Hi

I have a 20 month old Golden Retriever who at a year old was diagnosed with only having one full sized functioning kidney.  She had an operation at Cambridge University Hospital (thank god for pet insurance!) where they inserted a tube from the under developed kidney to the bladder as the tube had also not developed properly and had holes in it and although her body wasn't really using this kidney, when it did, the wee just leaked into her body giving her serious liver and kidney infections!  Obviously it was a complete nightmare and probably the worst week of my life while I sat at home waiting for her to recover enough from the operation for me to be able to bring her home, but once she was home she made good steady progress.

Just as I thought things were going to be ok, ie I have a very bouncy, full of life golden retriever, I have found out today that her one kidney is not coping as well as it should be and the test results from today have showed the readings to be higher than they should be. 

Apparently although this is not a common problem, I understand that it does occur in her breed.  Does anyone else know anything about this.  The vet has suggested that we put her on a low protein diet.  Has anyone else done this or if there is anything I can do to help have the long heathly life my beautiful girl deserves?

My first ever Golden had kidney problems -sadly only lived until 4. We made his food 50% boiled white rice to lower the protein content, and he got injections with anabolic steroids, which was the usual kidney treatment in the past. This is now almost 25 years ago so things will have changed a lot. Kidney problems in cats is really common and there you can buy kidney diets from the vets -Hills, Royal Canin and Waltham all do them, maybe ask if there is a similar thing for dogs? However the latest thinking in cats is that the protein content doesn't actually matter after all.

I'm so sorry to hear about your Golden girl. I don't have any experience with it but this site, and this one have some information as well as recipes and links to more research and information. I take everything I read on the internet with a huge grain of salt but if you sift through things and stick to reliable sources you can find some good information. Have you told your breeder? My understanding is this disease is congenital and hereditary so the breeder should be informed.

I hope your girl lives a long and happy life. It must be heartbreaking news for you. Big hugs from me and my Golden boy.

Sorry to hear about your dog.

We had a lab/retriever cross who had kidney & liver problems. It was a few years back now but I  think the vet said she only had one kidney.

We fed ours on rice & james wellbeloved & eukanuba.

Unfortunately ours didn't live long & had to be PTS on Christmas day at the age of 18 months.

I pray yours can lead an happy & fulfilling life.

Hi

Thanks for your kind words.  I spoke to the breeder as soon as we had the diagnosis and she has been very kind and concerned.  She had breed from my dogs mum in the past and this is the first time that she has ever had any health problems with any puppies.  She has been to her vet and the mum is fine and it appears that the problem has come from the dad (who has also been informed).  My girl was one of only 3 puppies which could have been the first sign that things were not as they should be as the mum had in the past had normal size litters, and both her brother and sister now won't be used for breeding either (the breeder still has her sister and she has now been spayed).

I will have a look at the web sites as any information is helpful.

Thanks again

I'm really sorry to hear about your Golden Girl, I don't have any advice but just wanted to send very best wishes and hope your girl has a long, healthy and happy life!
Maria  x

Look up Ectopic Ureter.  Some Golden lines carry this problem and sometimes the breeder puts the puppy to sleep at a very early age therefore the problem can be swept under the carpet. It very much sounds like or similar to what your girl has. Unfortunately not many people keep the puppies until they are old enough to be operated on so therefore it is hard to assess the success rate. Not for one second saying your breeder is like this, I am sure she wouldn't have bred this combination if she had known the outcome.

I have just looked at the report from Cambridge Hospital and she has been diagnosed with Ectopic Ureter.  Fortunately my girls brother and sister are fine and will not be used to breed from, so they won't pass it on.  The breeder has also been researching into 'ectopic ureter' as she is obviously concerned and although puppies usually show signs at a very early age, my girl didn't show any symptons until she was 5 months old and even then it took a while to get the diagnosis. 

Does anyone else out there have a dog with the same condition and a good success story?  Since her operation she had discovered new found energy and until her recent tests, apart from her scar, she seemed to be a beautiful, healthy dog so we are just hoping that by controlling her diet her kidney levels will reduce to an acceptable level and she can live a long and healthy life.

I know someone who had one of her puppies operated on but I don't know what the outcome was.  I will contact her and ask for further info for you.  The problem is that some breeders know which of their lines carry it and still permit their dogs to be used on lines that also carry it!!!.  I will keep everything crossed for you and lets hope you both get a happy outcome. Will pm you if I get any info.