Hey everyone,

I hate asking for help, but this isn’t for me it’s for Ryder.

Two weeks ago, I came home from work and knew something was wrong. No tail wags, no zoomies, no excitement. Anyone who’s met Ryder knows that’s not him.

I immediately took him to the vet Friday night, where they ran some tests and sent us home with medication. Something was still wrong. The right side of his face had started to swell. So the next morning, I took him for a second opinion. More bloodwork, more tests, and the vet confirmed my suspicions of a serious ear infection with a possible abscess. So we did another round of medication with hopes he’d bounce back.

By Saturday evening things took a turn for the worst. Ryder’s eyes started shaking, he lost stability, and could hardly walk. Signs of neuro issues. I rushed him to the ER, where he stayed for 24 hours, barely eating, showing only mild improvement. The diagnosis came back as severe vestibular inflammation, possible ear drum perforation and infection in his ear canal. So, we were referred to a specialist for an MRI to confirm the infection had not spread to his brain and any further treatment.

The specialist confirmed we had caught the infection in time, but Ryder would need a total ear canal ablation (complete removal of the infected ear canal) with the damage the infection had caused. But before I could even pick him up, the neurologist found a mass on the tip of Ryder’s spleen during an x-ray. I requested a Nu.Q test, hoping for good news, but the results weren’t what we wanted to hear.

The doctor strongly suspects the mass is cancerous, and the only way to know for sure is to perform surgery to remove Ryder’s spleen, followed by lab testing. This will involve an ultrasound, the surgery itself, and pathology to determine and hope the cancer has not yet spread.

As you can imagine, these medical bills have already stacked up, and we haven’t even reached the surgery yet. I’ve done everything I can to keep up, but at this point, I need to ask for help.

If you’re able to donate, share, or even just send Ryder some love, please know how much it means to us. I don’t take this lightly…every bit of support makes a real difference.

Thank you for helping me fight for my boy.