Scrambles is my 9-year-old mastiff mix dog, who has been my loyal companion since the day he was born for my entire adult life so far. He has been to both the East and the West coast, and all of the major mountain ranges in the USA. Through thick and thin, he has been by my side as an unwavering friend. We spent most of his life so far traveling and going to as many of the beautiful places in this country as we could.

Around 9 months ago, I took him to the vet in Ohio for an ear infection, and the doctor noticed a growth on his scrotum. She suggested that I keep an eye on it and get it checked out if it seemed to have grown at all. Four months ago, we went to a vet in New Mexico because he was having some issues with bloody discharge leakage. They informed me that he had benign prostatic hyperplasia and that he needed to be neutered. After the procedure, we noticed that they did not remove the growth, and I was told by one of their staff over the phone that they ran a biopsy on it and it came back as benign, nothing to worry about.

Now, we have settled down in Asheville, NC. I have a full-time job and an apartment with my girlfriend and our dogs and cat. Scrambles started having issues with the discharge again, so we took him to a local animal hospital to get him reevaluated. As it turns out, the growth was not benign; it was a malignant mast cell tumor, which is a form of cancer. Upon calling the vet we took him to in New Mexico, we were informed that they did NOT perform a biopsy on the mass and had no records indicating such. Basically, they told us that everything was fine when it was not. The discharge is seemingly unrelated as far as we know at this time, but we don't have all of the information yet.

At this stage in the process, we are scheduled to take him in for an ultrasound and x-rays to confirm whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of his body. The initial examination is going to cost around 600+ dollars just to find out what's going on. If all is good with that, we're looking at a minimum of an additional 1300+ dollars to remove the growth and the rest of his scrotum. And that's the best-case scenario.

I'm seeking financial support in this trying time, as this dog is my absolute heart outside of my own body. I love him more than anything in the world, and I want to ensure that he gets to live a few more good years to go on more adventures. I want him to be able to meet my children when the time comes around for us to start a family. I can't stand the idea of losing my boy to cancer right now. If I could take it from him and bear that burden myself, I would do so in a heartbeat.

Please, help us give him the care he needs. I'm going to be spending my entire paycheck to get the initial examination done. He's one of the best dogs that anyone could have the pleasure of meeting. He's kind and gentle and loves everyone and everything. He has kept me safe when I was homeless and sleeping on the streets. I know in my heart he would give his life for me without hesitation, and I feel the same way towards him.

Either way, thank you for your consideration and your time in reading this. I love my dog so much, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to juggle everything and keep a straight face while dealing with all of this.