>When we brought home Tiny bunny, Beast accidentally knocked him off the bed onto the floor. It wasn’t malicious; Tiny was just that small, and Beast was just that big. Tiny could fit in one hand or in the hood of La Petite’s sweatshirt. Tiny was so small that even the vet wasn’t sure whether to say “boy or girl;” it was hard to see the, um, evidence one way or the other. Dr. was pretty sure that Tiny was female, though.

Tiny and Beast bonded. When Tiny got older and matured, we took her in to get spayed. She came back, well, neutered. She was really He.

Beast died last year. Tiny has lived in the house with us since then, hiding in odd places and playing with toys. This morning we called the animal hospital. Tiny is sick, with many of the same symptoms that Beast showed last summer. He had trouble breathing this afternoon and ran a high fever. The vet put him on an antibiotic, but looked very worried. Late last night, Tiny started sneezing blood violently from his small furry nose. We called the 24 hour vet line and brought him in. The bottom line: he has an infection, probably an abscess, and is very likely on his last petite little legs. Rather than leaving him in an specialized oxygen tent at the animal ER, we brought him home. We will make his day(s) as comfortable as we can, keep checking in on him, and snuggle him as much as he can handle. When he’s ready, we’ll say goodbye.

Update: Tiny passed away around 2:30 Sunday afternoon. I was with him and able to pet him and soothe him as he took his last few breaths. Thank you for all of your words of support.