Question by Lisa: What will help my aging Golden Labradors arthritis?
She is already on prescription meds from the vet, and doing ok most days. Will massaging the afflicted shoulder help? If so what’s the best way to massage a dogs shoulder? I use heating pads and she has a heated orthopedic bed, but was wondering if there was anything else that might help my girl?
She is such a wonderful dog and I want to make her senior years as comfortable as possible. So any suggestions or websites with good tips to relieve discomfort would be wonderful.

Best answer:

Answer by poa.girl
Massaging probably won’t help. Ask your vet if you can give her pain killers, like Advil, if she has a bad day. And, as always, keep your pets interests first- if it gets too bad, don’t be afraid to let her go. I know it hurts, but sometimes it’s in their best interest. Best wishes.

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Question by eva m: I have a 12 and a half year old golden retriever with bad arthritis.?
Its his two back legs that are giving him the most trouble. He is my parents dog really since I moved out of home 2 years ago, but I grew up with him as a child. As the winter sets in and it gets colder my parents wont allow him to stay in the house, so he sleeps outside in the freezing cold. It breaks my heart to see him shivering in the cold. He has a kennel (with no blanket) but he doesnt use it. I have given out to them and asked them nicely to let him stay indoors but they never listen to me.
I was thinking of putting a hot water bottle in the kennel with a blanket and heating the hot water bottle up every night, what do you think, is there anything else I can do for him?
P.S. I cannot take him home with me as after all he is their dog and I wouldnt have the space for him, and I wouldnt want to move him from the only home he has known his entire life.
Any tips or advice would help, Im really looking for home-made tips and advice, like if there is any food I can give him 4 the pain

Best answer:

Answer by chel_c
i know how hard it is to lose a pet, especially one you’ve grown up with. but the best thing for that case is to put him down. we had to put my dogs down because of arthritis. he also would not sleep in his kennel. but if putting him down is not an option, i would suggest maybe an electric blanket on low. a battery operated one if they make such ones. or a big quilt. if you parents have a garage, even that is better than outside. good luck, i feel for your situation.
<3

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Question by ktmh: my golden retrievers ear is puffy and swollen, what could this be?
He’s 14 years old and quite healthy (minus his arthritis in which the vet started him on metacam almost 2 months ago and he acts like the pup at heart that he always has been). His ear is really puffy and it feels like a hard pocket of liquid and it’s located in his ear flap. He shows no signs of discomfort and he doesn’t shake or itch often at all. At first I thought maybe he had gotten bit a little too hard playing with my other dogs or by an insect and I figured it would just go away but it’s been a couple of weeks now and its getting bigger. It feels like its about to burst. I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and will be taking him to the vet as soon as I can get him in but I was just wondering what some people think it could be. I’ve read on a few sites that it could be numerous things such as an aural hematoma, ulcer, ear infection, even cancer! I’m just looking for some piece of mind because some of the things I’ve read are pretty scary and although hes in good shape and healthy especially for his age, he’s still a pretty old dog and I know his treatment options in any case are limited. Anyone with any ideas or opinions its greatly appreciated!!!
thanks everyone! I really hope being the age he is there is something the vet can do to help him out. He’s pretty strong willed Heres to hoping!

Best answer:

Answer by Lorraine
It is almost bound to be a aural hematoma as you suspect, from the sound of it.

They do need draining under a GA though, and as he is 14 yrs old then the vet might decide on another course of action.

He will need to see a vet with this.

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Question by angie: Question about Golden Retriever puppie?
She is 4 months old and is growing very fast, but she seems to be a bit stiff when she first gets up after snoozing in the same position for some time. She reminds me of an older dog with arthritis. She does not seem to be in pain or anything, but too SLOW at first for such a young pup.

Do puppies ever have arthritis? What kind of test at the vet should I request to see if she might have arthritis?

Best answer:

Answer by SpotsB4myeyes
she’s just still tired, not fully awake. she’s probably very sweet and cozy. loooooove goldens!

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Question by Brittany E: Are there any alternatives to Zubrin (arthritis medicine) for my golden retriever?
My dog was recently diagnosed with arthritis in her lower back. The doctor wants to keep her on Zubrin for long term. I’m totally fine with that, because I want my Goldie to feel her best. But it is so expensive and my husband and I are just starting out and don’t have a lot of money. So I was wondering if anyone knew of any less expensive alternatives?

Best answer:

Answer by Arizona
consider asking your vet about “etogesic” to medicate your animal.Easier to tolerate for long term use too.
It is much easier than many other drugs on their liver and kidneys.
It has also been on the market for awhile and may be more cost effective.

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Question by jenneeann: Golden Retriever question?
My golden retriever is 2 1/2 yrs old. She is an active dog that shows she is in no pain and walks/runs fine. I have noticed recently that SOMETIMES when she stands up I can hear a popping noise. I’ve looked up hip dysplasia, but that is the only symptom that she has, and it is not all the time. She is a little over weight (weighs about 92#’s), but she is a big boned dog. Any idea’s? And yes I know you guys are not vets and the best thing is to call the vets, I would just like some FREE advice .

Best answer:

Answer by rugamar0916
she could be showing signs of arthritis. It is not uncommon in large dogs such as labs. As they age it gets harder and harder for them to stand. It sounds like she is a bit overweight though (no offense). I’m sure she can stand to lose a couple of pounds and that will help her with her joints. It will reduce the amount of weight her legs will have to carry. She is too young to be having this problem. Take her to your vet and see if they suggest the same thing. They might even put her on a pill that will help as well.

good luck!

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Question by Sandra: My Golden Retriever’s Weight….?
Hello…. I have a question about our dog’s weight that I would love some opinions on. We have a 2 year old Golden who has hip dysplasia. The vet has been wanting him to lose weight for a few months now, and I could see that he was slightly over weight. However, I think he now looks great and is in great shape. I have him weighed every month, and when I took him in today, he had gained 3 pounds ( He now weighs 86 pounds ) ! But he looks thinner, and looks quite slender when he’s wet. I have been taking him swimming about 4 times a week for the past 3 weeks, and I really thought that was helping. I was shocked that he had gained weight. I don’t feel that it’s fair to go by just the number on the scale. I have a friend who has a Golden and he weighs 85 pounds, but is in great condition and just larger boned. Could it be that our dog is just more muscular and not necessarily fat? He does not look fat to me at all and is very , very strong. Just curious what other people think . Thanks:)
Thank you very much for the wonderful answers ! When I took him in yesterday to be weighed, I didn’t see the vet – just the vet tech. When I take him again in a month, I will definitely talk to the vet and see what she thinks. I can’t see his ribs, but can feel them just fine. He’s been swimming a lot the past 3 1/2 weeks, and I really feel that that has added muscle . He just doesn’t look fat to me. I would rather the vet go by how he looks and feels than by the number on the scale. Anyway, thanks again to everyone

Best answer:

Answer by Kathleen
It’s quite likely he’s gained muscle, what does your vet say?

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Question by Natalie xox: i bred my female lab x gsd with my male golden retrever x staffy. she is due to have pups very soon BUT. HELP?
ok so i bred my 4 year old female labrador x german shepherd with my 2 year old male golden retriever x staffy and she is due to have puppys in about like.. 2 days but last year my female dog (daisy) was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia and my male (boomer) has been swaying his hips, having problems walking and was showing signs of hip dysplasia.
boomer was showing these signs aprox 7 mths ago but i bred him and her because i didnt know what it was.
i was wondring, is elbow or hip dyplasia hereditory? i do hope not because i dont want the pupys to get it. my female doesnt have bad elbow dysplasia but its affecting her walking, running, getting up, going up and down stairs ect.
can anybody who has bred dogs before, give me some HELPFUL TIPS?
i have never bred before so i need a bit of help. i did not bye my dogs from a reputoble breeder but they did not screan the sire and b!tch and that was ok wit me coz i didnt think they were gonna get it.the breeder had no health guarantee!!!!
and i got my vet to do a ultra sound thing to see how many baby pupys she was going to have and it showed 7 pupys then i went back 2 weeks later and it shows 11? the first one was done 4 weeks after mating and then 2 weeks later so how many is she gonna have? i am so confised?

i asked my vet but she said that she wasnt going to help me any further because breeding dogs with dyplsia is very cruel? i dont understand? what if she needs a csection? who is gonna do it? i have been seeing that vet now for about 2 years so i was a bit confused how their clinic can take thousands of dollars from me over a 2 yr period but thy cant advise me on what to do when my female is preggos?
i bred because my vet didnt tell me if it was genetic.. she just said it was mild elbow dyplasia? i didnt know!!!

she is almost ready to give birth in maybe a week… i dont want these dogs to go to pounds with geentic diseases. i will keep a few but if she has 11… there is no way i can have them all.

i really dont want them to get what my dogs have.. its depressing.

is there anyway to abort the pupys now? i know its very mean to do that to living dogs but i cant make them be born into this world knowing they have a genetic diseases.
i never imagined this would happen! i will feel so terrable if i get rid of the puppies. i wouldnt sell them to owners without telling them that the mom has elbow dyplasia and the dad shows sigbns of hd.

i didnt know… i never would have bred but i didnt know of the serveruty of dysplasia.

the sire (golden retreiver) of the male were checked for hip and elbow dysplasia. and it was very low scores.
the dam (lab) of daisy was also negative and was checked for dysplasia and pra.

Best answer:

Answer by anwen55
Are you serious? I can’t believe anyone can be so stupid!!
If your bitch has these puppies, there is a good chance all the puppies will end up with serious defects. I hope your not intending to sell these puppies – if you do you could well be sued by the new owners when they discover what they’ve bought.
The defects will not be obvious at birth, so you might well sell these puppies only to have then returned at 12 months old.
Please tell me you’re a Troll

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Question by simoniz: hip displasia in golden retrievers?
my dog is a lab/retriever/chow mix and earlier today i found her on the ground with her hind quarters tucked under her body as far as it would go but her tail was curled up over her back, like it usually is, but higher than usual and was oviously frightened and in pain. but a few minutes later, she perked back up again. Are these the symptoms of hip dysplasia? If not, what could it be? should I take her to get an X-ray?

Best answer:

Answer by xmillerphotos
Labrador Retrievers are prone to hip dysplasia along with older Goldens. I would suggest telling your vet and asking for x-rays. It can become a problem, and it is painful. If she does have hip dysplasia then the only thing you can do is pain medications I believe.

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Question by Dustin: What kind of questions should I ask a Golden retriever breeder before I buy? How young should they let them go
How can I be sure that the dog will not get hip dysplasia? Does it run in the dogs family? Is there some kind of certification?

My mother paid 1000 dollars for her golden and was told that hip dysplasia did not run in the dogs family. It now has hip dysplasia, the lady she bought it from told her that she could have a refund but she had to return the dog. Problem is the dog had been with her almost a year before we found out and we are to attached to let go . How can I avoid problems like this?

Best answer:

Answer by judithia
Why go to a breeder and pay thousands of dollars?? Go to www.petfinder.com and see how many beautiful Goldens you find that desperately want loving homes. Then go and bring home your new best friend…and please DO spay or neuter!! Good luck!!

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