In July of 2015 a puppy was found tied to the door of an animal shelter in rural Arkansas with nothing but a note that said "you can have him". He was underweight and infected with tapeworms, but the generous folks at the rescue took him in, nourished him, treated his worms, and taught him about love. One month later, that dog was viewed by me on Petfinder. I had been looking for a friend, and though he wasn't at all the kind of dog I originally thought I wanted, I knew instinctively that he was the one. I submitted my paperwork from thousands of miles away and named him Balti.

Flash forward two weeks as he arrived in Colorado to meet me. It felt like I was about to meet a long lost family member and I remember being so excited that I kept breaking into tears.  The entire drive home, he kept reaching over the seat to lick my face, and that night when I invited him to snuggle me on the bed, he was so excited that he whimpered while nuzzling me and giving me kisses. We were instant best friends.


Unfortunately, life is full of unexpected obstacles and struggles, so sometimes bad things happen to good people (and to very good dogs.) Much to my surprise, despite our diligent, year-round preventative care, Balti has somehow contracted a very serious case of heartworms. 

For those of you who don't know much about this, heartworms are dangerously deadly parasites spread by mosquitoes. They are present all over the world, including every single US state. Heartworm preventatives are usually extremely effective, but like anything in medicine, can sometimes fail. Once deposited into a host, the larvae take approx. 6-7 months to mature into adult worms. The way that the monthly preventatives work is actually by killing any larvae that have been deposited in the last 30 days, before they can grow. They do not kill worms that have managed to develop into adults.

Since Balti has adult worms, treating them is extremely costly and dangerous. Treatment consists of injections with arsenic that kill the adult worms and release them into the blood stream. Not only is the arsenic itself hard on his body, but there is a risk of the dead worms getting stuck in his arteries and causing life threatening clots. He will need at least three of these injections over a series of two months and hospitalization after each shot. Additionally, he will need several x-rays to assess if the worms have spread to any other organs and to determine how much permanent damage they have done to them. There is the potential that he could be left with a life-long handicap. 

Between the injections, hospitalization, x-rays, blood work, and check ups, I'm looking at several thousand dollars in medical bills in the near future. (And for some very complicated reasons, the brand that manufactures his heartworm preventatives will not cover the costs.) Furthermore, during treatment, Balti will need to be kept COMPLETELY sedentary, so I will have to buy him numerous chew toys to help keep him occupied while he is locked in his crate for two months. For someone without any regular income, this is a lot to swallow. 




I knew what I was getting myself into when I adopted a dog, and I understand that pets should be their parents' sole responsibility. That said, tragic things still happen sometimes and occasionally we're forced to reach out in order to help save a life. Thus, over the next several weeks I will be holding an art drive to help raise money for Balti's medical expenses. All donations $20 and over are eligible for some custom artwork in return.

I do not want this to feel like contributers are just handing out free money, so after you have placed your donation, you are welcome to contact me for a photo print or custom drawing. I can be reached through this GoFundMe page.

Thank you so much to everyone who contributes! And even if you can't support us monetarily, we appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Anyone who has ever met me knows just how important of a friend Balti is to me, so every single bit of support helps monumentally. <3




Visit chiodios.wix.com/ravenpictures to choose the image that you would like printed. Please contact me via GoFundMe to request your print or order your custom art.

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UPDATE 12/20/16: Balti has began his treatment, which seems to be going well. We even got incredible news that the manufacturer of his heartworm preventatives will be covering the cost of the immiticide! However, yesterday Balti fell severely ill with colitis and a possible bowel obstruction and had to be treated in the middle of the night at the emergency vet. We are not sure what could have caused the obstruction, though it's not horribly surprising to think that he might've been so bored during his crate rest that he'd eat something he shouldn't have during the few and far between minutes of the day that he isn't being intently supervised. Just that ER visit alone cost us over $360, and now today he has to be hospitalized at the regular vet and put on IV fluids to see if he can pass the obstruction on his own (which is another $700-850.) On the chance that he needs ultrasounds (another $500) or surgery (easily over another $1,000), we really aren't sure what to do, considering how much in debt we already are from yesterday and today's visits. We fear that we might have to surrender our best friend to a shelter just in order for him to be able to receive treatment, unless we are able to raise the money. Thus, we GREATLY appreciate even the smallest donations! I know everyone is already financially strained from the holidays, but whatever you can give to help means the world to Balti and our family, and we will do whatever we can (in terms of nonstop thank you emails and free artwork) to repay you!

Thank you, and happy holidays <3

~Nicole, Erick, and Balti