Ectopic Ureter

[DakotaJ]

Anyone have any experience with a dog having an ectopic ureter? We have a 9 month old golden retriever who has had random bouts of incontinence and frequent UTIs. Our first vet treated the UTIs but when it became obvious it was a continuing problem we sought a second opinion. This vet suspects it is an ectopic ureter and we have an appointment with a specialist clinic next week. My research indicates that this is a congenital problem which is fairly common in Golden Retrievers, and could involve a big operation to fix. We are pretty concerned particularly because we had never heard of it, and we had owned a Golden before.

Has anybody encountered this problem ? Is it common amongst Goldens in Australia? We will wait for the confirmation by the vet before we leap to any conclusions but our vet is pretty certain. She will have to have a test involving her being sedated and having dye run through her bladder and scanned before they can tell where the problem is. If it is an ectopic ureter I think I will have to tell the breeder as it is the result of 2 dogs with the recessive gene being mated.

It is all very disturbing or us, we love her ver much and don't want her to be put through a large and painful operation, with no guarantee of success, and of course there is considerable expense involved

Any info on any experiences anyone has had with this problem would be greatly appreciated.

[goldielover]

How worrying for you DakotaJ. I wouldn't say it is common amongst Goldens in Australia, but it does occur. It's usually picked up by the breeder when the pups are around 3 weeks old (the pup is pretty much always wet). THe random bouts of incontinence is strange... if she was incontinent all the time (or even a little 'wet' around that area), i'd think it was Ectopic ureter. Was she speyed very early in life? Could also be spey incontinence. If it is EU, you definitely should inform your breeder as obviously they couldn't repeat that mating again. Please let us know how you go at the Specialist appointment :), and good luck!

Edited February 9, 2013 by goldielover

[DakotaJ]

Thanks for getting back to me. She can go a few weeks without being wet and then we will find wet patches under her when she gets up and the side of her rump which she was lying on will be wet. This can then happen a few times over a couple of days then she will dry up again. I can't see why if it is a deformity, she wouldn't be wet all the time.

She has had 4 UTIs since we got her at 8 weeks. I think our first Vet was very unsure of the cause of the incontinence and the second is playing it safe by sending us to a specialist. We are happy to take her because we would really like to know what is going on.

It does make me feel better to know EU is usually picked up on when they are very young, maybe she doesn't have it. I will let you know the diagnosis, our appt is not tilts 22nd

[Miss Danni]

DakotaJ, I had a Siberian Husky with ectopic ureters. She was born in 1993, so we are going back a fair way :)

Same as you, she was treated for UTI a few times without result and was then assessed for ectopic ureter at Sydney Uni. The only option for her was surgery or PTS. There was never any thought of PTS let me tell you! The surgery was expensive - $800+ at the time, so probably equivalent to about $3000 now, but we went ahead and she recovered well and we never had any major health issues with her subsequently.

We did have to take some care with her diet, as the surgery increases the chance of crystals forming in the bladder at the site of the scars and more UTIs as well. I used to feed her cranberry juice in her water and I honestly cannot recall too many issues associated with the ectopic ureter surgery. She was sore for a little while after the surgery, as you would expect, but it would be no worse than desexing for instance, and she was back to normal in a few days. In the intervening 20 years, I am sure that the surgical procedure is even more refined and less invasive than it was for Moscow.

I would have no hesitation in doing the surgery again if I ever had another puppy diagnosed with the problem. There are certainly much worse things that puppies can suffer from.

Good luck with your girl :)

[DakotaJ]

Just an update - and for those who may be searching on this topic. Meeka has had all the tests done and it is not EU, but it is a condition called Vulvovaginal Stenosis.which "is an uncommon medical condition that affects female dogs. The vagina narrows at the point where the urethra ends. Small amounts of urine become trapped at the narrowed end of the vagina, which can leak when the dog stands up."

She has had her vaginal opening made wider which should alleviate the condition, it was a minor procedure, no stitches.

If your dog is incontinent it might be a condition to discuss with your vet

Thanks everyone for your replies, they were very helpful

[Alyosha]

Excellent outcome DakotaJ.

[becks]

Thanks for getting back with the results! Hope that is a permanent cure now

[Miss Danni]

Excellent news DakotaJ

[goldielover]

What a great outcome DakotaJ :)