A girl and her dog. 

The story goes as such…6.5 years ago we went to adopt a cat but the puppy barks called her instead. It was the first plexiglass cage that she arrived at and kneeled. She never once was interested in looking at any other puppies. Mason chose her. Their eyes were locked and just like in a movie it was hand to paw on the plexiglass. Not kidding.

As my ex and I went back and forth on the decision, we decided a dog was not a good fit for us at the time. We proceeded to pull the kids away to leave when she turned to me and said all choked up with tears and all boogery, “Mom, please! I NEED him!” I looked at my ex, he looked at me and he said “I guess we have a dog now.” We both had melted and gave in. He has stolen all our hearts.

This is our family’s first dog. He has been there for us for so many high and low moments. Mason has given us 6.5 years of unconditional love. We look forward to another 6 years but we need your help. We are only 2 weeks into treatment for a systemic fungal infection known to be rampant in the Midwest called Blastomycosis. See the spores that showed up in his lung x-ray.

As a single mom, I’m doing all I can to keep treatment going. He has moments where he is completely depleted of energy, but he manages to give us glimpses of his old self--wagging his tail and barking. Even though I cry every day, I hold onto hope that he will beat this and recover.

❤️ But we can’t do it without your help. 

Unfortunately, when this illness is detected, it is usually at a late stage when symptoms like lesions and enlarged lymph nodes appear. Sadly, in only 1.5 weeks since his diagnosis, this horrible illness has taken over one of his eyes. He has lost vision in his right eye due to increased pressure caused by glaucoma which was induced by this illness. The swelling in his eye causes him severe headaches. The ophthalmologist stated surgery is the only way to give him relief. Financially, I’m already exhausted. X-rays, urinalysis and bloodwork must be done monthly to track his progress as well as monitor his liver and kidney function while on the anti fungal and pain medication.

We are all heartbroken to know he’s hurting. Mason has been our baby (and buddy) for the past 6.5 years now. The thought of losing him has been our family's worst fear.

Blastomycosis (https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/respiratory/c_multi_blastomycosis), is a systemic fungal infection that acts a lot like cancer. It has been so difficult to watch him go through this ordeal.

GoFundMe is our final effort to save Mason and give him a chance to enjoy the rest of his life with us. These funds would go towards:

Would you please consider helping our family save our buddy, our best friend? We can't express what your gift would mean to not only Mason, but to our family.

Your thoughts and prayers for our family would also be greatly appreciated.

Please share with your friends, family and social media.

God Bless you!

-Mason's Family