Golden Retrievers

Golden Retrievers are fantastic family pets with a happy and loving personality.  They are easily trained and usually extremely obedient. 

Do you have a Golden Retriever?  Were you aware of some of their common genetic disease?  I don't mean to be a "downer" but if Goldens are your dog of choice you should know what to look out for!

Cancer is the most common disease of Goldens.  This includes hemangiosarcoma (can lead to internal bleeding), followed by lymphoma, mast cell tumor, and osteosarcoma (bone cancer).  Cancer was the cause of death for 61.4% of American Goldens according to a 1998 health study conducted by the Golden Retriever Club of America, making it the breed's biggest killer. 

Obesity

Hip and elbow dysplasia affects 19.8% of dogs.  Severe forms of this disease will be evident early in life as front leg pain.  Moderate to mild forms may not be evident until adulthood.

Eye diseases include cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy, glaucoma (increased eye pressure), distichiasis (eyelash growing in an abnormal place causing rubbing on the cornea), entropion (eyelids rolled inward toward the cornea), corneal dystrophy and retinal dysplasia

Heart disease, especially subvalvular aortic stenosis and cardiomyopathy

Joint diseases, including patella luxation, osteochondritis, panosteitis, and cruciate ligament rupture (a.k.a. ACL tear)

Skin diseases, with allergies (often leading to "hot spots"), particularly flea allergies, being most common.  Others include seborrhoea, sebaceous adenitis, and lick granuloma.

Hemophilia