Reason for Nomination: Defying the Odds
Milly is a 10 year old Golden Retriever who first came in to us in January 2017 after showing signs of disorientation and not being her usual happy self. Bloods were taken which showed slightly raised kidney values. This can be due to dehydration or can show a problem with the kidneys, and as Milly was a slightly older girl we recommended further investigations. Further tests showed that Milly’s kidneys were not functioning well and she was losing a lot of protein into her urine. The kidneys filter the toxins from the blood whilst keeping useful sugars, proteins and blood cells in the body. Because Milly’s kidneys were not working properly the toxins were not being filtered, and the kidney had become ‘leaky’ losing essential proteins into the urine. The reduced kidney function also leads to high blood pressure, which in Milly’s case was dangerously high, risking further damage to the kidneys as well as her other organs
Milly was started on medications to help her blood pressure and to reduce protein loss through the kidneys. She then had a specialist scan with Dr Andrew Holloway and an ultrasound-guided biopsy taken of her kidneys to try and diagnose the cause of her kidney problem and see if any further treatment could be done.
Sadly, this showed that she had a disease called protein-losing glomerulonephropathy. This is a progressive disease with no known specific cause or treatment. We could only support her kidneys with a prescription diet and medications. Dogs with this disease unfortunately do not have a good prognosis and we expected Milly to only do well for a few months after diagnosis.
Amazingly, thanks to the dedication of her owners, 1 year later she is still going strong! Milly has been on a special diet for kidneys and medications to help reduce protein loss and bring down her blood pressure. Although her blood pressure is still high, her kidney values are stable. She was recently hospitalised for a bad bout of gastroenteritis, but within a few days, she had bounced back and was ready to go home and continue TLC with her family. We are so happy that Milly is still with us and hope she continues to do well and enjoy life at home.
