it just happens. I only just recently started to see a light at the end of the tunnel of grief I was trapped in. I thought it was going to kill me.

Come here and post as often as you need to.

(((HUGS)))

Dear Carol,

Thank you so much for your post. I am so sorry that you feel the same way I do; it's a horrible feeling. However, I know, and you should know, that your Doberman loved you very, very much, and knows how much you cared for him. We can't help but feel such pain, but I know that your Doberman and my Floppy would not want us to stay in anguish forever. I just keep trying to convince myself that she's in a better place, confidently waiting for me to come and reunite one day. I will keep you in my prayers in hope that the wonderful moments you shared with your pet start to fill up the holes you feel right now.

Best,

Jonathan

Jess,

Thank you for your post. I am so sorry to hear about Sydney, and I will pray that you begin to find peace and acceptance. Most people cannot understand just how unbelievably special pets are, and it is comforting to hear compassionate and understanding words. I still don't know how I can go on and live a happy life without Floppy, but I hope I too will eventually see that light you have found. I know Floppy wouldn't want me to be miserable, but it's just so painful and unreal to me that she's gone from this Earth.

My best,

Jonathan

I am so sorry for your loss. And for the losses of all who have posted here. It is devastating to lose a beloved pet. Just this evening, my best friend of 14 years, a white cat with a striped orange tail, Elliot Bell, died after a sudden onset of seizures two days ago. I am numb with shock. He was so healthy. He is here on my kitchen table, in his cat carrier, after the vet brought him back to me this evening. When she pulled up, she told me that he had passed away, but then while I was stroking him he made some noises and body movements. I believe he heard my voice and responded to it. The vet then checked his heart, and it was still beating. I was hopeful, even though the vet told me that he was brain dead. Then he had a couple more seizures before his heart stopped beating.

So now he is lying on the table by my computer, as he has done every night for the past year. He would walk across my laptop numerous times, and I always let him; I just had to hit the cancel button every time his paws triggered a certain screen and had to brush off all the cat hairs before closing the lid. I am sitting here stroking his head and asking him to wake up, even though I know he can't. The thing is, he looks like he's asleep, as he was so many times on my kitchen table late into the night. Tomorrow I will have to bury him.

My dad, who also recently passed away, called Elliot "the greeter," because he would land with a thud on the hood of my father's car whenever he came to visit. Elliot last greeted me just three days ago. He slept on top of me every night, and even the first night of his seizures, before I took him to the vet, I felt his legs on mine. He had a way of asking for food that sounded like "Mommy." I know that I projected that, but it sounded like it all the same. When he was outside and spied me, he would race across the lawn and emit a deep chortle. He loved to go for walks with me.

I can't imagine a life without my Elliot. I've had and lost cats before and loved them and wailed at their passing. They were all special and irreplaceable, yet Elliot was the wisest of the wise, an intellect beyond all intellects, the most curious of cats, my constant mate. To go on without him will be extremely difficult.

I'm so sorry for your loss as well. I still don't understand why these magnificent animals have to go while we still have so much time left on this Earth. Perhaps they're too sweet and special to have to endure this sort of pain that we're feeling now.

Please keep posting and share your emotions with everyone on this site if it makes you feel better. Though I can't say I feel a whole lot better right now, it is comforting to have a site full of people who understand what a powerful love and friendship you can have with a pet. Please take care; I will keep you and your pet in my prayers.

Hi, Flops, please permit me to offer you my sincerest sympathies in the loss of your beloved Floppy. Losing a beloved companion is never easy regardless of the circumstances or how long we have been blessed with the privilege of their company. Some of the deepest sorrow we will know in our lives is losing a beloved companion because they give to us their unconditional love and undivided attention, and we in return surrender ourselves to them completely without reservation. The grief healing journey is very painful, particularly in the early stages, because everything reminds us that a very valuable and integral part of our lives is no longer physically with us. Our grief is both physical and emotional, so it is important that you do whatever is comforting for you. When I have lost beloved companions I usually sleep with their collar or one of their blankets to help comfort me, particularly through the very deep gut-wrenching moments. It is so wonderful that your girlfriend was there for your precious Flops - - standing in for you when you could not physically be there. One of the most important things to know during this grief journey is that you are not alone. Each of us here knows first hand the painful stages of healing from this type of tragedy. You are among friends here, Flops, and we are here for you for as long and as often as you need us. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, Flops, and please let us know how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you. I feel for you also. And yes, we might not feel better (how can we?), but at least we know that we're not alone in our grief. It absolutely sucks to lose a beloved pet. Nothing else seems important. I've read odes to cats and dogs from the eighteenth century and know that people like us mourn our beloved pets forever. The pain is great. Our only hope at surviving is the knowledge that our pets are at peace. What is left is for us to work through our grief.

Tonight is getting really hard for some reason. I was watching the Animal Planet, and it just sort of triggered the idea that I love animals so much, which consequently reminded me about how much I love and miss Floppy. Sometimes I wonder if her spirit is still around, or if she's roaming around happy and free in Heaven, or if the two can happen at the same time. Life is such a mystery...I just hope she's happy wherever she is. Gosh do I miss her.....

Dearest Jonathan, I'm so very sorry for your loss and Floppy is such a precious, sweet and beautiful Angel Fur Kid Bunny. Please accept my deepest condolences. You're missing Floppy terribly. Please know her Spirit is indeed right there with you and you carry her Heart in your Heart always. I believe if Floppy could reach your ears from where she is only a breath away, she would want to tell you this ...

"Daddy, I Hear your Voice on the Wind. And I Hear you call out my name.
I am the Voice of your hunger and pain. Answer my call, and I'll set you Free!
I am the Force that in Springtime will Grow. I am the Voice of the past that will Always be.
I am the Voice of the Future! I Will Remain!"