Posts Tagged ‘Golden Retriever Health’

You love your golden retriever. He/she is a member of the family. Maybe, your favorite member of the family! The health of your family is a priority, and that includes golden retriever health. This article will help you get started with keeping your dog healthy and happy.

Let’s start with the basics. The first step in keeping your golden healthy is the veterinarian. Make this a regular event; take your golden to the vet once a year. This is a great time to ask those health questions that you’ve been wondering about. Make a list. When you accompany your golden during the check up, ask a few questions. This is the difference between a good vet and a bad one; the good vet will answer your questions. This is the time your golden should be vaccinated and receives de-worming treatment. Cliff Claven would want to know the names of the vaccinations. Generally, there are 4 core vaccinations: canine distemper, canine parvovirus, canine adenovirus-2, and rabies. There also may be other situational vaccines. Generally, your dog should be revaccinated at 1 year of age, then every three years afterwards with the core vaccines.

Your golden retriever, like any family member, loves his/her food. Don’t hold back when feeding your growing puppy. However, adult goldens can easily become obese. Make sure your dog gets enough exercise, and use a regular feeding schedule. Don’t fill up the food bowl, and leave it there all day. There are two kinds of dog owners; those who feed their dog commercial dog food, and those who feed their dog a ’special’ diet. If you wish to be a member of the latter club, your golden’s diet should be primarily raw or cooked meats. This is a natural diet for a dog. It is also O.K. to mix in some healthy vegetables and grains; if your golden will eat them, of course. Vitamins and health supplements won’t hurt your dog either. Try grinding them and mixing them in dog food, or something like peanut butter. I must warn you. Goldens have very talented noses, and this may require some trial and error.

The catch to that gorgeous golden coat, is a requirement for grooming. Goldens will shed some hair periodically. If you have sensitive allergies, this may be the wrong dog. Brush your golden twice per week. Fix any matted hair. Make sure you brush and clean around the ears, to prevent infection. Keeping your golden clean with a regular bath is also a must, especially if you have an inside/outside dog. Hopefully, you got your dog used to regular baths as a puppy. Introduce your golden to the bathtub little by little until he/she is comfortable taking baths. Try rewarding your dog with a treat for getting in the bathtub at bath time.

Goldens are active and energetic dogs. Exercising once a day is generally recommended. Remember goldens thrive on human companionship. Without exercise and human interaction, a golden’s health may suffer. They love exercising, swimming, playing games, and being given tasks. Goldens are great for families, and an active person looking for an exercise partner. This is also why they make great guide dogs, service dogs, and hunting companions. It is no surprise they do well in agility and obedience competitions. If you don’t have a big yard, be prepared to make regular visits to the park.

If the mosquito is your worst enemy, then you can sympathize with your dog’s loathing of fleas and ticks. Fleas can even be carriers for diseases and parasites. However, your dog’s skin is harmed more by constant scratching than by the flea itself. Even after the fleas are poisoned and gone, your dog can still be itching and scratching. If your golden starts to scratch a lot, look over his/her coat thoroughly for fleas. If you site a flea, treat your dog as soon as possible. Also, make sure you treat all of your pets at the same time. A disadvantage of the dog park, is your golden may be more likely to pick up fleas. Walking through tall grass and vegetation will make your dog more likely to pick up ticks. After your golden gets a tick, take him/her to the vet. Ticks can carry serious diseases, such as Lyme Disease.

What if you are buying or adopting a golden retriever? What do you need to know? The most common serious ailments that afflict goldens are hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, eye problems such as cataracts, and cancer. Occasionally, goldens can also develop heart problems. These problems are all related to genetics, and are often caused by bad breeding. Generally, these problems show up in older dogs, and can be difficult to detect when dogs are young. The best way to prevent these illnesses is to test a breeding pair, and their ancestors, for these health problems before breeding. Good Breeders can provide the right paperwork for this testing: OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) certification for hips, knees, and the heart. Also inquire about CERF eye certification.

Laurence Burrows is a golden retriever lover, and trainer. For more great tips on Golden Retriever Care, visit http://www.loyalgoldenretriever.com.

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Raising a golden retriever means enjoying a good time with them. Considering them as a part of your family, you have to learn the basics so that you can give your pet the best he deserves. One of the most important thing that you should consider are the golden retreiver health issues. Maintaining your dog’s health is not easy and may even be costly, but its worth your every penny.

First things first, seek a good veterinarian. Do not just randomly pick any veterinarian along the yellow pages on the phonebook. Choose someone that you trust to take care of your golden retriever when medical advice is being sought for.

Knowing the proper grooming for your pet is a good start. This would not only make your dog attractive but it also promotes his health. Giving him a regular bath and brushing their coat will make their skin healthy and nice to look at.
Right food your retriever also plays a vital role of keeping his health at an optimum. Of course, along with the food, your pet also needs water. Water composes three-fourth of his body. Lack of it will cause dehydration, bad blood circulation, excretory problems and among other complications. This is because water transports nutrients throughout his body through his blood circulation reaching those vital organs. Thus, insufficient water would make your golden retriever malnourished.

Vaccination for your golden is also important. This would enhance their immune system and fight off the common canine diseases that he might encounter. Giving them anti-parasite would also keep them from having those annoying hookworms, ringworm, roundworms and all the other worms and parasites that would harm his health.

Golden retriever allergies are another thing to consider.Most of the dog allergies come from flea bits and those allergens that they inhale. Another source of allergy comes from the food that they eat. Symptoms of these allergies are excessive scratching, licking or chewing. Some even develop hot spots. Sadly food allergies are difficult to diagnose. You have figure out the ingredients in his dog food that causes his allergies. Taking him to a veterinarian so that he would be given a medication to relieve the symptoms of his allergy would be the very best thing to do.
As vital as medical health, emotional health of your golden retriever should be taken care of. Your golden pet’s presence is not merely for fun. They should be treated as part of your family. Thus giving them love, care and attention is also very important. Just like what you do with your kids, spend some time with your pet. Walking with him every morning not only makes you both fit but it is also a good way of bonding with him. If you have a leisure time, you can play with them. If your pockets are full , give them their best day at a doggie spa or pamper them with stylish outfits and gifts.
It’s true that raising a golden retriever would be costly but taking one would also mean taking full responsibility of keeping them healthy and beautiful at the same time. Pretty much like us.

About the Author

Michael Corben has been in the golden retriever business for more than 20 years. If you’d like to learn more on golden retriever puppies, visit http://www.mygoldenretrievertips.com

Golden Retriever Adoption Guidelines by Michael Corben

Golden Retriever And Some Essential Care Tips

Author: John Williams

From time to time your Golden Retriever can be affected by some common health problems. In general these problems are not usually anything too serious as long as you know how to treat and prevent them properly. In order to keep your dog healthy you need to take the proper steps to protect them from the most common Golden Retriever health problems.

The distemper virus an airborne disease is the first of these Golden Retriever health problems. Getting your Golden Retriever their three vaccinations when they are between the age of six and sixteen weeks and then maintaining the booster shot every year is the best way to prevent this disease. Fever, cough, diarrhea and vomiting are some signs you should watch for if your dog has never been vaccinated against distemper. Any Golden Retriever with these signs should be taken to the vet right away so that treatment can be started.

Heartworms are another area of common Golden Retriever health problems. Heartworms can grow up to twelve inches and develop in the heart and lung arteries of the dog. If heartworms are left untreated then they can result in heart failure, decrease of blood circulation and death in extreme cases. It is best to prevent heartworms from happening in the first place with a simple heartworm medication since the symptoms of heartworms are typically not noticed until the condition is very severe.

Tapeworms are another parasite condition that you have to watch for with your Golden Retriever. Flea larva causes tapeworms and symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea and a biting of the rectal area. You can help prevent tapeworms in your Golden Retriever by using a rigid flea control. If you notice signs of either heartworms or tapeworms then you should take your dog to the vet right away. Both conditions can be treated or at least your dog can live with the condition through medications by taking your dog to the vet before it is too late.

A more serious disease of the Golden Retriever health problems is rabies. The reason for this is because it has an adverse affect on your dog’s nervous system. The disease is typically transferred from the bite of another infected animal. To prevent this disease you should get your dog the yearly shot that can help prevent the disease. Symptoms to rabies to be aware of include seizures, aggression and foaming at the mouth. Call your vet immediately if you suspect your Golden Retriever might have rabies.

These are just a few of the most common Golden Retriever health problems, but there are many other ailments that can affect your Golden Retriever. If you notice any sign of ailments, diseases or health problems then you should never hesitate to contact your vet and get an appointment as soon as possible. With any medical condition there is a better chance of treating it early than if you wait until it has progressed too far.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/golden-retriever-and-some-essential-care-tips-463738.html

About the Author

For more information on the golden retriever or a complete list of dog breeds visit this Dog Behaviour website.

How to Look for the Best Golden Retriever Breeder

Author: Brian B

Choosing the golden retriever breeder is a very important task. Since you cannot guess on how the puppy you wish to buy will grow up both emotionally and physically, you can only rely on golden retriever breeders to provide you with the best companion, playmate and pet.

You can look for golden retriever breeders in pet shops, backyards and serious hobby breeders. If this is your first time to look for a puppy, it is likely that you will first head to the pet shop. Unfortunately, that is the worst decision you could do. At dealers and pet shops, golden retriever breeders lack the ability to breed and raise dogs properly.

Backyard breeders, on the other hand, are people who own golden retrievers as pets. Backyard breeders have different reasons why they breed their pets – for money, for experience, for fun, or for other personal reasons. Unfortunately, most backyard breeders have little knowledge on how to breed with proper care and have no idea about problems associated with breeding.

The “serious hobby” golden retriever breeders are the most recommended source of a puppy because they are dedicated in breeding dogs. Majority of serious breeders take pride in producing and taking care of the finest golden retrievers possible. As a result, the puppies they produce are healthy emotionally and physically.

What You Need to Ask the Golden Retriever Breeder

When you’re looking for a golden retriever breeder, you have to consider several things to ensure you are buying a healthy dog. Make sure the breeder has personally taken care of the breeding and has knowledge in golden retriever health.

Ask the golden retriever breeder about the family background of the puppy. Let the breeder tell you about the activities the mother was involved in, including hunting, tracking, agility, obedience patterns and others.

Spend time with the puppy and examine if he is shy, fearful or tends to whimper. Examine for rashes, dull coats, eves and other signs of neglect. In addition, make sure that the golden retriever breeder is selling you a puppy aged seven weeks or more. This is important since taking the puppy away from the dam could affect his physical and emotional health.

The best way to determine if the dog breeder is selling you a healthy puppy is by taking the golden retriever to the vet for examination. The veterinarian can determine the dog’s state of health.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/how-to-look-for-the-best-golden-retriever-breeder-595395.html

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Further Researched information About The Importance Of Fresh Drinking Water For Your Pet Now For That Great Adventure Go On A Cruise But Leave Your Computer Virus Free and Safe

Health Concerns in a Golden Retriever by Lea Mullins

Dog owners can take all possible measures to care for their pets in the best way that they can, but the truth is some dogs”�� health concerns are simply genetic. Some illnesses that are quite common to the Golden Retriever breed are hip or elbow dysplasia and arthritis. Here are a few things to look out for as well as some preventive tips to keep your Golden retriever as healthy as possible.

Hip/Elbow Dysplasia
Dysplasia is a crippling disease that causes your dogs”�� hip or elbow bones to deteriorate. Because of this, an uneven fit with the hip or elbow bone and socket develops. Eventually, this can lead to degenerative joint diseases that will cause your Golden Retriever discomfort.

The good thing is that hip or elbow dysplasia can be detected quite early. At four months, you can have your Golden Retriever tested for the disease through an x-ray. Fortunately in some cases, it is even possible that Golden Retrievers grow out of this disease.

Arthritis
Arthritis affects dog the same way it affects humans. This disease can cause your Golden Retriever extreme discomfort that can make movement difficult. Treatment can be done through injecting pain relievers and medication. Warm baths are also known to relieve discomfort when it comes to aching joints.

Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a skin disease that is caused by lowered levels of thyroid hormones. A common side effect of this disease includes hair loss. The good news is that this disease is very treatable, thanks to hormone replacement therapy.

Canine Von Willebrand”��s Disease
Though this disease has quite a rare occurrence rate, it is still known to affect Golden Retrievers. Its effects are quite similar to what happens when people suffer from hemophilia which impairs the body”��s ability to control clots and bleeding. Though there are no known treatments for this disease, various preventive measures can be taken.

Other health issues involving Golden Retrievers include cancer and epilepsy. To help avoid these diseases, make sure that you acquire your Golden Retriever from a reputable breeder. Before having your dog mate with another dog, have that dog tested for any diseases. Ensure that your dog maintains a healthy diet and gets enough exercise. Last but not the least; make sure that your dog gets regular check-ups.

When it comes to dog health, prevention is always better than treatment. If anything, early detection enables you to take your dog”��s problem head on, as early as possible. Do what you can to help your dog live a long and healthy life.

Lea Mullins shares different health concerns in a Golden Retriever. Find information about Dog Health, Dog Training and more from TrainPetDog.com.