Photo: ricki lake/Instagram
Ricki Lakeis mourning the loss of her rescue dog Mama.
The former talk show host, 53, announced onInstagramthat her dog of six years died Tuesday, explaining that she felt “gutted.”
“I don’t have much to say at this time other than, thank you to everyone who reached out, said a prayer, lit a candle. It was not for naut. It meant the world to me,” shewroteearlier this week, adding that she was at home in her bed at the time of Mama’s death and that the dog “went peacefully.”
In a separate post on Thursday, Lake shared a photo of herself and Mama at the beach. “I was her entire world and she was mine. 💔💔💔#ripmama,” she captioned the picture. “Gotcha day 2/18/16-4/26/22.”
Lake taggedveterinarian Nicklaus Fox, animal rescueDogs Without Borders, and her husbandRoss Burninghamin the picture.
Lake first alerted her followers of Mama’s declining health last week. TheHairspraystar asked for prayers for her “beloved companion,” who was then in the hospital and in “critical” condition. “Anyone who knows me knows that Mama is my entire world. I am broken at the thought of losing her,” shewroteon April 20.
The dog was diagnosed with Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia –– an autoimmune disease that causes a decrease in the number of blood platelets circulating in the blood of dogs, according toVCA animal hospitals.
Lake said the development “came out of nowhere,” adding that her dog’s gums began to bleed uncontrollably on Wednesday of last week. The dog underwent three blood transfusions and was placed on a strict drug regimen, but she was “unable to produce platelets, thus she is unable to clot her blood.”
Lake also shared a picture of Mama “making herself at home” during her wedding ceremony to Burningham earlier this year. “Right where she belongs,” Lake wrote in the caption of the post, adding the hashtag #betterdays.
The actresstied the knot with Burninghamat the start of the new year. “We did it! 1/2/22 Ross and I said I DO!” Lake said on social media at the time, sharing three photos from their intimate evening ceremony. She wore a golden orange dress and stood on a small stool to exchange vows with Burningham, who wore a black dress shirt and a pair of khaki pants.
The couple said “I do” at sunset in front of their six children (Lake shares two children — sons Milo, 25, and Owen, 20 — with ex-husband Rob Sussman, while Burningham has four kids from a previous relationship). Lake opened up about her big day with PEOPLE at the time, saying that the experience “could not have been a more perfect day.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It was truly one of the best days of my life,” said Lake.
Lake announced her engagement to PEOPLE in February 2021, explaining that Burningham popped the question after just six months of dating. “Ross and I literally pinch ourselves that we have found each other at this time in our lives,” she gushed at the time.
She also informed her followers of the update shortly after the announcement.
RELATED VIDEO: Ricki Lake Flaunts Engagement Ring in Sweet Photo with ‘Magnificent King’ Ross Burningham
source: people.com
