Hope For Ava: Cancer Treatment Fund

Ava is a 9 yo Mastiff mix I adopted from KC PAWS approximately 4 years ago. The first time I saw a photo of her on the KC PAWS website I knew she was mine. This sweet, gentle giant very quickly became part of the family and I became her favorite person. If you were able to ask her, she would adamantly tell you that she is a lap dog and she would be happiest if she could crawl into my skin. To say she is clingy would be an understatement. When I met Ava the week I adopted her I am almost fairly certain I cried as she looked up at me with her big brown eyes, begging me to take her home. Despite the slobber confetti trail she leaves in her wake and how much it grosses me out sometimes, I would do anything to keep her happy and healthy. This is the reason for this GoFundMe.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed Ava started limping. At first, it was a mild limp and I initially chalked it up to her jumping off of my bed and I thought she may have sprained her foot. Over this past weekend (around 5/16) her limp got progressively worse to where she was dragging her right front foot and not wanting to bear weight on that leg at all.

This morning (5/20) I took her to the Pet Resource Center of Kansas City's Urgent Care to have them assess her and get x-rays taken of her leg/paw. What they told me is not something I was expecting to hear. On the x-ray they saw a fuzzy area around her shoulder joint, which the vet indicated is likely cancer. They recommended I follow up with an oncologist and referred me to Blue Pearl and Mission Med Vet. I set an appointment for her to be seen at Blue Pearl on 5/30. I am currently still recovering financially from an eviction I went through 2 years ago and this diagnosis would be a devastating blow not only financially, but also emotionally.

Everyone who knows Ava knows she does not act like she is almost 10 years old. She often goes to daycare and thrives when she gets to play with all the foster puppies that come through KC PAWS. She truly is living her best life, while also teaching some of the younger pups some manners. She loves socializing with all dogs, but she especially loves playing "surrogate mom" to the young ones. She has so much more life left in her that I can't give up on her now. She has so many more puppies to play with and so many more hearts to touch.

Initially, I am asking to raise $600. This will cover the $382 invoice I received from PRCKC today, plus the $237 consultation fee I was quoted from Blue Pearl. This number is likely to increase as we learn more about her diagnosis and treatment options.

Thank you so much for your consideration. Ava and I are so thankful and appreciative of all the kindness and generosity bestowed upon us.