Our hearts break as we write this. Sweet baby Baloo, a Belgian Malinois barely a year old, is now fighting for his life in the hospital, in critical condition with a collapsed lung.

This little boy arrived as a frightened stray at our Miami-Dade County shelter on June 2nd in healthy condition. On June 11th, he was marked as urgent, having suddenly deteriorated overnight with what was believed to be a respiratory infection.

We rushed to pull Baloo out of the shelter. As Baloo was being loaded into the car, we realized something was very wrong, something much worse than a respiratory virus: Baloo's breathing was ragged; he was in too much pain to lie down; his eyes and face were swollen.

We drove him directly to the emergency hospital. X-rays revealed he had a collapsed lung (pneumothorax), a lot of air in his chest, and severe abdominal pain.

Baloo is now in critical condition, clinging to life in an oxygen chamber in the ICU. His medical bills are big (UPDATE final bill: $20,500). He has already endured two thoracentesis procedures to remove trapped air from his chest cavity, followed by the surgical placement of chest tubes to keep his lungs from collapsing again. On top of that, Baloo is battling an infection, difficulties urinating, and now has a catheter in place. He just underwent a CT scan to determine next steps.

How you can help:

❤️ Donate - any amount helps!

❤️ Share - sharing this fundraiser on social media makes a big impact.

❤️ Send Love - we believe in the power of prayer & positive thoughts.

Poor Baloo sat in the shelter in excruciating pain, slowly dying from a collapsed lung. If we hadn't intervened to save him, he wouldn't be alive today. Now we need your help. His medical bills are mounting, and a photo of the latest estimate is below.

Baloo is the sweetest, gentlest young boy who deserves a chance at a healthy, loved life after such a cruel beginning. The world is so unkind to stray animals. Please help us show him that kindness still exists.

With love and gratitude,

Erin, Karina, and Yolanda