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Golden Retrievers are generally a very healthy breed and as long as they are fed and exercised correctly should live long, healthy and happy lives. Like most breeds, they are subject to some genetic disorders,and for some of these, health schemes organised jointly by the Kennel Club and the British Veterinary Association are in operation. |
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| Hip Dysplasia | Golden Retrievers are subject to Hip Dysplasia, and a BVA/KC scheme is in operation to assess the degree of hip dysplasia a dog has. Dogs are X-rayed, and the plates are scored by a panel of specialists. This only needs to be done once in the dogs life, and it is recommended that the dog is at least 12 months of age before assessment. Each hip is assessed independently and a score is given for each hip (i.e. 8-9 = 17) Some people will quote the combined score (17), some the score for each side (8-9). The best score you can get is 0-0 (very very rare) and the worst is 53-53 (also very very rare). The average score for the breed is a cumulative score of just under 20. |
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| Elbow Dysplasia | This is a very new scheme that has recently been introduced and you may find some breeders have had their breeding stock checked and some not. This entails X-raying the dogs elbows, and submitting the plates to a panel of specialists for assessment. A score is given for each elbow from 0 to 3, 0 being completely clear, and 3 being badly affected. |
| Eye Problems |
There are various conditions that Goldens are susceptible to, some very serious such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) and Hereditary Cataract (HC). Both these conditions are sight affecting and no animal having these conditions should be bred from. There are some conditions which are not sight affecting which are also included in the test, i.e. Multifocal Retinal Dysplasia (MRD) and Post Polar Cataract (PPC). Once again there is a BVA/KC Scheme for Eyes and breeders are strongly recommended to use this. There is also a European Scheme in operation, and dogs may be assessed under this scheme. |
| If you would like more information on these conditions, the following pamphlets are available. | |
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Hip Dysplasia in dogs: A guide for dog owners. by John Foster BVSc, CertVOphthal, MRCVS Available from the BVA, (Canine Health Schemes), 7 Mansfield St. London, W1M 0AT. |
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The BVA/KC scoring scheme for control of hip dysplasia: Interpretation of criteria. By Christine Gibbs, BVSc, PhD, DVR, MRCVS. Available from the BVA, (Canine Health Schemes), 7 Mansfield St. London, W1M 0AT. |
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Hereditary eye disease in dogs: Conditions covered by the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye scheme. Available from the BVA, (Canine Health Schemes), 7 Mansfield St. London, W1M 0AT. |
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Hereditary eye disease in dogs: A guide for dog owners. By John Foster BVSc, CertVOphthal, MRCVS Available from the BVA, (Canine Health Schemes), 7 Mansfield St. London, W1M 0AT. |
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| A Golden's temperament is its biggest asset, and that is the most important point of all! | |