Goldendoodles are one of the most charming and preferred duds known today which is a first generation hybrid between Golden Retriever and Poodle. Known to be docile, friendly, intelligent, and to have a non- shedding coats, they have become the family dog. Like other types of dogs, health complications can arise, and everyone who wants to buy goldendoodle puppies should have information on some diseases associated with this breed. This article will display some of these diseases and how to deal with them.
1. Hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is one of the most common diseases in large breed dogs, and goldendoodles can also suffer from the disease. This condition arises where the hip joint did not develop in a perfect and normal way and would later lead to arthritis, pain and a condition that limits mobility after some time. Hip dysplasia is also an hereditary disease passed from the parents and mostly seen in Golden Retrievers, the Goldendoodle may also have it.
Prevention and Management: When one is looking for goldendoodle puppies, one must ask on the parents hip status. Good breeders need to take their dog’s hip X-ray for hip dysplasia and further verify in the orthopedic tests.
2. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
PLL is a set of genetic disorders that directly affect one of the lenses of a dog and result in lens luxation; PRA is also a set of genetic disorders that affect the retina of a dog and lead to its blindness. This condition is however, one that is normally inherited from the Poodle lineage of the Goldendoodle breed. PRA does not in any way make the dog painful but with time the eyes of the animal begin to fail and in the worst case, a dog will be rendered completely blind.
Prevention and Management: A responsible Goldendoodle breeder with puppies will get a DNA test for PRA to make sure that the breeding pair does not have this gene. PRA is not curable, but prognosis can be slowed if diagnosed at the earliest stage. The patient should go for routine eye check up and consult a veterinary ophthalmologist to help in controlling this disease.
3. Allergies
These dogs like any other dog breed can develop allergies. There are seasonal and food allergies whereby one may be allergic to pollen, dust, mite, proteins or grains and there are chemical allergies which are allergies caused by grooming products and chemicals in our environment. Some of the signs that a Goldendoodle is allergic to something may display symptoms such as scratching the skin constantly or having ear infections, vomiting and diarrhea.
Prevention and Management: When looking for Goldendoodle puppies it is essential to note that allergies are hereditary thus one must ask from the breeder if the parents of the puppies have a history of allergies. For this, try to avoid the allergen, whether it is food or environment, get a vet to have your pet tested for allergies, and use products that are not allergy inducing when grooming your pet. It is also important to note that dependent on the type of allergy that is being faced, the doctor may prescribe a dietician or medication that is essential for the type of allergy faced.
4. Ear Infections
Goldendoodles have ears that droop, which means dust, and moisture are trapped in the ears, likely causing bacteria and yeast issues. Common signs of ear infection in a Goldendoodle includes the ears being red, smelly and your dog seems restless scratching or shaking its head.
Prevention and Management: Ear hygiene plays a very crucial part in preventing ear infections hence cleaning of the ears is encouraged. When trying to find a breeder to buy a goldendoodle puppy from look for one who stresses on grooming and cleaning of their ears. In the event of an infection, an individual should use the substances recommended by the veterinarian, ear drops or cleaners. Here and there, you might find that your dog needs its ear hair trimmed to enable the free flow of air of the ear skin to reduce moisture content.
5. Elbow Dysplasia
Elbow dysplasia is another disease that is very familiar to Goldendoodle, even more so to the larger parts of this breed. This one is characterized by the improper development of the elbow joint and subsequent arthritis and lameness of one, or both front, limbs. Usually it is hereditary which may be as a result of the inheritance from either the Poodle or the Golden Retriever parent.
Prevention and Management: Just like hip dysplasia, when selecting your Goldendoodle puppy it is good to ask the breeders about health clearances for elbow dysplasia. Some of the ways through which this can be prevented include ensuring that your puppy is always at a correct weight and avoidinganto exercise your puppy during the developmental stage. If the condition is diagnosed treatment involves the use of Assessin, reducing weight and in serious conditions, surgery.
6. Von Willebrand’s Disease
VWV is an autosomal dominant genetic disease which mainly resulted in the inability of a normal clotting mechanism in the canine. Some of the symptoms that may be presented in the affected dogs include delayed clotting in case of injuries as well as after surgery. Even though it occurs more frequently in Poodles than in Golden Retrievers, this disease can be inherited by Goldendoodles.
Prevention and Management: Responsible effort giving Goldendoodle puppies should undertake a DNA test on their breeding dogs for vWD. Pregnant dogs, dogs that have the disease or are carriers should not be used for breeding. It is then wise not to hurt the dog in case it has vWD and seek for advice on matters concerning surgery from the veterinarian.
7. Hypothyroidism
Another hormonal imbalance disorder is hypothyroidism where thyroid gland in the body of a dog does not secrete adequate hormones. Some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism may be weight gain, reduced activity level and loss of hair, skin rashes may be observed in Goldendoodle with hypothyroidism.
Prevention and Management: Currently, there are no ways through which this disease can be prevented, although acquiring a puppy from a right breeder who does health check and screening for hypothyroidism is important. It is possible to diagnose hypothyroidism during routine examination with a veterinarian and blood tests. f
8. Bloat (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus)
The condition commonly known as bloated or Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV) is a life threatening disorder that affects large breed dogs such as Goldendoodle. It is due to gas build-up; gas causes stomach to twist and as such rest of internals organs including stomach is supplied adequate blood. Some of the signs are ; pacing, salivation and swelling of the abdomen.
Prevention and Management: This is because if one fails to control portions served and control physical activity sometime after feeding, the abdomen of his/her Goldendoodle may fill up. If the dog gets like this it becomes bloat which is a life threatening condition and one should take him to the vet. Some dogs will require a surgical process which is called gastropexy with the aim of preventing the stomach to twist and end up strangulating.
9. Heart Disease
Golden Retriever these Goldendoodles are prone to heart disease known as subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS). This condition specifically reduces blood flow from the heart and if this condition is not controlled; it may lead to heart failure.
Prevention and Management: There are a few things that one should not overlook if planning to buy Goldendoodle puppies for sale; the breeder should tell you about the health of the parents to cardiac issues. Your veterinarian should be taking your dog in for regular check-ups so that, if there is any problem in the heart it is detected; if your dog succumbs to heart disease, he might be put on medication or will need surgery.
10. Skin Conditions
Goldendoodles are an unhealthy breed for skin diseases such as dermatitis and sebaceous dermatitis (an inflammation of the skin’s sebaceous glands). These conditions are manifested in the form of flakiness of skin, hair fall, and itching sensation for most people.
Prevention and Management: Skin diseases are also prevented by proper grooming and dog washing using mild, non allergic soap. However, if skin problems do not go away, you should seek veterinary attention as the condition may require medical treatment and this may involve the administration of drugs or use of shampoos.
Of course, Goldendoodles are friendly family dogs with friendly tempers which are also packed with numerous other benefits but how far they shielded themselves with countless number of diseases and health issues? When looking for the Goldendoodle puppies for sale you have to be very careful; the breeder must have the health check for the parents and the test certifications. Some of the ways that can be used to keep the Goldendoodle strong and healthy throughout its lifetime are offering him or her routine check-up, feeding on good diet, exercising and bathing our Goldendoodle among other things. So, the owner needs to know as much as possible and be very careful in order to avoid as many of the above mentioned diseases as possible for the dog to be a healthy Goldendoodle.
