
This post was originally published on September 10, 2018, and was updated on January 20, 2020.
There are few thoughts as sickening as imagining your pet in a scenario where they’re vulnerable, scared and alone.
We’d like to think our pets know they’re loved always, and know we’ll do whatever is necessary to protect them and make them feel safe.
But according to a post that recently went viral, there’s one moment in particular where humans fail.
In July, a woman named Jessi Dietrich wrote on Twitter, “asked my vet what the hardest part was about his job & he said when he has to put an animal down 90% of owners don’t actually want to be in the room when he injects them so the animal’s last moments are usually them frantically looking around for their owners”.
“That broke me,” she said.
In response, Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital – a clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa – shared a similar sentiment in August.

Top Comments
I have NEVER left the room when an animal companion of mine needed to be put down. How awful to do that :(
I am so deeply grateful for my vet, who provides in-home service. My sweet Willie, who had been with me for 19 of his 20 years, crossed the bridge peacefully in my arms as we snuggled on the sofa. Was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, but after a lifetime of loving loyalty from my sweet boy, I owed him that.