Hi, I'm Melanie, and this is Arlo, my sweet, goofy, dapple boy who has been by our family's side since he was a puppy. Arlo is 6 years old, and a few weeks ago, our world turned upside down.

It started with something small. We noticed blood in his urine and brought him to our vet right away. What followed were several scary days of tests, imaging, and finally a CT scan at a specialty veterinary center. The results showed a large mass consuming his left kidney. His kidney has stopped functioning. The two most likely diagnoses are renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) or hemangiosarcoma, a more aggressive form of cancer.

Arlo is still bright, still alert, still wagging his tail. But without surgery to remove the kidney, the tumor will continue to grow, and we could lose him much sooner than anyone is ready for.

The recommended treatment is a nephrectomy, which is surgical removal of the left kidney. Dogs can live a full, happy life with one healthy kidney, and surgery gives Arlo his best chance at more time with our family. We are also reaching out to veterinary universities and oncology specialists to explore every option available to him.

The surgery is estimated to cost between $6,000 and $8,000, and that does not include the pre-surgical biopsy, follow-up care, or any chemotherapy that may be needed afterward. As much as we want to do everything possible for Arlo, this is a financial mountain for our family.

We are not asking for much, just whatever you can spare. Every single dollar brings us closer to giving Arlo the fighting chance he deserves. He is not just a dog. He is family. He has comforted us on hard days, made us laugh when we needed it most, and loved us without condition.

If you cannot donate, please share this page. Sharing costs nothing and means everything.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Melanie and Arlo