Pet Parent Issues Warning After Dog Needs Emergency Surgery From Inhaling Soil Fungus

As dog owners, we would probably do anything to make sure that our furry friend was safe, happy, and comfortable. We make sure that they have plenty of good food, a warm place to sleep, and we take them to the vet when there is any medical problem.

The love that families have for their dogs was seen in a very special way recently in Illinois. According to the family’s GoFundMe, three-year-old Mocha began suffering from a health problem and almost died after breathing in a fungus in the soil around the family home.

Mocha ended up with a blastomycosis infection that was so serious, it almost cost him his life. Fortunately, they were able to save Mocha but it did come at a cost.

In part, the cost was the fact that Mocha had to have one of his lungs removed. There was also the monetary cost of $11,000, and the Garden Prairie family was not prepared for that medical expense.

Michael Lee and his wife knew that Mocha meant the world to them and they had two young children who loved the dog as well. In the end, it was a no-brainer but it was one that hurt the family budget.

The family had brought Mocha into the fold almost 4 years previous to the time that he became sick. As a black Labrador, he had a loving and endearing personality and he was also quite large, weighing in at some 105 pounds.

The family began to notice that Mocha was acting lethargic and after a couple of weeks, the symptoms were not passing. They thought, at first, that it was a cold but they decided to take him to the vet when the symptoms weren’t going away.

They put Mocha on antibiotics and sent him home with the family but according to Lee, they didn’t help much. He also went downhill quickly after the antibiotics stopped.

His heart went up to 55 bpm and they took him to an emergency clinic in Bannockburn, Illinois to see what could be done. They then had to drive to Madison, Wisconsin, which was two hours away and Mocha went through surgery.

In the end, they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to get a loan large enough to save the dog but they were able to get one at the last minute. That also put them in a difficult spot, especially since Christmas was coming up.

According to the New York Post, Lee said: “It’s a hard decision, but the girls loved the dog. And you could see in his eyes that he wanted to stay with us. So, we had to do it.”

He went on to say that you could never replace that type of love, not even for $11,000.

Mocha is recovering but has to take 10 different medications, some of them two times a day. A GoFundMe account was set up to help cover the medical costs, and they have reached their goal.