This is Lola. Lola was one of five puppies born by emergency caesarean Section on the 20th September 2017. This was our first ever litter and a very well planned one with all pre breeding screening was done. We were delighted with Ellies bundles of joy and she was a fantastic mum. On day three, Lola was noted to be wet and leaking urine constantly. She was given antibiotics by our local vet incase we were lucky enough that only an infection was present. It appeared it was likely she had ectopic ureters.

I was advised to say goodbye! Absolutely devestated, I looked at her face, how could I say goodbye, she was perfect in every other way. I needed to give her a chance, I owed her the chance to have a life!

I began researching ectopic ureters, and we were then referred to The Queens Veterinary College in Cambridge who were undertaking research into ectopic ureters in Golden Retrievers. The plan then was to continue to bath daily to prevent urine scalding and infection until she reached 12 weeks of age, the age she could undergo investigations and treatment at the Queens.

We kept on with the daily bathing and protecting her skin with Cavilon spray and then Isoderm during a flare up, along with regular urinalysis and antibiotics when needed. The bath started off in a desert bowl, progressing onto a washing up bowl, then the bath as she grew. All this time, she remained a playful and happy pup, who loved her cuddles, loved her Mum and us and more importantly, loved her life.

Lola went to the Queens in December 2017 where a diagnosis of ectopic ureter on her left side was confirmed. She underwent laser ablation surgery to the left ureter. The right ureter was positioned in her bladder but very low down close to the bladder neck. It was decided to leave that in the hope that as she grew, the position would improve. She also had a band of abnormal tissue lasered and further scans to rule out a liver shunt. Luckily no liver shunt was found.

Off we went home, praying our beloved Lola would become drier in the days to follow. Sadly this wasn’t the case, and further urine infections followed with increasing incontinence as she grew bigger.

We took her back to Cambridge in early May for further cystoscopy and possible laser ablation. This time, both ureters were now positioned abnormally low inside the bladder neck, therefore both sides were lasered right back. Lola also underwent urodynamics studies and this confirmed a bleak outlook for her bladder function.

We left hoping that despite the poor sphincter, with the ureters bothnow being positioned much better in her bladder, things would improve.

However Lola had no improvement and then it was decided to start her on medication. We commenced Propalin which usually works by tightening the sphincter muscle, in Lolas case this stopped her voluntary urinating which significantly increased her incontinence. This was stopped and further urinalysis was undertaken and confirmed clear. We restarted a week or so after on a much lower dose, with the plan to build it up. As the dosage started building up, Lola again stopped being able to voluntarily urinate and began flooding again much worse than usual. Again we had to stop the Propalin.

We then tried Oxybutinin which works as a muscle relaxant and this again caused the same side effects to Lola as the Propalin did, no longer able to urinate but significant increase in incontinence.

We were advised to await for her first season, hoping that the estrogen will increase sphincter tone and render her dry. In early June, she started to become drier as each day went by, a week later she was completely dry and her season started, we were overjoyed to see it and couldn’t believe our Lovely Lola was dry. We prayed she would remain dry after her season ended. However in true Lola style this wasn’t the case.

She started to leak again midway through her season as the estrogen levels dropped. We had a total of 3 weeks of dryness and it was lovely for us all, Lola was her usual happy self, so loving as always. We were yet again devestated for her.

So now the plan is to go back to Cambridge and fit an artificial sphincter cuff which should all being well will render her continent. The band can be inflated with saline to increase resistance and give good control.

However as although Lola is insured, her urinary system isn’t covered as she was born with this, I need to raise a minimum of £3000 for this next treatment +/- colposuspension.

In view of the excessive vet bills we’ve already paid, for this next operation, I am undertaking a 100 mile bike ride from Pontefract in West Yorkshire to the Humber Bridge and back in order to raise funds towards surgery to fit an artificial sphincter placement cuff. This is taking place on 08/10/2018 and although i’m nowhere near fit enough, I owe my girl the chance so I’m doing it anyway.

I’d like to thank you for reading this and hope you’d like to sponsor this event with a view to getting Lola this operation and a chance of a normal life that she so very much deserves.

Thank you xxxxx

Thank you so much for reading xxxx