A pet owner has shared heartbreaking footage of the moment she set off to pick her dog Bella up from the vets, only to discover upon arrival her beloved pup had died.
Courtney Pedrick posted the security camera footage to her TikTok, Wildheartedmustang. It was cut together with another clip, filmed in the same room later that evening, showing her cuddling her partner on the couch while an onscreen caption explains that Bella "never came home."
The death of a pet can be a heartbreaking experience. In 2017, The New England Journal of Medicine featured a case study of a Texas woman who was admitted to hospital with symptoms traditionally associated with a heart attack.
Doctors discovered the patient, named as 61-year-old Joanie Simpson, had recently lost her nine-year-old Yorkshire terrier and was inconsolable.
She was eventually diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or "broken-heart syndrome" which was attributed, in part, to the loss of her dog.
Pedrick might not have needed to go to ER, but she's certainly been mourning the loss of her beloved boxer dog Bella, who died on November 8, just three days short of her 13th birthday. "I'm really sad and I miss her so much," Pedrick told Newsweek. "She was like my child, it's honestly the hardest loss I've ever had."
Bella had been taken to the vets after suffering a series of seizures through the night that had them fearing the worst. However, when Pedrick spoke to the vets later that day, there seemed to be room for optimism.
"Her lab work was normal," she said. "They watched her all day and when I did the math she should have had two seizures by the time I called. They said she didn't even have one during that time though so I could go pick her up."
Pedrick's video captures her in buoyant mood at the news as she heads off to pick her up. Even so, a small part of her remained concerned. "I knew she was an older girl and I was excited that she was ok but a part of me had a feeling she wasn't in the clear because of her age but having more time with her made me happy," she said. "I had been crying all day hoping she would be okay."
When Pedrick first arrived at the vets everything seemed normal. She paid the bill, picked up a prescription for Bella and waited for staff to bring her out to go home. "That's when they told me to come to the back as she was having a seizure," Pedrick said.
Pedrick isn't sure whether Bella's health issues were a result of an unknown cancer or something neurological but it was clear that her quality of life had deteriorated badly and, as devastating as it was to contemplate, her beloved senior dog would not be coming home.
"They did mention that I could do an MRI at North Carolina State but it's $6,000, and even if it came back with results she was old and I'm not sure what they could have done even if she was young," she said. "Boxers live about 10-12 years so I'm glad I got this time with her but I wish I could have more."
The journey back to the house was a difficult one. The days since have been just as hard. "I cried the whole way home, I was driving and I thought I'd have to pull over," Pedrick said. "I felt so empty. I still feel empty. I just want her here."
A few days on, Pedrick decided to post the footage of her experience to TikTok. In doing so, she opened up to a world of fellow dog owners online, many of whom had gone through similar.
"The exact same thing happened to my puppy," one user said. "Surgery went well and they said come get him. I was on the way there, he had a heart attack and never woke back up. He was still warm when I held him."
A second commented: "happened to my family a few years back. She went to get her nails trimmed and a normal check up. She ended up having tumors on her lungs. miss her everyday," with a third writing: "Took my cat to the vet for a haircut. called right after he was done and they said he was waking up and everything was fine, 30 min later he was gone."
In that moment, Pedrick knew she wasn't alone. "It's heartbreaking to read all the comments posted but it did bring me joy that many people were very supportive and sympathetic towards each other," she said.
"Social media is a powerful tool and it brings people together and I think this post is here to help myself and others share their memories. It's almost like therapy."
Pedrick is trying to focus on the happy memories of Bella. She's made a memorial of her food bowls, ashes, collar, paw print and a flower. Right now everything feels raw but in time, Pedrick hopes to feel better and focus on the other videos she has of Bella, happy and playful.
English (US) ·