The Journey of Ricardo: A Golden Retriever Who Beat the Odds

Hello there, I’m Chloé, and this is Ricardo.

I’m a 30-year-old woman who has always loved animals. I remember constantly asking my parents for a Golden Retriever, but they didn’t love pets the way I did. The answer was always the same: when you’re older and have your own house, you can get your own dog.

Although a dog was always a no, my parents did enroll me in horseback riding lessons. Horses became a big part of my life from the age of 6 to 26. At 14, I got my first job, and my only goal was to save enough money to buy my first horse. At 15, on Christmas, I bought my first barrel racing pony.

As the years went by, my love for horses only grew. I started riding more intensively, training young horses, competing in barrel racing events, and training other horses.

In late 2022, I bought my first house with my partner… and now you see where this is going.

Three days after moving in, with boxes still everywhere, I told my partner we had an appointment at our local shelter to adopt a kitten, Wedgie. He became the first official member of our little family. A few months later, Ricardo joined us.

A Difficult Start to Life -  Ricardo is a 3-year-old Golden Retriever, and his story is quite special. He was born with a severe cleft palate, and his life was hanging by a thread from the beginning. Unable to nurse from his mother, the breeder rushed him to emergency care. At only two days old, Ricardo had his first surgery to try to repair the cleft. He was bottle-fed every 2–3 hours during the first week of his life.

By the time he was three months old, Ricardo had already undergone three surgeries. No one knew what his future would look like.

Several factors made us feel that Ricardo was meant to be part of our family. First, when we went to visit the breeder, we instantly bonded with Ricardo’s mom. She was incredibly sweet and calm, and we knew we wanted a puppy from her. This was her last litter, and she had only one puppy — Ricardo.

Second, my partner had a complete palate reconstruction after a traumatic accident when he was eight years old. When we learned Ricardo’s story, it felt very personal to us. I truly believe everyone deserves a chance.

Ricardo was the dog of my dreams calm, intelligent, a little silly, and incredibly affectionate. We immediately fell in love with him despite his condition. But living with a cleft palate came with many challenges. Because of his condition, food would constantly get stuck in the opening between his mouth and nasal cavity. He would often choke while eating or sneeze food out through his nose.

As you can probably imagine… it could get messy.

Unfortunately, this also caused chronic sinus infections, as small pieces of food would get trapped and travel into his nasal passages. Feeding him became a real challenge, especially since he didn’t seem to enjoy eating. Honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

We tried everything we could think of.

Nothing worked. Since he was still a growing puppy, it became very concerning. We visited the vet multiple times. We did X-rays, treated several sinus infections with antibiotics, and even switched to canned food. But nothing really improved.

When Ricardo was 10 months old, in July, we decided to consult a veterinary surgeon. The vet believed surgery could help. The procedure involved removing his upper molars to create additional tissue that could be used to close the cleft.

The surgery went smoothly. Ricardo had to stay on soaked kibble for 8 weeks and had to avoid any objects in his mouth during recovery. For a Golden Retriever, that’s easier said than done. Unfortunately, the sutures began to break after a few days, and a week later he was back in surgery.

Sadly, the wound reopened again shortly after.

We were devastated.

We waited two months to allow proper healing before attempting another surgery. This time, Ricardo stayed at the clinic for four days, and the veterinarian placed a feeding tube directly into his stomach to protect the surgical repair. We blended his food with water and fed him through the tube every three hours for six weeks.

At first, things looked promising. The cleft held for two weeks and was healing well.

But unfortunately… it failed again.

The vet was honest with us and said she had done everything she could surgically.

A few weeks later, in December, I received a direct message from someone who had seen Ricardo’s story online. She believed her orthopedic veterinarian might be able to help. Soon after, the clinic contacted us and offered a free consultation. After discussing the procedure, we decided to try one last surgery. We scheduled it for April, giving Ricardo a few months to simply enjoy life.

The surgery lasted over four hours, much longer than expected.

The veterinary team did an incredible job, and Ricardo stayed at the clinic for a full week so they could monitor him closely.

The clinic staff were amazing. They sent regular updates and photos, and the vet even added me on Facebook and Messenger to personally keep me informed.

It was the longest week of my life.

Once Ricardo came home, we had to feed him four times a day using Purina GI canned food. We hand-fed him small pieces and ensured he ate very gently. After every meal, we cleaned his mouth with a chlorhexidine solution. He still couldn’t have anything in his mouth for 6–8 weeks.

The surgery wasn’t 100% successful, but it reduced the cleft by about 60%. The vet explained that further surgeries would likely cause more harm than good, due to scar tissue.

So we decided to stop there.

Today, it’s been almost two years since Ricardo’s last surgery. And he is truly living his best life.

We’ve found ways to feed him that minimize food getting stuck, and over time we’ve learned how to manage his condition so he can live comfortably.

We stay active and enjoy many dog sports together.

Ricardo now holds titles in:

And we recently started Barn Hunt. He absolutely loves being active, learning new things, and spending time with us.

More than anything, we simply enjoy every moment with him. After everything he’s been through, we try not to take anything for granted. We focus on the little things:

Despite all the challenges along the way, we wouldn’t trade this life for anything.

Watching Ricardo run, play, and live life to the fullest reminds us that every challenge was worth it.

Chloé Neault is a dog advocate and content creator who shares her life with Ricardo, her cleft palate dog. Through their daily adventures, she raises awareness about special-needs dogs and shows that with the right care and dedication, they can live full and happy lives.

Passionate about canine well-being, Chloé enjoys sharing tips, experiences, and honest moments from life with dogs to inspire and support other pet parents. Through her content, she hopes to educate, connect with the community, and show that every dog, no matter their challenges, deserves a chance to thrive.

In her free time, Chloé also loves cooking and baking, always finding joy in creating homemade treats and spending time in the kitchen.

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