When you bring home your new Golden Retriever Puppy the last thing you want to think about is what diseases you may have to deal with.
By and large your Golden is a dog that's not prone to a lot of health problems but it's good to know what you are dealing with just the same.
The time to think about any potential problems is before you get your new Golden.
Your Golden Retriever's Health will be affected by a number of things which can go along way toward prevention.
The very first step is to be careful where you buy your Golden.
If you decide to get a new one from a breeder, then ask a lot of questions.
Make sure your breeder is reputable.
Ask around and find a good one.
You want to avoid genetic and inbreeding issues with any dog Golden Retriever or otherwise.
This is a simple step that can save you an enormous amount of hassle and pain.
A good breeder will also provide a guarantee of the genetic diseases that his breeding stock has been tested for and screened for.
Ask for this, a responsible breeder will probably offer it before you ask anyway.
This doesn't guarantee a good puppy but it does reduce the chances of problems down the road.
Regardless of the precautions you take it's good to know potentially what things might crop up with your pup.
If you know ahead of time what Golden Retriever Health problems might arise you will know what to look out for and knowledge is power.
Golden's are more susceptible to certain diseases under certain condition which incidentally is often bad breeding.
CHD or (Canine) Hip Dysplasia is a problem whereby the head of the femur doesn't fit correctly into the socket.
It doesn't take much imagination to figure out how painful and problematic for the dog this could be.
Arthritis can develop as a result of this.
A hereditary condition called juvenile cataracts can affect Golden's.
People can get cataracts also and in dogs they are pretty much treated the same way.
Fortunately this problem tends to be easy to fix with surgery.
Entropion is a problem with how the margin of the eyelid meets the eye.
It's uncomfortable for the dog because the eyelashes can contact the eyeball.
It's not a lot of fun for Goldy.
As with cataracts if you are willing to pop for the surgery it usually can be fixed.
Allergies in dogs can be a problem also.
It usually has something to do with Goldy's skin but it can affect her nose and ears and other things.
Allergy's can be caused by a number of things.
The first thing to check for is fleas but also be suspicious of her food.
You can get a test to help figure out what the problem is and remedy it.
Dog's can actually get a brain disorder similar to something in humans called epilepsy.
In Dog's, as in humans, it can cause seizures and convulsions which can be dangerous to the dog and possibly others around the dog.
It can be controlled with medication.
Having some knowledge of what can go wrong with your dog should do two things for you.
It should remind you that a dog is a biological machine like the rest of us and things can go wrong.
Hope for the best but be prepared.
Secondly, being armed with some information makes you a better consumer.
You should know what questions to ask to make sure your breeder is concerned about your dog's health and your overall experience.