Fact #4: 3000 Golden Retrievers Are Participating In A Study To Help Increase Golden Retriever Health
The Morris Animal Foundation launched the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study in 2012.
Together with veterinarians and the participating golden retrievers and their owners, they’re collecting data about their health, environment, and behavior to find potential risk factors for cancer and other diseases.
Comparing An Overweight Golden To A Human: Getting Some Perspective
Here’s a little fun exercise : I’m going to compare a Golden Retrievers ideal weight and one carrying excess weight, to myself and me carrying excess weight.
If you have a Golden whose ideal weight is 70 pounds and they actually weigh 85, this is 21.5% of excess weight.
I weigh about 11 stone or 154 pounds. If I was 21.5% overweight, I would be carrying an extra 33 pounds or 2.4 stone, making me 187 pounds or almost 13.5 stone.
This is the equivalent of me carrying a 3-year-old child around with me all day, every day. And that’s whether I’d be walking, running, or anything.
To me this is astonishing. There’s no doubt I would be slower, more lethargic, and with all that weight, I’m sure jogging or high impact exercise could damage my joints.
But for many people seeing an 85 pound Golden, they rarely give it a second thought or think it at all abnormal.
In fact, most people when they see an ideal weight Golden Retriever actually comment that the dog looks thin and underweight!
Keeping Your Golden Retriever Healthy Well Into Their Golden Years
Date Published: 2019-03-24
Date Updated: 2019-03-24
Golden Retrievers are energetic, protective, fun-loving family dogs. We need to do everything we can as dog owners to protect these special pups as best we can; that includes feeding, training, entertaining, and grooming them the right way.
Below, check out the top five categories to keep your golden retriever healthy into their golden years. You’ll want to abide by the suggestions within the categories as best you can to ensure he or she has an excellent quality of life.
How To Take Care Of A Golden Retriever 10 Ways To Make Them Happy Jenny
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If you own a Golden Retriever, then you know firsthand how much joy and happiness they bring to you. So how do you return the favour to your dog? Find out in this article how to take care of a Golden Retriever and discover the 10 easy ways you can make your Golden Retriever happy.
Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds in America and with good reason!
They are not only stunningly beautiful, but they have brains as well. Their friendly and gentle disposition makes them great family dogs. Goldens love people of all ages and get along well with other animals.
They are simply wonderful! They are a very easygoing breed, which makes them great for first-time dog owners, but they do have requirements that need to be met to ensure their happiness.
Let’s look at what you can do to make sure your Golden is the happiest he or she can be.
Is Your Golden Retriever Overweight How To Check For Ideal Weight
Because the ideal weight of a Golden can vary by quite a margin, rather than using scales the best way to check yours isn’t overweight is to do it by sight and feel.
Every 2 weeks or so, perform the following checks to see how your Goldens weight is faring and adjust their food intake and exercise accordingly.
Why Does My Golden Retriever Sleep So Much 11 Reasons & Solutions Behavior
My golden retriever is one of the happiest puppies on the planet, they are playful, sweet, and they love life.
At times, my dogs can sleep for most of the day, which never fails to get me worried. It turns out that a lot of people are also wondering the same thing, and I get asked this a lot, so I went ahead and found answers!
So, why does my golden retriever sleep so much? If your golden retriever is a puppy it is normal for them to sleep longer than older dogs because they are growing quickly and their muscles are rebuilding when they are sleeping, and it’s also normal for older goldens since it takes more effort for them to move and they need to rest.
But there are other reasons why your dog could be sleeping so much, and some of them do indeed require you to pay attention to your dog.
Let’s start by discussing how much sleep should your dog get at every age so we can know whether they are sleeping more than normal for their age or is it just they sleep normally and it’s not you that is not used to it.
How Do I Make My Golden Retriever Comfortable With Ear Cleaning
Retrain older dogs. Puppies can be trained to get comfortable with ear cleanings. However, older dogs may struggle with it more. Especially if they aren’t used to weekly cleanings or haven’t had their ears cleaned at all. You can retrain these dogs by giving them treats after following a “Sit” command or being comfortable after you touch their head and ears.
Treats, treats, treats! When you first start the ear cleaning process, you may have to give your dog a treat after each and every step. This means a treat after you touch their ear, when you put in the solution and when using cotton balls. You can fade the number of treats you give your dog as he gets more comfortable with the process.
Consistency is key. Similar to having a routine cleaning schedule, being consistent with treats and cleaning can help make your dog more comfortable with ear cleanings. They will know what to expect as well as how it will feel when they get their ears cleaned. This can help reduce anxiety and discomfort when you initially start cleaning their ears.
Touch their ears! Help desensitize your dog to getting their ears touched. You can do this by treating them when you touch their ears during cleanings. You can also play with their ears when they are relaxing next to you on the couch. Or when you are playing catch, you can massage their head and rub their ears.
Victor Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food For Golden Retrievers
If food allergies and sensitivities aren’t a factor, this dry dog food recipe is a protein-rich source of quality nutrition that’s also limited in fat and calories to help your Golden Retriever maintain their weight as they get older.
Victor Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food for Golden Retrievers
This weight management dry dog food is intended for senior-aged dogs and contains ingredients to help support their joint health.
Actually Useful Tips To Help Your Golden Retriever Live Longer
One of the happiest moments in your life will be the moment you welcome your golden retriever puppy home, and one of the hardest will be the day you say goodbye to them.
The only bad thing about this is that the golden retriever life expectancy is extremely short compared to us. It’s almost as if they’re too good for this world so they can’t stay long here before they have to go to dog heaven.
But there are things you can do. If you follow the tips in this article, you can help your furry friend live a few more years and enjoy a longer lifespan.
Give Importance To Brushing And Bathing Your Golden Retriever
While Golden Retrievers shed all the year-round, they shed more in the fall and spring when their coats change. As a matter of fact, you need to brush your pooch every day to improve shedding. You can also use an undercoat rake to groom your pet.
An undercoat rake is a specialized grooming tool with small teeth that are made to reach through the topcoat of your pooch and remove loose hair from the undercoat. It also helps break up pesky tangles and mats on pets with long hairs.
You can use an undercoat rake pet grooming tool every couple of days if your pet has a thick undercoat that tangles or mats easily. The tool will help keep the coat of your canine healthy.
What Type Of Shampoo Should I Use To Wash My Golden Retriever
According to many canine experts, it’s not recommended to wash your dog using dish soap or human shampoo. This will most definitely strip your dog of its natural oils. Plus, shampoo made for humans is too acidic for regular use on a Golden Retrievers hair and skin.
The best shampoo to use is one that’s specially formulated for dogs. It’s recommended that you use a highly-rated oatmeal shampoo like this one at amazon.com to help in the nourishment of their coats. It’s organic, soap-free, and contains vitamin E and Aloe Vera to naturally soothe and moisturize sensitive or dry skin.
While using this shampoo, you should wash your pup from front to back, gently scrubbing your dog’s fur to get the dirt that’s attached to the undercoat.
When drying your Golden Retriever you can choose to use an old dog towel, but many people choose to use a blow dryer on their dog in order to make sure that all their fur is dry. A double-coated dog, like a Golden Retriever, can stay wet for hours, even after being towel dried so a hair dryer can really speed up this process.
A pet-friendly hair dryer like this adjustable speed pet hair dryer on amazon.com, can also help with regular grooming. It’s temperature controlled so it won’t get too hot for your pooch.
Causes Of Golden Retriever Shedding And 7 Tips To Control It:
- Tip #1 – Do Golden Retrievers shed a lot? They sure do! Some pet parents claim the Golden Retriever shedding season lasts all year. They shed moderately in summer and winter, and profusely in spring and fall. If you have a Golden, you simply need to accept the fact that you’ll have a dog leaving hair everywhere—on the floors, on your clothes, on your bed—everywhere. It always comes handy to have a good lint remover brush, or you may use rubber gloves to easily remove dog hair.
- Tip #2 – You cannot stop your Golden Retriever from shedding BUT you can keep your house free from dog hair. Golden Retriever grooming is essential. Brush your dog at least three times per week and discard its hair somewhere it won’t get scattered or blown away. Ideally, you need to brush your dog daily to prevent tangling for easy care and maintenance. To remove knots, simply use a slicker brush.
- Tip #3 – You also need to bathe your Golden Retriever at least once a month or once every other week at most. Bathing your dog too frequently may result in dry skin which further exacerbates shedding. If possible, use only a good all-natural dog shampoo, such as coconut or oatmeal when bathing your Golden.
“I love the smell of Bathe Me! It was very easy to rinse off my dogs as well. Will definitely continue to use” – A.Sf
If you’re concerned about excessive Golden Retriever shedding, take your dog for a check up with your local vet.
Taking Your Golden Retrievers Hair Length Into Consideration
Did you know: the shorter your Golden Retrievers hair is the less often you have to bathe them? Although this may be a fun fact, it’s not recommended to cut your dog’s hair short. Some people even go so far as to shave their Goldens!
This, however, is not recommended! When you shave a Golden Retriever you are exposing their skin and undercoat to the harmful environmental elements around them, including the sun and temperature extremes. Shaving a Golden Retriever can not only eliminate the dog’s ability to regulate their body temperature, it can also permanently damage their coat.
It should be noted that combing your dog often is actually more beneficial for your dogs skin and coat than it is to bathe them. Brushing your dog daily or weekly is not only encouraged, it’s recommended.
Regularly brushing your Goldens fur will go a long way toward a healthy coat that’s free of tangles and parasites.
Over 60% Of Golden Retrievers In The Us Overweight In 2012
A study by PetObesityPrevention.org in 2012 showed 52.5% of pet dogs in the US were overweight.
Sadly, the survey also revealed: “Veterinary healthcare providers classified…62.7 percent of golden retrievers surveyed as overweight or obese.”
So in fact there were 20% more overweight or obese Golden Retrievers than the US national average. And that’s 20% more than a national average that is already shockingly high.
In the most recent figures available, gathered in 2013, the survey shows 52.6% of US dogs are overweight or obese. So things haven’t improved.
But why is this such a problem?
Dont Free Feed Your Golden And Feed More Than Once Per Day
Some owners feed their dogs and just leave the food bowl down all day, allowing their dogs to help themselves when they feel like it.
If you have an overweight Golden and this is how you feed them, you need to make a change. With constant access to food, a dog’s body starts to work inefficiently and this can lead to weight gain. Maintaining weight works best when fed on a fixed schedule.
Secondly, you should feed your dog twice each day and not just once. Feed them first thing in the morning and once in the early evening.
If you feed your dog just once each day, their bodies go into a ‘starvation mode’ daily where their metabolism slows for most of the day due to having an empty stomach.
Food absorption becomes highly efficient, and the body tries to hang on to as much fat and energy as possible due to few opportunities to refuel. This promotes weight gain so we want to avoid this.
How Do You Choose The Best Food For Your Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers are prone to certain health conditions such as hip dysplasia, eye problems, and skin allergies. Choosing the right food for a Golden Retriever is extremely important for their overall health.
The first step is to identify your dog’s individual needs by consulting with your veterinarian or a professional nutritionist. The next step is to determine what type of food you would like to feed your Golden Retriever. Dry kibble is the easiest option, but it does not always have enough moisture content for some dogs, which can lead to constipation. You might also want to consider canned foods that are high in water content as well as homemade diets that will vary depending on the ingredients you choose.
Golden Retriever Coat Care : Keeping Your Dogs Coat Shiny
When we are talking about Golden retriever grooming, one of the most commonly asked question involving golden retriever coat care is how to keep your golden retrievers coat shiny and healthy. Different breeds of DOGS have different coats, and so some breeds will need specialized coat care to keep it shiny, but hair is a protein, regardless of style, so there are some common steps for your golden retriever coat care to keep your dog’s coat shiny and healthy.
The first thing to look at is your golden retriever dog’s diet. Unless your golden retriever dog is very old, or of a species that shouldn’t, feed it a diet that is high in quality protein. Meat based dry DOG food is usually best. Meat based is the most important factor since that is the most digestible, and hence most useful, protein to your golden retriever dog.
General health also helps your golden retriever to have a shiny coat. So makes sure that your golden retriever has access to plenty of fresh water at all times. Most DOG foods, especially the meat based dry foods, will provide enough vitamins to keep your golden retriever healthy, and in turn to keep your golden retriever’s coat shiny. There are extra vitamin supplements offered and there are some great ones at amazon.com.
How To Know If Your Golden Retriever Is Happy And Healthy
Your Golden Retriever can live for about 10 years, so with good care and regular veterinary attention, you should be able to enjoy a decade with your new pet. Enjoy!
How To Keep Your Golden Retrievers Skin And Coat Healthy
We all want our dogs to look, feel, and smell their best, but it takes effort to keep that coat shiny. Grooming practices vary from breed to breed, and factors like bathing, brushing, and diet all have an impact on your dog’s reflection. Let’s get into the importance and logistics of keeping your Golden Retriever healthy on the outside, too.
Why do we brush and bathe our dogs in the first place?
Although bathing seems like it would be the more important of the two, brushing actually has a much greater impact on your Golden Retriever’s health.
Brushing removes dead skin cells from your dog’s body and helps to stimulate and redistribute the natural oils that give his coat that lustrous shine. With regular brushings , you’ll also start to know your dog’s body like the back of your hand. This means that if any potentially worrisome growths pop up, you’ll notice and get them checked out by your vet quickly.
Golden Retrievers shed all year long, but typically shed more in the spring and fall when their coats change. Ideally, your Golden Retriever should be brushed daily to improve shedding. Regular use of an undercoat rake can also be a big help for you .
How does your Golden Retriever’s diet affect coat health?
How To Help Your Overweight Golden Retriever Lose Weight
The very first thing you have to do before tackling the problem of an overweight Golden is take them to the vet for a check up and to get some professional advice.
Sometimes excess weight is caused by medical problems, for instance due to low thyroid function or fluid retention, and this must be ruled out before any diet or exercise is given.
Secondly, there are many problems that a diet or exercise might make worse. For instance if your dog is arthritic or has dysplasia and you start an increased exercise regimen, you could make these problems worse and cause discomfort and pain.
So don’t just blindly act, ask for the advice of your family vet first so you’re sure to be doing the right thing.
But once given the all clear medically, there are a few things you can do to help your Golden Retriever lose weight.
Final Thoughts On How To Take Care Of A Golden Retriever
I believe the number one thing that any dog owner can do is to show their dog lots of love!
The Golden Retriever especially needs a lot of love and attention in order to be happy. They value the time spent with you, and any dog owner knows that the time spent with their beloved Golden Retriever is never enough.
A Golden Retriever quickly steals your heart and becomes your best friend. Their beauty both inside and out becomes addicting that most owners of this beautiful breed usually own more than one.
Keep in mind that if you let a Golden be a Golden, by letting them do what they love such as meeting new people and going swimming, then you will be rewarded with a happy dog.
How do you take care of your Golden Retriever to ensure their happiness?
The More Serious Signs Of Aging In Your Golden Retriever
Older dogs are defined as being senior as well as geriatric, and often times people think of these terms as meaning the same. This is not the case.
Golden Retrievers are considered seniors at the age of 7.5 to 10 years old, right about the time when age-related issues start to become noticeable. Geriatric dogs are at the older age of the spectrum and they experience more health issues. A Golden Retriever is considered geriatric at the age of 10 and up.
Some more serious health problems that can affect your golden include:
Cancer
Golden Retrievers are more likely to develop certain types of cancer than any other breed. Unfortunately, cancer is the number one cause of death in goldens, studies show that 60% of goldens will die from cancer. Males have a higher rate of 66% and females slightly lower at 57%.
The 2 most common cancers found in Goldens are hemangiosarcoma and lymphosarcoma. We’ll briefly discuss them below as well as other cancers goldens may get.
Why do Golden Retrievers get cancer? To find out,
Arthritis
As goldens age, they may develop arthritis in their bones. Walking will become difficult and painful for them, as well as getting up and moving around. It is best to keep the walks short and more frequent to prevent your golden from getting stiff joints.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism can occur in any breed, but it is most common in medium to large breed dogs like Golden Retrievers. It usually occurs when a dog is middle-aged between 4-10 years.
Glaucoma
Diabetes
Tip #1: To Have A Healthy Dog Start With Healthy Parents
The best way for you to get a healthy dog is to purchase one from a good breeder.
Yes, you may pay more for a high-quality puppy, but it will be worth it.
Do your research on breeders, ask about their dogs’ health histories, their temperaments, and what they’re bred for.
Unfortunately, many people are breeding dogs with money as their #1 priority, not their puppies’ health.
Tip #5: Keep Your Golden Retrievers Weight Under Control
Golden retrievers love to eat, so they do have a tendency to become overweight if they’re overfed.
Since they’re already susceptible to joint and heart issues, you definitely don’t want them to gain too much weight.
To keep their weight under control make sure that they get enough exercise and are fed the proper amount.
For males, golden retrievers should weigh between 65-75 pounds, and for females, they should weigh between 55-65 pounds.
Whya Healthy Diet Is Important For Your Golden Retriever
Yourveterinarian may change your Golden Retriever’s diet, and eliminate all grainsand many of the carbohydrates in his diet. Golden Retrievers with Cushing’sshould be on a raw, high-protein diet or a grain-free, potato –free diet thathas a high protein content made from a high-quality salmon, chicken or beef.Canned dog foods also work, but they need to contain high-quality ingredients.Your veterinarian will also prescribe medication to control Cushing’s. Thatsaid, Cushing’s disease seems to be linked to Type 2 diabetes, both of whichare induced by high quantities of carbohydrate in your dog’s diet.
How To Reduce How Much Your Golden Retriever Eats Grass
There are a number of things that you can do to reduce how much your Golden Retriever eats grass. Below I will mention a number of them.
Exercise
There are a number of ways to exercise your Golden Retriever.
- Walk it
Walking your Golden Retriever is probably the most obvious way to give it exercise. However, you might find that it’s not enough for your Golden Retriever so you might need to find ways to make it more challenging. You can do so by walking your Golden Retriever further, walking faster, walking in a hilly area, or you could make it wear a dog weight vest with no more than 10% of your dogs body weight.
You could also walk it with other dogs since it will wear itself out more by playing with the other dogs.
- Play fetch with it
Teaching your Golden Retriever to play fetch is a good way to give it a lot of exercise . It will wear your Golden Retriever out quickly since it will have your Golden Retriever doing a lot of sprinting without much rest in between. I have written about how to teach it to your Golden Retriever in the past here.
- Teach it to swim
Teaching your Golden Retriever to swim would be another good way to give it a lot of exercise . When dogs swim they need to move their legs around a lot which can wear them out quickly. It will also help to keep it cool in the summer.
- Have a dog walker do it for you
Diet in high fiber
Give it other things to chew on
Train it to come to you
To do this do as follows:
Tips To Keep Golden Retriever Cool During Summer Season
Unlike humans, golden retrievers do not secrete heat through their skin. Instead, they use panting as a means of regulating their body temperatures.
The double coat of the golden retriever acts as a built-in air conditioning system and therefore shaving it is a terrible idea. The dog will get even hotter once you shave him.
Below are some tips on how to keep your golden retriever cool during the summer.
How To Keep Your Golden Retriever Dog Healthy & Happy
Owning a pet is an amazing thing, especially when it is happy and entirely healthy. While some consider pets as a mere property, others consider pet, as it is, a living being that needs to be nurtured, trained, taken care of and should be made happy. One of the most popular household pets is a domestic dog. Dogs have different breeds with varying sizes depending on the age and specie. One of the most popular breed of dogs is the golden retriever.
Golden retriever dogs are happy domestic dogs. Apart from the fact that they serve as faithful companions, they fun filled and are considered as one of the most interesting breeds of dogs. Dogs are as living beings as humans and so the need to keep them healthy and happy. The healthier the dogs are, the happy and friendlier they act.
This breed of dogs is generally fragile and highly susceptible to various diseases, hence the need to specially take care of them. The Golden Retriever breed highly is susceptible to different kinds of diseases including some types of cancer, eye defects, joints and bone diseases and heart issues. This is mainly due to poor breeding practices especially when the breed of the dog became a well-known family dog. These days, the Golden Retriever dog has become one of the riskiest and most fragile breeds to own in regard to general genetic health issues.
In this article, we will discuss reasons why you should own a golden retriever dog and the ways to keep the dog happy and healthy.
How To Effectively Take Care Of Golden Retriever Dogs
It is not just enough to own a golden retriever, ensuring the dog stays fit and healthy is the main deal. Alongside training the dog, there are necessary precautions and things to do to make sure the pet dog stays completely healthy.
Here, we will consider necessary steps you have to take to ensure your pet dog lives in complete health and stay absolutely happy. We will dwell on some certain aspects and consider some criteria to ensure your dog stays happy and healthy.
- Feeding: The first thing to consider is how and what to feed your golden retriever dog. It is one of the most important factors when it comes to making sure your dog stays healthy. Like humans, what you feed your golden retriever matters. Depending on how big or small your dog is, you are supposed to feed your dogs based on their special digestive requirements. Generally, golden retriever dogs have a lifespan between 12 to 14 years. You can decide to feed your dog whatever you like but it is advisable to always consult a veterinarian to determine what is best for your retriever which will be based on the age and size of the dog. Also, note that there should always be the availability of very clean water for the dog.
Training a golden retriever is easy because of its loyal and eagerness to please nature. It is important to keep your pet dog healthy and happy. The tips given above should adequately ensure that.