In footage shared to TikTok by livandryan, beloved 14-year-old canine Shadow can be seen refusing to eat a plate of freshly cooked chicken.

For Shadow’s owners, it’s the clearest indication yet that their sweet dog is dying and all the more heartbreaking as a result. You can watch the video here.

Pets occupy a unique place in their owners’ affections, so the loss of a four-legged friend is a very personal one.

“The specific reasons why it’s so painful to a particular person are unique to that person,” L.A. family therapist Nadja Geipert told PsychCentral. “There are things you feel about this cat, this dog, this bird, that no one else feels, which is true for all grief. Your relationship is completely unique, and your pet is completely irreplaceable in its unique qualities.”

That pain was no doubt keenly felt by Shadow’s owners. Once an unwell dog is off their food, it’s always very difficult to see things turning around. Writing in the onscreen caption, the stricken dog’s human companions described her refusal to eat as “the moment we knew.”

Shadow was evidently a fan of cooked meats, so to see him turn his nose up at fresh chicken was the clearest sign yet that things were not getting better. Writing alongside the post, the dog’s owners said it was: “Her way of telling us it’s time,” but that didn’t make it any easier.

Viewers were quick to flood the TikTok post with messages commenting on the footage and offering support to Shadow’s human companions.

“She looks like she was the best girl. I’m so sorry,” Craig Thompson wrote, with elleinadxo commenting: “it’s so tough when they start refusing food, but the body doesn’t want what it doesn’t need at this point. Your love and comfort is what they need.”

WhatTheFrickBruh, meanwhile, had a charming way of looking at the situation, writing: “My grandma told me my dog did that to save room for the feast of treats waiting in heaven.” Carpe_diem1144 commented: “This made me cry.”

The messages of condolence also flew thick and fast. Corkboy0 said: “To lose a pet is like losing a family member it’s so heartbreaking” while laura_249603 lamented: “We really don’t get long enough with them.” Cam.meunier added: “I wish puppers lived forever.”

According to her owners, Shadow sadly passed away later that day. They paid tribute to her, writing: “She was the best.”