The Golden Retriever: Common hereditary problems

Golden Retriever is perhaps one of the most beautiful dogs. You will be mesmerised with its beautiful, strudy and well-proportioned body, covered with a feathered medium length coat. Its colour ranges from cream to golden. You will fall in love with its kind brown eyes with dark rims. Other outstanding features are broad head, muscular neck and thighs and broad chest. Forget the saying that dog’s tail can never be straight. For, here’s a dog whose tail
will never curl!!!

Aimed for retrieving wildfowl on land and water, the Golden Retriever was developed in Scotland and England in the late 19th century. It has a huge sense of smell and can be used not only for hunting and tracking but also for narcotics detection. It is a very useful dog and can be used as a guide for the blind, therapy dog and service dog for the disabled. Besides, it is agile, obedient and can perform tricks. Many of these

dogs become TV stars, appearing in commercials and advertisements. An outstanding example is the freshly aired commercial of Raymond’s suitings which feature a host of Golden Retriever pups.

These dogs are fun-loving and love to get wet and can even swim in water. They need a lot of exercise to keep fit as they have a tendency to gain weight, so do not overfeed your pet. Needless to say, your pet will be a darling to be around as it a well-mannered and intelligent dog. Your children can freely mix with them as they are gentle with children. All in all, it is a family dog which is active, loving and enjoys pleasing its masters. But it does not have any guarding instincts.
The average height of these dogs is 22-24 inches (56-61 cm), bitches (51-56 cm) and weight is 27-36 kgs, bitches (25-32 kg).

Common hereditary problems

Alike every dog, this dog too has its own hereditary problems. Some of the common hereditary problems of Golden Retriever are as follows:

1. Hip dysplasia or poor formation of the hip joint where the head of the thigh bone does not fit snugly into the pelvic socket, is one of the most common problems. It is characterised by a shallow socket in pelvis and changes in the shape of the femoral head (the ball of the thigh bone). This problem can be detected in an adult dog by x-ray. In younger pets effect varies from slight irregularities of gait to crippling lameness. But, as the dog matures, lameness can apparently or totally disappear due to joint stabilising, inflammation subsiding and musculature strengthening. However, many Golden Retrievers with hip dysplasia will show no outward signs at all, until perhaps 7 or 8 years of age when muscle tone decreases and arthritis and wear and tear on the joint become more noticeable.

A dysplastic dog can lead a happy and smooth life; however, it may usually develop some degree of arthritis later in life. For this, the vets recommend regular exercise, weight-control, and anti-inflammatory drugs. It is recommended that the dysplastic dog should not be used for breeding!!

2. Cataract or opacity within the lens of the eye is another common problem in Golden Retrievers. These cataracts can result into severe or total loss of vision. Sometimes, non-hereditary cataracts also occur,
which need proper medical attention.

3. Other eye problems in Golden Retrievers include eyelid and eyelash problems. Entropion and Ectropion are the turning in or turning out of the eyelids. Trichiasis and distichiasis involve eyelashes or hairs rubbing on and irritating the eye. These problems may be corrected by surgery.

4. Canine Von Willebrand’s disease is a deficiency in one of the clotting factors of the blood. The affected dogs have bleeding problems including prolonged bleeding from toenails cut too short, haemorrhage from even minor surgical procedures, lameness, stillbirths or early death of newborn puppies, intestinal bleeding, and so on. The bleeding primarily involves mucosal surfaces (gastrointestinal tract, nose-bleeds, blood in the urine, vaginal or penile bleeding) and is aggravated by stress situations (other physiological, pathological, emotional or hormonal conditions).

5. Low thyroid or hypothyroidism is also an abnormality seen in Golden Retrievers. It is a generalized metabolic disease characterised by malfunction of the thyroid gland which cause lethargy, weight gain, hair loss and skin problems. Affected animals may also have reproductions problems including irregular or absent estrus (heat cycle) and lack of ferocity in both male & female. Diagnosis is done by laboratory tests measuring levels of T3 and T4 produced by the thyroid gland in the blood. Daily administration of thyroid supplement is given orally and where successfully treated the dog’s life span is normal, although the dog may require lifelong thyroid supplementation.

6. Besides these, Golden Retrievers are also prone to skin allergies, sometimes involving the ears, nose and other parts of the body. Flea bites is one of the major reasons for such allergies. Early detection and proper treatment can help your dog lead a healthy and safe life.

Apart from these ailments, this a breed you would love to have in your home as Golden Retriever loves to help out, and craves participation in all aspects of family life. It will always act in a polite manner and will win friends with his attractive butterscotch-coloured jacket and lovely dark rimmed eyes. So get ready to be bowled over with this golden angel.