10/19/2026
🐾 A Rare Surgical Story: Meet Odin! 🐾
Odin, an 8-year-old German Shepherd mix originally adopted from Paraguay, came to us after developing blood in his urine and urinary leakage. An abdominal ultrasound revealed two significant abnormalities: a severely damaged right kidney and a very large fluid-filled cyst beside his prostate.
Further testing uncovered the surprising cause of Odin’s kidney disease: a giant kidney worm 🪱😱(Dioctophyme renale).
This uncommon parasite is considered the largest known parasitic roundworm and can live inside a kidney and gradually destroy its functional tissue. Although Odin’s right kidney was severely abnormal, his healthy left kidney had been quietly doing the work for both.
Odin underwent abdominal surgery with Dr. Wolfe and our CVSS team. During the procedure, the large paraprostatic cyst was removed and omentalized, and the affected kidney and ureter were removed. When the kidney was opened after surgery, the team found a single adult giant kidney worm surrounded by only a thin shell of fibrous tissue - there was no functional kidney tissue remaining 🤯. Odin was also neutered to help reduce the risk of his paraprostatic cyst returning.
We are happy to report that Odin recovered beautifully! At his two-week recheck, his family reported that he was comfortable, eating well, urinating normally, and had more energy than he did before surgery. His incisions were completely healed, and he was back to feeling like himself.
Odin’s remarkable case is an important reminder that unusual diseases can sometimes hide behind common symptoms such as blood in the urine. We are so grateful to his family for trusting our team with his care and we are thrilled to see this special boy doing so well! 💙
