# Often Handed Down by Unhealthy Parents or Unhealthy Conditions at Breeder



## GoldenBarks (Apr 11, 2012)

My last article post got flamed for being too positive so I'm posting today about some common health problems found in Golden Retrievers.

In general they are healthy pets and most of the health concerns may never surface if you choose a good breeder who has healthy and pedigreed Golden Retriever puppies.

*Reputed and Experienced Breeder*

The process of finding a healthy puppy without the normal dogs health problems as a pet starts with finding a knowledgeable and committed breeder. When you pick up a healthy puppy with healthy parents, its half the battle won

Make a list and ask all the right questions: You have to interrogate the breeder a little bit and ask a lot of incisive questions. Your primary concern has to be the health of the parents since it has a direct bearing on the dogs health problems of the puppies.

Are all documents and health certificates pertaining to the parent dogs of the puppy in order.

Certificates are required on specific parameters such as healthy heart, eye health, and hip clearance certificates from a recognized institution like the OFA or PennHip. If the parents have healthy hips, it minimizes the chances of the puppy developing a hip joint condition called Hip Dysplasia

What about the pedigree of the puppies. Can the breeder provide the pedigree for 3 to 5 generations to help avoid dogs health problems?

Ask if the breeder has taken care of first shots and vaccinations that newborn puppies have to receive in the initial weeks

Carefully scrutinize if hygienic conditions have been provided by the breeder for the puppies in the litter. Puppies can get infested with worms and internal parasites if the breeder does not maintain a clean facility

*Common Ailments and Dogs Health Problems in Golden Retrievers*

Hip Dysplasia- Developmental bone and joint disease
Distemper- Infectious disease that requires vaccination. It can be fatal and it affects respiratory functions and nervous system

Fleas- Skin ailments are often caused by fleas, a skin parasite. Fleas cause irritation, itching, inflammation and open sores. Flea medication prescribed by your vet should provide relief

Skin Allergies- Allergic reaction to dust in the house, pollen in the garden. The tendency to get skin allergies increases if the parents or previous generations have a history of allergies.

Worms-Internal parasites such as hook worms, round worms, ring worm. If you keep a watch for symptoms, you can have it treated before it becomes a major problem. At times hook worms can be handed down and infest a puppy as a new born because of the mother, simply by drinking mother's milk.

Ear Problems- Painful infection in the ear canal due to bacteria and yeasts

Fortunately I've never had anything wrong with my golden but a little dry skin and red ears from swimming. I'm kinda worried about his hips but going to have them x-ray in a couple months when he turns 2.

Brad


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

You've completely forgotten to mention elbow dysplasia and that having elbows x-rayed and evaluated by OFA is a requirement of the GRCA Code of Ethics for reputable breeders. 

This article, both on this forum and the near equivalent on your website (at least to the top half of what you posted here,) mentions eye clearances but fails to inform people that CERF is the registry that manages those and that the clearance may or may not be available to view at the OFA website along with their other clearances but should definitely be available in the CERF database. 

Heart clearances should be performed by a cardiologist and are not performed by ultrasound. Most dogs are checked only by oscultation (listening with a stethoscope). If there is a possible murmur, diagnosis of SAS (subaortic stenosis) is confirmed by echocardiogram. 

Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are influenced by environmental factors as well as genetics. For example, allowing a puppy to carry too much weight, allowing excessive jumping or performing forced exercise on a hard surface (i.e. jogging along the road with your dog on leash, even if he's a willing participant) can all contribute to the development of these afflictions.

"Skin allergies" can develop even if the dog's sire and dam do not exhibit them.

It's not just a 3-5 generation pedigree you want to examine prior to bringing the dog home. The pedigree should go WAY further back than that. The information you've read and are attempting to "reproduce" actually states that 3-5 generations of verifiable clearances (that's at minimum hips, elbows, hearts and eyes) should be available for examination.

Any dog can have problems with their ears, though some are more susceptible than others. That's not simply a genetic trait and can be prevented by good attention and frequent cleaning by the owners. Also, many ear infections are actually caused by a long standing food allergy.... similar to the "skin allergies" you mention.

The ailments you list are not specific to the golden retriever, but rather are common in many or most breeds of dog.

I hadn't seen your previous article, though I did go back and read through that thread since you mentioned it. I think this kind of overgeneralization and half-truth telling does a disservice to those who are looking for solid information to help them determine whether to bring a golden retriever into their home. I've only brought up some of the more obvious issues with this particular article and many people pointed out the unrealistic picture of a golden puppy you painted in your last one. I'm sure you don't want my opinion, but I'll give it anyway. If you truly love this breed, you need to restructure your website to make it blatantly and glaringly obvious that you are a breed enthusiast with very limited knowledge of this breed. Your articles should be presented as the opinion pieces they truly are and not sold as fact. And you should do a far better job of citing the articles, threads and/or websites you are drawing these opinions from. 

If you look through the puppy section of this forum you will see that we get numerous people joining this community on a daily basis because they are disillusioned that the "perfect dog" they were expecting is a bundle of raw energy with razor sharp teeth and a propensity to use them. Goldens are retrievers and are mouthy by nature... that's why they're so good at their job when one takes the time to guide them to use that tendency in a productive way. If I had expected the dog you present on your website, I would have been in for a rude awakening with my boy... and frankly Jersey has been darn near as perfect as a dog can be from day 1. He still needed a huge commitment from me to provide him with training and guidance... NO dog comes perfect out of the box - not even a golden.

Julie, Jersey and Oz


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Ah, I found the article on your site that correlates exactly to this one... I just hadn't looked down far enough. Followed that one to the article that talks about hip dysplasia. Glad to see you mentioned weight control there... though the term "stop weight gain" as pertains to a puppy scares me. Would be better to inform people about slow growth, wouldn't it?

Also, my pup Oz (though not a golden) would like you to know this statement about hip dysplasia is completely false:


> If the X-ray shows that the disease is in early stages it can be arrested with weight control and regular exercise.


He's thin as a rail and just finished 6 months of rehab (underwater treadmill therapy) with smart restrictions on his activities to minimize stress on his hips. We caught his dysplasia as early as humanly possible, before any signs of joint breakdown. Still, he's managed to develop 2 osteophytes (bone spurs, a sign of developing arthritis) in his hip since the original radiographs were taken. Sometimes it's all genetics... sometimes it's all environment.... usually it's a combination of the two. Some dogs with hips that look horrible on radiograph will never have a lame day in their lives. Some dogs with minimal radiographic evidence of a problem with have severe pain. Weight control and smart exercise is key in helping manage the symptoms of a dog with hip dysplasia - along with medications and supplements... but weight control and exercise alone "arrest" nothing.

Julie, Jersey and Oz


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I agree with Jersey's Mom totally. 

What about food allergies?

What about the elephant in the room with Goldens--cancer?? After all, you posted this in the Cancer section, but nothing is mentioned. 

What about thyroid disease?

You mention distemper...ever heard of Parvo? 

What about Tick Borne diseases?


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## GoldenBarks (Apr 11, 2012)

Thanks for the good additions and feedback Jersey's Mom. As you noticed I do have separate articles on my site addressing some of the things you mention. My hope is that anyone considering a golden retriever will do the due diligence and read the entire site as well as several others before adding one to their family. 

I understand that not all dogs fit the perfect model golden but with proper training, breeder selection, and understanding of the breed all dogs can be well behaved and a pleasure to be around.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Eyes. ALL Goldens should have annual CERF eye exams, done by an ACVO specialist. Pigmentary Uveitis, cataracts, retinal dysplasia, distichia, entropian/ectropian, PRA... all concerns.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

It's very clear you still don't get it. I don't consider reading your site to be "due diligence" for a prospective puppy buyer. What you have is a collection of primarily opinion pieces with tidbits of fact and fiction mixed in. You are severely misrepresenting what your site offers, and it would be a shame if it led well meaning people astray. You need to either shut the site down while you do some major fact checking or have an obvious, repeated disclaimer that these "articles" are based on your opinion from reading a very limited number of resources as well as some pure rubbish on the internet. I find it a shame that you have positioned the link for this page in such a way as to give the impression that you are the proprietor of this vast knowledge base. I intend to make sure the mods/admin are aware of that fact and hope they will act to have you relocate the link to a separate "resources" or "links" section so that it will be clear that this forum is not yours and that this forum does not advocate much of the "information" on your site. I hate to see this community misused in that way.

Julie, Jersey and Oz


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

GoldenBarks said:


> My last article post got flamed for being too positive so I'm posting today about some common health problems found in Golden Retrievers.
> 
> In general they are healthy pets and most of the health concerns may never surface if you choose a good breeder who has healthy and pedigreed Golden Retriever puppies.
> 
> ...


Good job providing the realities of Golden Retriever ownership. However, the other posters made some good points. Take what they said into consideration. I know that you are a beginner and that you are all for improving your information. Keep working on your articles with some of your own originality so that you are really providng solid information about purchasing the right puppy.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

To anyone looking for information on what to do and what to look for when looking for a Golden Retriever breeder visit the Choosing a Golden Retriever Breeder/Puppy section of this forum and check out the "stickies" for concise and clear information :wave:


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