Hi everyone!

I am trying to raise money to pay for my dog's veterinary care. My dog, Capone, is a six-year-old Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix who has a mass on his back.

To provide some context, I took him to his vet when we noticed the lump, and they did an X-ray but found nothing. I was then referred to OSU Animal Teaching Hospital for additional care and a CT scan. They found the lump was full of blood with hundreds of blood vessels feeding into it. They were unsure if it was a tumor or some sort of malformation. They told us to come back in 3 months for another CT so they could see if it was growing. During this time, we were monitoring Capone at home, and he was starting to have mobility issues with his back legs. After the new CT at OSU, they found the mass had grown and was pushing his spinal column and cord. Our options at OSU have run out. The mass is not presenting as cancer, so they are leaning more towards an arteriovenous malformation. They referred us to UC Davis, where they specialize in these malformations. Our two options are to let Capone continue living his life, provide interventions to the best of our ability and eventually euthanize him, or go see this vet in California, where they believe they can surgically intervene and relieve the pressure off his back and hopefully bring back his mobility. Capone is our son and my soul dog. There is nothing in this world that I would not give to fix this and help him regain his health. We have been quoted anywhere from $12-17K, and we are short on our savings. With your help, we can provide Capone the opportunity to live a longer life and rehabilitate him back to good health. Our appointment at UC Davis is September 22, 2025. If you cannot donate, please share this with others and keep my baby in your prayers.