When Woody was a cute 21-week-old puppy, he had a problem with leaking urine (urinary incontinence) and was brought to us for investigation. Our Soft Tissue Surgery Specialist, Daniela Murgia, examined him and suspected something called an ectopic ureter. This happens when the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder connects in the wrong place, and it’s a common cause of urinary incontinence in dogs.
Our diagnostic team, performed a CT scan on Woody to check the structure of his urinary system and the function of his kidneys. The results showed that his right kidney and ureter were normal and working properly. However, his left kidney was enlarged, and the left ureter was stretched out. The changes were so severe that we couldn’t fix them with surgery.
Unfortunately, Daniela couldn’t recommend a surgical repair because it was unlikely that Woody’s left kidney would ever function normally. So, we had to remove his left kidney, and he was left with only his right kidney. Our team took good care of him, and he recovered well after the surgery.
Woody was discharged a few days after the operation but needed to rest for three weeks. During this time, he had short leash walks for toilet breaks, but he wasn’t allowed to jump, run, or play roughly. It was also important to keep him away from other dogs during this period, which he loves!
When Woody came in for a check-up, he was doing really well, and his surgical incision had completely healed. Now, two years later, his owners are happy to report that Woody is doing fantastic. They said, “I wanted to say thank you so much to you and your team for what you did for him.”
