Most Common Golden Retriever Health Problems

There are quite some major kinds of diseases that have been reported in this breed, some of which are:

Cancer

The Golden Retriever is considered to have a certain susceptibility to certain cancers such as lymphomas or mastocytomas, fibrosarcomas (cutaneous or mouth), and hemangiosarcomas.

Cardiology

The golden retriever has a markedly increased predisposition to pericardial effusion (7.4 times compared to the canine population).

Aortic stenosis is a congenital heart defect described in the Golden Retriever with a relative risk compared to the general canine population multiplied by 6.8. A genetic origin is suspected.

Gastroenterology

Certain predispositions to gastrointestinal disorders are reported in the Golden Retriever such as acquired mega-esophagus. The clinical signs of the latter appear most often before the age of 1 year and it is most often intrahepatic forms.

Dermatology

An inclination of the Golden Retriever to several skin conditions is reported, and more particularly:

• Canine juvenile cellulitis is a family disease that is probably hereditary and usually affects puppies between 1 and 4 months of age.

• Atopy: In this breed, signs can appear as early as two months of age.

• For pyotraumatic folliculitis, quite common in the Golden Retriever, the risk is 2.3 times higher than in the general canine population, and young dogs are predisposed.

Neurology

In the Golden Retriever, idiopathic epilepsy (essential epilepsy) is not exceptional and a genetic origin is invoked. The disease occurs between 6 months and 6 years.

The Golden Retriever is also considered to be predisposed to an idiopathic form of Claude Bernard-Horner Syndrome