Today was a heartbreaking day for Preston and me. We got a call from Dr. Orr (Honey’s vet) around 10:30am, and he said she had taken a turn for the worse, and we should come there to say hi to her. Preston and I headed out of the office and ran up to the vet hospital. We got there about 11:30, and they brought Honey Bunny into one of the rooms so we could hold her.

She was very weak, and couldn’t hold her head up. She was wrapped up in a towel to keep her warm, and we took turns holding her, petting her, and talking to her. She just snuggled up to us, and seemed to be really happy that we were there holding and kissing her. She rested her head on my hand, and sat there as we scratched her nose, one of her favorite things.

We were able to hold her for about a half hour, and we told her that we loved her, and we were ok if she wanted to go. It was so sad - she died in my arms around noon today. It was peaceful, and even though we miss her terribly, we know she’s in a better place.

The staff at Creekside Animal Hospital told us that she waited for us to get there so she could be with us when she passed away. It was so sweet, and it meant a lot that we were there for her, and that she waited for us.

We miss her terribly, and our house is so lonely without her. It was so hard to say goodbye, but we know she’s in a better place, and she’s not in pain anymore. She’s with her other bunny friends - Bonnie Bunny, Fluffy, BunBun, and all of her babies. I know that we’ll be with her again in the next life, and for that, I’m grateful. I love Honey Bunny so much, and it’s so hard to say goodbye. She was there for us during so many difficult times, and it’s painful not having her here anymore. We’re grateful, however, for the 5 1/2 years we had to spend with her. She brought so much joy and happiness to our lives - I like to hope we did the same for her.

Honey is still hanging on - she spent the weekend at the hospital, and we got to visit her Sat. and Sun. She seemed to perk up a bit yesterday morning, but the vet techs said she couldn’t stand up yesterday evening. Her weight is 4.5 pounds instead of her usual 6.5 pounds, and her temperature is low. They did say she was sitting up this morning, which was a good sign. She’s not eating on her own, yet, though.

They put her in an incubator, and that helped her a bit. They’re still force feeding her, but she’s not putting on weight yet. I’m waiting to hear back from Dr. Orr, but it’s good to know that they’re working really hard to keep her alive.

Honey is still critically ill - we’re praying that she’ll have the energy to get better. It’s been a tough road for her - hopefully she has the will to keep fighting. She’s such a sweet bunny - it’s been hard seeing her go through this. I’ll write more as I know more.

Today I brought Honey back to the vet because she has been very lethargic, and she refuses to eat. (We’ve been force feeding her again for the past couple of days.) She’s just been sleeping a lot, and hasn’t been herself at all. Even her eyes look sad. She just hasn’t been her spunky self. She even refuses her favorite treats.

I brought her in to see Dr. Orr, and he’s very concerned. He said she has a mass the size of a baseball in her belly, and said it seems that her gut has shut down again. Unfortunately, this time, it seems like her body is just overwhelmed, and she’s giving up. He thinks her immune system is shutting down. Her prognosis isn’t good - this whole sickness has taken a toll on her little body, and Dr. Orr says she’s critically ill.

They’re keeping her in the hospital for the afternoon, and they’re going to do some x-rays and give her some painkillers and other medicines to try to get her system going again. I’ll post more as I get more updates from the hospital, but it doesn’t look like things are going to turn out as we’ve prayed they would.

I’m still hopeful - I think any pet owner would be - but it’s been heartbreaking. I feel good, however, knowing that we’ve done everything humanly possible to give her a couple more months - pain free - with us. I want what’s best for her, but it’s so hard trying to prepare for the worst. Honey has been a part of our family for 5 1/2 years, and has been there for me through the worst times in my life. She’s been such a comfort to me, and I pray that now I can be a comfort to her. I’ll post more information as I get it.

I was reading the news today, and the more I read, the more disturbed I became. There were several stories about animal abuse or neglect, and it really made me sad reading about them.

One story was about a Utah animal control officer that picked up someone’s pet cat, and instead of bringing it to animal control, he released it into the wild. He said he didn’t want it to be euthanized, however, the owner is frantically looking for it because it was never brought to the shelter, and she has no idea where it could be. If the officer had brought the cat to the shelter, the owner would have had 3 days to claim it. Instead, she has no idea where it is. All this officer received was a reprimand. Shame on Utah Animal Control.

Any animal lover knows that releasing a domestic animal into the wild to “free it” knows that it is only being given a death sentence. Domestic animals do not have the skills needed to survive on their own - they don’t know how to battle the weather, predators, or anything else.

Another horrific story I read today was about a horse that was found by its owner - dead as a result of 50 gunshot wounds. It suffered horribly and died a terrible death, all because someone used it as target practice. This is a disturbing and disgusting occurrence, and the perpetrators should be punished by the maximum penalty.

One thing that bothers me, however, is the resistance of Utah lawmakers to pass Henry’s Law, which would impose a mandatory minimum sentence for first time animal abusers, and felonies for second time abusers. I don’t understand why this hasn’t gone through. Studies have shown a strong correlation between people that abuse animals and people that abuse other people. We need to put an end to this animal abuse for good. Utah - wake up. It’s time to help the helpless, and stop animal abuse.