Golden Retriever Health
Every breed has health issues of some kind and Golden Retrievers are no exception. Because of the differences in the gene pools, the statistics on some of the major problems in Golden Retrievers are different in Europe than in the U.S. Below is a discussion of several health issues that affect Golden Retrievers including links to several pages that have more details on specific conditions. These pages detail not only what these conditions are, but also the differences in the statistics between the two continents as well as giving Bostick English Golden's policies for testing and determining which dogs are acceptable to become part of our breeding program. While I am not a veterinarian or a health expert, I have done extensive research on the genetic diseases and conditions that affect Golden Retrievers and would like to share much of the results of my research with those looking to add a Golden Retriever puppy to their family. I back up the information in this set of articles by providing links to other articles written by those who are experts on these subjects (organizations that supervise the testing, those that have researched the problems, those that have provided statistics, and those who set the standards).
How do you differentiate genetic vs environmental defects? One thing we look for when breeding is how to tell if something is genetic, this comes down to two things. Coincidences & Repetition. If something is genetic you will find the genetic flaw in a minimum of ONE puppy from each litter of the same parents at around the same age. Repetitive patterns which then are clearly known that these are genetic defaults. We have never had this issue, and do everything we can health testing wise to prevent this.
Genetic example: A minimum of one puppy would have the same type of dysplasia every litter from the same parents and develop it around the same age.
If this occurrence happened the dogs paired should NOT be bred together. This is clearly genetic.
Environmental example(s): *Only one puppy from one litter developed hip dysplasia in one or both hips.
*Only one puppy from one litter developed elbow dysplasia in one or both elbows. *One or two puppies out of 4 litters develop some type of dysplasia at varying ages. Etc.
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1. Hip Dysplasia in Golden Retrievers has information on the different scoring schemes used in the United States and in Europe and how they compare to each other. This page also has relevant statistics on hip dysplasia, information on environmental contributors, and tips on how to give your dog his/her best chance of not having it.
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https://antechimagingservices.com/antechweb/introduction-to-canine-hip-dysplasia
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https://summerbrookgoldens.com/hip-dysplasia/
https://wisteriagoldens.com/2016/11/penn-hip-vs-ofa-wisteria-goldens-chooses/
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https://antechimagingservices.com/antechweb/fast-facts-behind-the-pennhip-research
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https://www.honestpaws.com/blogs/pet-care/hip-dysplasia-in-dogs
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2. Elbow Dysplasia in Golden Retrievers has information on how elbow dysplasia statistics differ in the U.S. and in Europe and how elbow dysplasia can affect a dog.
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https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/golden-retriever-elbow-dysplasia
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https://www.dogzhealth.com/golden-retriever-health-problems/
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Preventing hip & elbow dysplasia:
-Not over exercising: No treadmilling, excessive ball chasing, climbing up and down stairs, walking or running for long periods of time, limiting to short walks, not jumping on furniture or people, not letting children climb/stand/lay/jump on dogs.
-Good quality wholesome food (with natural ingredients) and treats the same
-Not closely inbreeding
-Appropriate health testing on parents
-Maintaining a healthy weight
-Being very careful prior to age 2 while developing.
-A good quality all natural vitamin
-Vitamin C protocol
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3. Genetic Eye problems in the Golden Retriever to learn about tests to screen dogs for eye problems and how these genetic eye diseases can affect a dog. In addition to having the eyes themselves tested, there are DNA tests to screen dogs for problems that may not show up until late in life.
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http://healthydogclub.com/2015/06/dogs-and-the-onset-of-eye-disease/
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4. Golden Retrievers genetic diseases: Goldens are at risk of DM, GR-PRA1, GR-PRA2, Ich, MD, NCL-GR, PRA-prcd...To eliminate these risks always stick with a breeder that health tests and knows what they are breeding.
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5. The Golden Retriever Club of America’s link on cancer statistics states that according to a study done by them, over 60% of Golden Retrievers died from cancer. Another study done by the Kennel Club in England on cancer states that less than 39% of Golden Retrievers tested in their study died from cancer. These studies were not meant to be compared to one another and there could very well be some environmental issues that contribute to these statistics. These studies were based on a sample of the population, not the entire population. The study done by the Kennel Club was just a small sample. However, there is such a big difference that we believe these statistics cannot be ignored.
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How to prevent cancer:
-Limit or remove household toxins such as: bleach, candles, air freshners, cleaning chemicals..convert to all natural cleaners and dog safe 100% pure essential oils, peroxide, and white vinegar.
-Only use natural shampoo on their skin: earthbath and pure castille soap from dr. bronners
-Limit vaccines (or no vaccines) & TITER test.
-Keeping a strong immune system
-No early spay/neuter
-No yard chemicals
-No smoking
-Prevent obesity
-Appropriate excercise
-No heartguard
-No flea/tick chemical prevention. Only natural preventions.
-Keep the CIO breeding low
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https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2016/05/18/golden-retriever-cancer.aspx
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6. Heart Disease: Sub valvular Aortic Stenosis (SAS), the most common congenital heart disease in Golden Retrievers. Also please avoid grain free dog food to help avoid DCM.
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https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/5-common-signs-heart-disease-dogs
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https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/cardiovascular-diet/
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https://www.2ndchance.info/sas.htm
https://www.akcchf.org/research/impact-stories/a-heart-to-heart-on-severe.html
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7. Is America Over-vaccinating its Pets for interesting studies and information on what most schools of veterinary medicine in the United States are now recommending. Yearly vaccines are no longer recommended. Vaccines are one of the most profitable pharmaceuticals in the world. They have 200+ in the works for humans and I can't imagine what else they are trying to push on our pets. Vaccines are very dangerous contrary to what we are told to believe. They aren't "safe" by any means. The ingredients alone will show you that. Cancer is on the rise, so the biggest thing we can do for our pets, is LIMIT toxins and RESEARCH everything! Sick pets fill vets pockets. So let's focus on trying to improve health all around.
Keep your pet safe by:
-Not using them as a vaccination statistic
-Limiting Vaccines, or None at all.
-Titer Testing prior to more shots (including rabies)
-Delayed Vaccines 12+ weeks (preferably waiting till 16 weeks)
-No yearly vaccines
-Researching the ingredients, side affects, and safety studies
-Not over vaccinating
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http://www.naturalrearing.com/coda/a_rabies_the_big_scam.html
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https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/dangerous-over-vaccination-on-the-rise/
https://www.doglistener.co.uk/depth-annual-dog-vaccination-dangers
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https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/5-unexpected-dangers-in-vaccines/
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https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/65-ways-rabies-vaccination-can-harm-your-dog/
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8. Early spaying and neutering is also having a negative impact on the health of our pets. We do not recommend that a dog is neutered until as close to 2 years as possible and we recommend waiting on spaying until after a female's first season. A study done in 2013 by U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has shown that spaying or neutering before a year of age doubles a dog's chance of developing Hip Dysplasia and also doubles the chances of certain cancers.
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https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/golden-retriever-study-suggests-neutering-affects-dog-health
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http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
http://www.akcchf.org/news-events/news/health-implications-in-early.html
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/new-study-neuter-risk-hip-dysplasia-dogs/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4096726/
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https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/131101a.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3572183/
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9. Dog Food page for our recommendations on dog food. This page contains not only a list of recommended foods but also ingredients to avoid and why. Many of the foods that Americans are feeding their dogs are loaded with a wide variety of ingredients that are harmful and contribute to poor health.
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10. Natural Flea Control for information on this topic. Controlling fleas with chemicals is unhealthy for dogs. We do not recommend any pill or spot on treatment as a preventive for fleas. We quit using chemical flea treatments on our dogs. There are several natural remedies for fleas that have worked for us even with dogs living in large areas of pasture and going frequently into woods. If you reserve chemicals for only those times that you feel you have no other choice, you will give your dog a much better chance of living a long healthy life. For fleas we personally put a splash of apple cider vinegar in their water everyday. And we haven't had fleas in years! For ticks we use Food Grade Diatomaceous earth rubbed into their fur.
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https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas-naturally/
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12. Heartworm Prevention: We recommend testing every 4 months and treat if necessary. There is a huge amount of good information on the internet as well as in books on keeping your pet healthy.
13. WHY NOT SHAVE YOUR GOLDEN! https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-you-shouldnt-shave-your-dog-in-summer/?fbclid=IwAR3ITRT1px84nOszgGQ4BbNHT2EZmAYQLHV9wchyJ2gEnScEtJiyFa0tmoI
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We recommend these links: www.naturalrearing.com, https://holistichound.com/supporting-your-dogs-immune-system/, and www.whole-dog-journal.com for overall health. There are many others that we recommend on our pages on hips, elbows, vaccines, eyes, and foods. We are constantly educating ourselves on the subject of dog health and are finding that the more we learn, the more we find there is to learn. There is a wealth of information out there for those who are willing to take the time to read it.
