Having to say goodbye to a poorly is heartbreaking - but knowing they're no longer in pain makes it somewhat easier to manage. Mobile hospice vet Faith Banks believes saying the right thing to your pet as they cross over the rainbow bridge can make their transition between worlds easier.

In a video, she spoke about the power words can have on both humans and animals, saying: "The last words you say to your pet are very special and very meaningful." She went on to explain how she has been listening to the audiobook The Collective Regrets of Clover, which is about a woman who works as a death doula - a person who helps people and their families through the dying process.

She said: "In the story, she talks about a journal that she keeps with all the last words that people say just before they die - some of them are very deep and meaningful and some of them are very frivolous." She claims this power isn't unique to humans as animals can understand the emotion behind the words spoken to them in their final moments.

She added: "I hear the final words many people say [to their pets] and they do stick with me. Many are the common or traditional things you'd think people would say - 'I love you, thank you, I'll miss you, see you again, wait for me'."

But sharing one she 'hates to hear', she added: "'I'm sorry' is one I don't love to hear because I feel that those people have done so much for their pet. I understand you're sorry you can no longer be together but I hope they're not apologising for anything they have done wrong."

Commenting on her post, many users started to share the last words they spoke to their pets, hoping it would bring them comfort as they crossed over the rainbow bridge. One user said: "I said 'It's okay, you can go now. Mama will be fine.' I lied, I wasn't fine then, I am still not fine now. but he closed his eyes and took his final breath after my lie. I guess it was okay then."

Another user added: "I believe the last words I said, were you better come back and see me so I know you're OK." A third user said: "I told my dog thank you for saving me, I wished I could've saved him too. I'm a combat veteran and he was my trained PTSD Service Dog. I lost him to kidney disease two years ago tomorrow."

Another user said: "My 22-year-old cat passed away this past Friday, in my arms. while I was holding him I spoke to him, that I loved him so much and that I was going to miss him and thanked him for his unconditional love.

"I just wanted to be there for him more, and I feel that whatever I said cannot even compare to what he has given me the past 22 years. I miss him so much, I just hope he felt how much I felt but could not describe, because the sadness of letting go was taking over and got at a loss of words. now I am looking for him in everything."