A fluffy dog sits amidst a dense thicket of bare branches and twigs in a black and white forest setting.

Balto was one of seven dogs dumped together along a country road in Arkansas. Thankfully, our rescue partners were able to get them to safety&mdash;and when they reached out asking for help, Northern Lakes Rescue had the honor of saying YES to Balto.His foster-to-adopt dad is already counting down the seconds until Balto arrives in Minnesota.Then, during Balto&rsquo;s pre-transport vetting, we received news we weren&rsquo;t expecting:Balto tested positive for heartworm.The good news is that heartworm is treatable, and dogs who successfully complete treatment can go on to live long, happy lives. Balto&rsquo;s future family is still completely committed to him, and his diagnosis does not change our promise to bring him home.But it does add a significant unexpected expense.Heartworm treatment typically costs $500&ndash;$900, depending on the size of the dog and the treatment needed. It also requires multiple veterinary appointments, careful monitoring, and strict activity restriction during recovery. Our closest heartworm treatment partner is more than two hours away, adding another layer of coordination for our volunteer-run rescue.For a small, 100% volunteer foster-based rescue, an unexpected heartworm diagnosis means rearranging an already stretched medical budget&mdash;but Balto&rsquo;s yes still means yes.He has already survived being abandoned.He has people waiting for him.Now we just need your help getting him healthy enough to enjoy the life he should have had all along.Every donation, whether it&rsquo;s $5, $10, $25 or more, helps cover Balto&rsquo;s heartworm treatment and gets him one step closer to his new beginning.Thank you for helping us keep saying YES to dogs like Balto. ❤️🐾

Balto was one of seven dogs dumped together along a country road in Arkansas. Thankfully, our rescue partners were able to get them to safety—and when they reached out asking for help, Northern Lakes Rescue had the honor of saying YES to Balto.His foster-to-adopt dad is already counting down the seconds until Balto arrives in Minnesota.Then, during Balto’s pre-transport vetting, we received news we weren’t expecting:Balto tested positive for heartworm.The good news is that heartworm is treatable, and dogs who successfully complete treatment can go on to live long, happy lives. Balto’s future family is still completely committed to him, and his diagnosis does not change our promise to bring him home.But it does add a significant unexpected expense.Heartworm treatment typically costs $500–$900, depending on the size of the dog and the treatment needed. It also requires multiple veterinary appointments, careful monitoring, and strict activity restriction during recovery. Our closest heartworm treatment partner is more than two hours away, adding another layer of coordination for our volunteer-run rescue.For a small, 100% volunteer foster-based rescue, an unexpected heartworm diagnosis means rearranging an already stretched medical budget—but Balto’s yes still means yes.He has already survived being abandoned.He has people waiting for him.Now we just need your help getting him healthy enough to enjoy the life he should have had all along.Every donation, whether it’s $5, $10, $25 or more, helps cover Balto’s heartworm treatment and gets him one step closer to his new beginning.Thank you for helping us keep saying YES to dogs like Balto. ❤️🐾

Northern Lakes Rescue

Balto’s Heartworm Treatment

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