It started with a pink spot on his lip. Before we knew it, our dog was blind and fighting for his life.

Nikko is two years old, and he’s the sweetest, smartest, best-behaved dog we’ve ever had. He doesn’t growl, bark at people, or jump on anyone. He just wants to be near his family.

Nikko has blastomycosis, a fungal infection that lives in the soil here in Middle Tennessee. Dogs breathe in the spores, and the fungus spreads through the body. By the time it was diagnosed, it had reached his lungs and his eyes. At his worst, he was so weak we had to lift him into our van to get him to the vet.

He’s lost his sight. His vet says he may or may not regain some vision, and if he doesn’t, his eyes may need to be removed so the fungus can’t hide there and come back.

Blasto is treatable, and most dogs survive with the right medicine. The hard part is that treatment takes months of antifungal medication, regular bloodwork to protect his liver, and follow-up X-rays to make sure the infection is gone.

If anything good has come from this, it’s the compassion it has brought out in our three children, ages 13, 8, and 5. All three have come together to give Nikko the best care. Our little girl told us that all she wants for Christmas is for Nikko to live.

We’ve already spent over $1,100 on vet visits, X-rays, bloodwork, and medication, and we’re just getting started. We’re asking for help to see him through.

Our first goal is $2,600, which covers the vet bills we’ve already paid plus his first few months of medication and testing. Full treatment could cost up to $5,000:

If anything is left over, it will go to his future care. We’ll post updates as he goes through treatment.

Thank you for reading, for giving if you can, and for sharing if you can’t. Nikko is a very good boy, and we want to give him every chance to get better.