Courtney Steward with her dog, Pearl. The six-year-old Pitbull mix is receiving financial assistance from The Magic Bullet Fund, an organization that helps dogs with their cancer treatment needs. (Photo provided)

Unable to pay for the chemotherapy treatments required to keep Pearl alive, Steward reached out to The Magic Bullet Fund, a non-profit helping provide resources to and financial assistance for dogs diagnosed with cancer.

Pearl’s treatments will cost around $3,100 and donations are being accepted through Sunday, April 2. at themagicbulletfund.org. You can also donate by texting PEARLS to 71777.

“Pearl was on the streets of Detroit until The River Rouge Shelter found her,” said Steward. “Then, Last Day Dog Rescue took Pearl from them. In August of 2015, she lost her front leg to mast cell cancer, and then I saw Pearl on their (Last Day Dog Rescue) site and immediately fell in love with her uniqueness. When we met I knew she was my furry soul mate.”

Pearl was adopted by Steward in February 2016.

RELATED: Pearl’s Facebook page, Pearl’s Journey

Steward said she is thankful for all the support given to her and Pearl during this difficult time.

“Pearl has taught me that unconditional love isn’t just heavenly and I can’t imagine not fighting for her to have the best life possible no matter how much longer she has,” said Steward.

The Inspiration

The fund was founded by medical animal writer Laurie Kaplan.

“My 9-year-old Siberian husky was diagnosed with lymphoma in July 2000,” said Kaplan. “The Magic Bullet Fund is his legacy, his name was Bullet. I am a medical animal writer and at that time I was the editor of Catnip newsmagazine from Tufts vet school. With help from one of the Tufts vets as a consultant, Dave Ruslander, I put Bullet through chemotherapy.”

While Bullet was receiving treatment, Kaplan wrote a book, “Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.” She had the idea of donating a portion of the book’s proceeds to a fund that would help people who have dogs with cancer but cannot afford treatment fees. “I couldn’t find one, so I created the Magic Bullet Fund,” said Kaplan.

The organization helps set up fundraisers for each dog and uses its network of past donors and sponsors to fund medical treatments.

To date, the Magic Bullet Fund has assisted more than 500 dogs through cancer treatment.