How long do Golden Retrievers live, and how can you help them to live as long as possible? Golden Retriever lifespan used to average out at around 16 years, but now sadly it’s usually more like 10 – 12 years. This is mostly due to increasing cases of cancer in this friendly, affectionate breed. But there are other factors as well. Today we’re going to look at the average Golden Retriever lifespan, the longest lived Goldens and how you can help your Golden Retriever puppy to reach the greatest age possible while staying healthy.
Contents
- Average Golden Retriever lifespan
- How long do Golden Retrievers live with cancer?
- Factors influencing Golden Retriever life expectancy
- Oldest living Golden Retrievers
If you have a Golden Retriever or are thinking about adopting one, you are probably wondering how long do Golden Retrievers live. In this article we take a detailed look at the typical Golden Retriever lifespan and how you can help your Goldie to live as long and happy a life as possible.
Golden Retrievers as Pets
Golden Retrievers are an extremely popular dog. No doubt, this popularity comes from the fact that they are extremely suitable pets. They’re friendly, intelligent, and extremely devoted to their owners. However, one of the first things you should find out before potentially adopting a new pet is their lifespan.
After all, your pet will depend on your for care its whole life, and you must be sure that you can actually provide care for the animal for the whole time it is alive. In this article, we’ll answer the question, “How long do Golden Retrievers live?” and discuss what factors affect a Golden Retriever’s lifespan.
How Long Do Golden Retrievers Live?
Today, the average lifespan of a Golden Retriever is between 10 and 12 years. However, only decades ago Golden Retrievers lived to be much older, usually around 16 to 17 years.
For a long time, scientists were baffled at why the Golden Retriever lifespan was dropping so quickly without an apparent cause.
To find out why Golden Retrievers have begun to die sooner than they did only mere decades ago, scientists designed a survey that takes into account environmental factors, genes, and health conditions that might affect a Golden Retriever’s lifespan. We will discuss this survey and the implications later in our article. For now, let’s look at how specifically cancer affects the Golden Retriever lifespan.
Golden Retriever Life Expectancy and Cancer
Golden Retrievers die from bone cancer, lymphoma, and blood cancer more than any other breed. And no one knows why. Golden Retrievers are also more prone to other types of cancer, even at an early age. For example, one Golden Retriever was diagnosed with uterine carcinoma, or cancer of the uterus, at only 10 months old!
This is the youngest instance of this type of cancer every reported. Some factors have been tied to this increased cancer risk. According to one study, the early neutering of Golden Retrievers led to an increased occurrence of certain cancers and hip problems.
However, research on the factors that contribute to Golden Retriever’s short lifespan is early and inconclusive. We don’t know exactly why Golden Retrievers are suddenly dying earlier than they were only decades ago. There is a study though, that is seeking to change that.
How Long Do Golden Retrievers Live Study
A study is being undertaken by the Morris Animal Foundation and just kicked off in 2015. This study is looking at a number of factors, from heavy metals found in water to the pet’s routine and even physical traits, to discover if there is any correlation between these factors and cancer.
The main goal, according to Veterinary News, is to create a comprehensive database of over 3,000 purebred Golden Retrievers. This database will then be used to assess whether there are any conditions and lifestyles that correlate with an occurrence of cancer.
Though the survey is far from over and will probably take another decade to complete, scientists are hopeful that they will discover the cause behind these beloved dogs’ rising cancer rate and quickly dropping lifespan. In the meantime, it is likely that Golden Retriever lifespans will continue to drop.
How Long Do Golden Retrievers Live Other Factors
Of course, there are other factors that also contribute to the Golden Retriever lifespan. Golden Retrievers are prone to hip and joint problems. While these will probably not cause the death of a Golden Retriever, joint and hip pain can greatly reduce their quality of life.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to increase your Golden Retriever’s likely lifespan. Keeping your dog at a healthy weight can decrease their risk for joint and hip problems, and might even decrease their risk for cancer as well.
One study found a link between commercial grain-free diets and health problems like taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in Golden Retrievers. Their development is often multifactorial, and influenced by a number of things. But it’s still important to ensure your Golden has a healthy balanced diet.
Choosing a Golden Retriever puppy that is not genetically disposed to health problems can also help. While it is sometimes difficult to identify dogs with healthy genes, you should always check on the health of a puppy’s recent ancestors to ensure that they do not have hip problems. A puppy whose parents have bad hips is more likely to have bad hips itself.
Oldest Living Golden Retriever
The oldest ever living Golden Retriever was 20 years old when he passed away.
How Long Can a Golden Retriever Live?
Most Golden Retrievers live to be between 10 and 12 years old. Genetic factors play a large role in how long a particular canine lives. Genetic factors likely play a role in a pet’s susceptibility to cancer, which can decrease their lifespan considerably.
Hip and bone problems can also factor into a dog’s quality of life as they age. Genetic factors also play a role in these disorders, though being overweight is also a big factor in Golden Retriever lifespan.
Do you have a Golden Retriever? Let us know how old they are in the comments below!
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References and Further Reading
- “FAQ.” Goldheart Golden Retrievers.
- Smith, Gail. “Evaluation of risk factors for degenerative joint disease associated with hip dysplasia in German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 2001.
- “Genetic Welfare Problems of Companion Animals.” Universities Federation for Animal Welfare.
- Vogelsang, Jessica. “Golden retriever study confronts heartbreak of cancer with unparalleled veterinary research effort.” Veterinary News. 2014.
- “Golden Retriever Lifetime Study.” Morris Animal Foundation.
- Riva, Gretel. “Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers.” PLOS One. 2013.
- Cave. “Uterine carcinoma in a 10‐month‐old golden retriever.” Journal of Small Animal Practice. 2006.
- “Why are Golden retrievers more likely to die of cancer than any other breed?” Daily Mail. 2015.
- “Golden Retriever.” American Kennel Club.
- Kaplan, Joanna (et al). “Taurine Deficiency and Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Golden Retrievers Fed Commercial Diets”. PLOS One. 2018.
Kim Ciucci says
We just lost our sweet girl Zoey this past Sunday .. she would have been 13 in November. She had thyroid issues throughout her life that we managed with medication. Her hips were not as good as they used to be, but she got around well. She had some fatty tumors, but no cancer that we know of. She got sick a month ago , she was back and feeling better , then got sick again and passed away the next morning at home. She was surrounded by our family . I am lost without her. I don’t really know the full cause of her death, in her last minutes.. she was panting.. and appeared to have a seizure.. my heart is broken. She was my best friend and side kick..
Josephine Obelsky says
7/13/2021
Our Sweet Dog Molly passed on 7/10/2021. She was 17 years 2 months DOB 4/20/2004. She was wonderful up to the end of her life still enjoying swimming in her favorite pond and walking a mile when she could. She was diagnosed with kidney failure 4 years ago but I cooked a special diet for her every day and it didn’t seem to affect the quality of her life. She was a wonderful wonderful Golden and we will miss her everyday.
Laura says
Our beautiful Chopper lived to be 16 years 10 months old. He definitely touched many hearts and was our best friend. He will be missed so much and we think of him everyday.
It’s hard to say good bye our best friend and the loyalty that he gave us.
We will always miss you Chopper
Mike Prouty says
Puck is 15-going-on-10! His eyes and ears don’t work too well but he’s got the heart of a lion. Puck has always been an alpha dog, and he’s still a bull-in-a-china-shop. Sam, our young 4-year-old golden helps keep Puck young at heart.
Jennifer Bargnesi says
Our family dog Elliot is 11.5 and doing well. Ramps only, no stairs for the past year, but he does great!
Christy says
My sweet Murphy will turn 10 in March 2021. He was diagnosed with inoperable hemingiosarcoma in Feb 2020, and given six weeks to live. We have been doing Yunan Bai Yao and “Dispel Stasis in the Middle Palace” supplements, and he is doing great so far!
Our Riley was 9 when he passed of hemingiosarcoma of the heart, and our Trevor was 8 when he passed of kidney failure (either related to undiagnosed Lyme disease or a first dose of Comfortis). All were Goldens.
Peter Nyzio says
Our Stella developed a tumor on her head that was applying pressure on her jaw preventing her from opening her mouth fully, x-rays also revealed a mass in her chest. Further test showed elevated protein in her urine. Our vet told us to take her home, keep her comfortable and Waite for her to die. They said she had probably 2 months to live.This was in February of 2020. She was 10.5 years old at the time. We changed vets and added a hollistic vet to help us care for her. The hollistic vet put her on the same regiment that you are following and the other New vet put her on medication to treat the kidney problem. She did great and lived another full year before she lost the battle on March 8 2021. Her quality of life was good taking long walks in the woods which she loved doing right up to the last day when she went down hill extremely fast. She will be missed.
Jennifer Cooper says
I just lost my best friend, Logan, an 8 yr old / almost 9 yr old Golden Retriever. He was the center of my world.
It was very sudden. He appeared in perfect health. We had just spent a night out with friends in the park. Everyone loved him. When he got home he wouldn’t eat and acted lethargic / wobbly when he walked.
We took him to emergency vet in middle of the night and they said it was tampanade, likely caused by a ruptured Hemangiosarcoma tumor near his heart.
His vitals were going down fast so we had to make the gut wrenching decision to put him down.
I still can’t believe it. I hope he understands why we had to do what we did and that we live Guinness very much!!
Jan says
Our UK goldie is 9 3/4 yrs. He is just retired as a guide dog. Has kept his ideal weight. Regular walks, yearly vet visits and anything we worry about is checked, healthy treats. He has muscle issues in his back, so have reduced his need to use steps, etc. He is a slow sleepy dog now, so hope he continues to be fit.
Melinda says
Our boy is 15. Amazing dog. We did switch to grain free due to allergies and he has done fantastic with that change and cytopoint allergy shots. Turmeric has been amazing for both him and me.
Sherrie says
We lost our 11 1/2 year old Eva to a brain tumor last night. She was slowing down due to her age. The last 6 months or so, I noticed she would pant more often than not, but I just thought it was the coat and the warmer weather. Her forehead was warm at times. I just knew something wasn’t right. She always acted the same though: running all over the place, excited to get her AM cookies and her PM peanut butter and wanting her rub downs. She ended up in her vet’s office as an emergency due to her having a seizure. It was bad, but she seemed to come out of it ok. Less than 48 hours later, she had another seizure. This one was horrible, very violent. She had never whined or cried as long as we had her (10 years), she was hurting. Once we arrived to the emergency vet, it was time to let her go.
Katie Ott says
We had to put our dog of 10.5 yrs down this morning. Tumor on his spleen. He was slowing doen a few months ago and we attributed it to age but yesterday took him to the vet and was given the life changing news. He degraded fast. Last night couldn’t breathe well. Our family is devastated. He was such a good dog. Sensitive, gentle and loving. Knew when someone was sad and he was needed. I keep trying to research cancer in golden retrievers and how didn’t we catch this sooner. His red and white blood cell counts were too low for surgery. I’m so saddened to see the life expectancy of golden retrievers is getting lower. I cannot imagine ever having to go through this again. Golden retrievers are such people pleasers. Cooper was so loved. Why can’t dogs live forever 🙁
Eric says
Katie, we have a 11yr old golden Male. He had cancer in his elbow and we made the decision to amputate his front leg. We had taken every step to persevere his health. He recovery just recently and did amazing. This May 2020, his xrays were clean. Then this past Friday he collapsed in our yard. We took him to the vet and find he has massive tumor on spleen, liver, and heart. Our family is devastated. Our Golden continues as we speak to give unconditional love. We were told by our VET that he has less than a month to live. This sucks we feel your pain. God bless.
Janice Shira says
My Roxy she was born September 29 2008 and passed away 4338 days later 11 years 11 months cancer we had to carry her to the truck vet came out to see her he knew that was AUGUST 14 2020 9;45 am Rest on peace my beloved companion
Theodore says
Plaster billy grain once said God loves us so much u will see your pet in heaven.also look up rainbow bridge a plan on where your pet gos after death.
Carolyn says
I have just lost my lovely Meg today, just 10.5yrs like your dog. It is devastating. I always thought I would have her another 3 years..The time we have with them is never long enough.
Cindy White says
Hi Katie, I’m so sorry for your loss I have a grand dog Golden retriever named chance he is the light of my life and such a sweet heart he is 5 now and his brother just passed with cancer and now his sister has cancer and now I’m really concerned about chance will he get it and your family sounds just like mine because he knows when your sad I give him body massages and he loves it and he gets so relax when I do this love him
Rick says
We just lost our baby Chance ,we are devastated.
Patsy says
Katie, I could have written your post word for word January 22,2021. We had the exact same situation. In the morning Shiloh age 10 years 9 months was diagnosed with a mass on his spleen. His breathing was becoming so labored that he was euthanized that afternoon. We had thought he was slowing down due to age. His sudden passing has been incredibly traumatic for our family. Thank you for sharing Cooper’s story.
Barb says
Almost identical to what happened to our beloved Bailey he had a ruptured spleen in the night. He licked me and died. It’s something I’ll always remember. He was 10 years old.
Kristen Nations says
Ours is 12 and was just diagnosed with oral cancer. We are devastated.
Mario says
My boy Max will be 15 and a half in a couple of days. I think he would live until 16 if it weren’t for a mass in front of his throat and one that looked like a recurring sore on his side lip. I’m don’t want to cut him and it’s hard decision to make to get them cut out. He dodged larynx cancer (Benign) and had it removed at 13 and half and his larynx tied back at the same time for larengeal paralysis. He has mobility issues, but with some special booties I made him he’s happy and walking around still. You can Google “Toe up dog booties” to see him and how to make them. That was done after he was 15. He’s my second i adopted him at 3 and will adopt another later on in life.
Maja says
I lost my girl at 8.5 years of age. She developed an inoperable aggressive brain tumor and the most humane Option was to put her to sleep. I m heartbroken and miss her so much. I really want to see what causes those cancers in Goldens. Once we find out maybe we can see how we can prevent them. Their lifespans are decreasing.
Geoff L. says
Our wonderful golden Spud had to be put down just after his twelfth birthday, due to widespread cancer that had invaded his lungs. Personality would be best described as irrepressible. He loved all his favourite things, especially food and any expedition or exercise, was difficult to scold because he had tremendous self-confidence, but he was loyal and very focussed on his family. An extremely cheerful and happy go lucky dog. He had been neutered as a puppy, fed a raw (BARF) diet, and until his last year, when arthritis began to slow him down, was energetic and healthy. He was absolutely true to breed in love of retrieval, swimming, beating the brush on long walks, and gentle and quiet at home. Always happy to play or cuddle. Loved his daily routine and had a remarkable internal clock which would get him anticipating the events of his day. We were gutted to lose him, at age 11 he had seemed very healthy except his skin started to grow benign bumps and cysts, one of which had to be surgically removed as he would irritate it. His decline was very fast, from active and healthy to almost immobile, not eating, difficulty breathing, in just about six days. He had a very good coat, teeth, and clear eyes all his life.
Before we had Spud we had another golden, Wiley. A very different personality, extremely intelligent and sensitive for a golden. A big strong dog who almost never needed to be told any wish twice, was driven to want to be agreeable and please, and would suffer emotionally if criticized or scolded. The easiest dog to train I have ever known. You could put a roast beef on the floor, just tell him quietly to leave it, and not only would he leave it, he would walk away and ignore it. As a puppy he fell off a wooden dock into a lake, and for all the remainder of his life never enjoyed swimming, although he absolutely adored wading and being in the water so long as his head was up and his feet touched the bottom. Wiley began to have seizures at age seven which were quickly diagnosed as frontal lobe brain cancer. He lived for about three months before he became disoriented and in distress and had to be put down. Also a neutered male who was fed a raw diet and had no earlier health problems.
Both dogs tracked pounds of mud and sand into the house, shed bales of dog hair, dragged us out in awful weather, so couldn’t have been more cherished and loved. Three children grew from school age to adults with the dogs, who put up with teasing and horseplay with great patience and affection for the kids although they were very much our (parents) pet first. We miss them very much.
susan says
I have just lost Sophie at 8 years. She went to the vets with a unirary infection and ultrasound showed agressive cancer. Jamie was 11 and 3 quarters when he had a stroke, he had a problem with his back legs collapsing and the stroke was too much. Timmy was 14 years when he had to have an eye removed. The anesthetic was too much and after a few weeks his organs failed. I had no idea about the cancer or shorter life span. I spoke to a lady who had 8 goldies and all died of cancer. I miss Sophie so much
Gretchen says
I am sorry for your lost:( , I never felt this horrible feeling , I lost my frodo at 10 years old, he was the joy of my family, I hope you feel better soon!
David says
I am sorry for your lost I have 2 golden retrievers there my friends dogs but there like my own I am apart of there family and they are 4 or 5 years old I going be sad when there time comes I find them in the after life I lost so many people and I can’t wait when I died I am 38 healthy person we will see are love ones again
Wendy says
I lost my first golden at 10 years 2 months. My second golden turned 13 in March 2020. He is having some incidence of hind legs giving out occasionally. He falls sometimes, even just doing the one step up into the front door. He has a huge startle reflex and seems to hate crinkle sounds. He has possibly licked a wound into his front paw pad for which he is on antibiotics and allergy medication. I am changing his bandages two or 3 times a day. The smell is horrible. Sometimes he trembles during bandage changes, and he has to wear an E collar most of the time or he removes the bandage when moms not looking. We have good days and bad days. He cannot enjoy walks anymore. Before the paw injury he could barely make it on our one mile walk. He would tire out the last quarter and I’d have to cheer him on. But he still eats, drinks, and acts like a big baby in the house. I know we are nearing the end of our journey together and probably won’t make it to 14, but for now we are hanging in there. We have a vet appointment in a couple of weeks to follow up on the wound. This will probably be my last golden unless I were to rescue an older one, as I myself are aging and no energy for a pup.
Darren Brooks says
We are from the UK. We lost our 13 and half golden retriever yesterday. She was such a special dog so loving and loved her food. She had arthritis of the spine and hips. She also developed cancer on the mamory gland last year but had the removed successfully. In January this year (2020) She developed aspirational pnumonia and was rushed to the vets we got her through that but found out it was caused by megaesophagus which is an enlargement of the esophagus. Dogs have to be fed upright for about 30 minutes some people can use what they call a Bailey chair but because of her arthritis we couldn’t use one so had to prop her up and keep her interested every feed twice a day.we had to introduce sildenfil (viagra) after she started being sick this worked for a couple of months but then things started to go downhill the last 3 nights my wife slept downstairs and she was being sick about 40 times a night we got some other medication but she couldn’t keep it down to have any affect. She was sick every time she moved she had a twitch and developed horners in one eye (droopy eye). So we had to make the decision. We are both devastated. We are going to travel for a couple of years then get another but she’ll always hold a special place in our hearts
Jacqui kent says
This sounds exaxtly what has just happened to us. Axel was 12.5 yesterday when we made the hardest decision to PTS. I am yearning for him back but after 6 months if anti sickness injections and antibiotics perking him up for a short time, the kast few days were different. He developed a weird aroma and couldnt even keep water down. Such an amazing dog, we will be lost without him.
Gigi says
My sweet golden Maggie is 14 1/2 – she will be 15 on August 23rd. She’s had hip issues for years and been on arthritis medicine but she’s just lately had issues breathing. I took her to to the vet and she has an enlarged heart. So she’s on heart medicine to see if that will help her symptoms and keep her quality of life good. She still comes to work with me every day (in fact she won’t let me leave the house without her) and she STILL goes for the cat food at every possible opportunity. We love her!!
Ellen says
I’m so glad to hear that! Our sweet girl is turning 12 this year and still acts like a puppy! Just started to notice some signs of arthritis but the vet gave us a supplement to give her and also said to add 500 mg of fish oil daily to her diet and she’s doing great!
Sylvia says
Hi. My dog just turn 12 and he is suffering a lot from hips pain.i will like to know which supplement are you giving him and knead that fish oil helps how you use it?
Thanks I will really appreciate your info.
Sylvia
Duncan Armstrong says
We live in Somerset, UK and have been blessed with the funniest, bravest dog with such a huge character ( although I’m convinced he believes he’s actually a four legged human!)we were so lucky to find him as all his brothers and sisters went to Guide dogs for the blind. So gentle, yet will nudge your elbow if he thinks there’s food around he should be getting! He’s had both hips replaced, but still bounces around, a result of the twice a week hydrotherapy (which he loves), has had green lipid mussel powder and another joint\ anti inflammation powder for around the last five\six years and daily Cimalgex. His beautiful amber eyes are just starting to go cloudy, but the intensity of his gaze remains ( one of the few dogs I know who will look right at you, without dropping his gaze). Merlin ( named after the Rolls Royce engine from the Spitfire, not the Wizard!!!) has looked after me when my father passed away and did the same for my wife when we lost her parents. He would not leave my side when cancer claimed my best friend and I cannot begin to contemplate how I will cope when he is finally taken from us. I particularly dread the prospect of telling my five year old son: when we came home from the hospital with him on being introduced to George to my astonishment Merlin put a paw so incredibly gently on his head, George just giggled and they are now great friends, with George chatting away to Merlin when he thinks no one is looking. Retrievers, not just dogs but one of the best things about being on this planet!
Teri Hodge says
Our Golden Retriever is 15 years old. Takes heart meds, has cataracts & dementia. He lives with my X husband in a house with lots of stairs. With his hip problems he has peed upstairs on the carpet several times now. Not sure if he can’t hold it or the pain of walking down the stairs is just too hard for him now. Spencer is too old for surgery. Any helpful thoughts to make him more comfortable.
My X still takes him for walks around the block. Should he continue making him walk with his hips the way they are?
Jen says
My golden stopped being able to walk down the hardwood stairs but carpet pads solved the issue
Crystal says
My Golden is 14.5 years and has sore hips (she has degenerative disc disease) . When laying down she does so in a gentle way until her rear end touches the floor. She has been on A daily low dose of prednisone Which make a big difference on her ability to navigate the stairs, it even cleared the haze/cloudy color in her eyes. Be aware, her appetite has also increased. She wants to eat all the time, so I started mixing a 1/4 cup of her Blue Buffalo senior dog food with equal amounts of rice, chicken and a veggie…which she loves. Quality of life is my goal for her. My vet says stairs are good for her to keep muscles from atrophy … which happens 3x quicker when sedentary activity is preferred for an aging animal or even a person. However, you have to be aware not to over do the activity for your pet.
Collette says
Jack just turned 14 and has had few health problems except for stinky ears until recently. A couple of years ago he took out his alc but we decided not to do surgery on a 13 year old dog. Instead we treated him with rest and supplements. From what I have read about the surgery problems, it was the right decision and I think perhaps it was a better outcome. Now at 14 we are considering if we should say goodbye to our sweet Jack as he is suffering from LP or laryngeal paralysis. This is hard to watch him struggling to breathe. There is surgery but the recovery is difficult and pneumonia is a possible risk and he is 14. There is an experimental drug and that I may consider is it is available. My husband is heartbroken about having to say goodby to his best friend.
Aaron says
Bailey is nearly 13. Has a tumour on his eye lid, already operated on & removed once before. Fit as a fiddle other than that. Improved his diet, give him hemp & pepper now too.
Sue says
My last golden died at age 11, so I am happy to say my present golden is 13. Unfortunately she was just diagnosed with moderate kidney disease. With her special food now I am not sure how much longer she has.
Jeff Bochonok says
My Golden Sandy will be 15 on Feb 14 of 2020. We keep her lean and a slow walk every day. She has torn both of her ACLs and we did not do surgery. We give her Dasaquin and Galliprant each day which sure seems to help keep her mobile. She is 65 lbs
Vanessa Lackford says
I just stumbled upon this. She is 15 today! Happy birthday Sandy. What a wonderful Valentine’s gift.
Luz Marina Rosenfeld says
My Chelsea is a Seeing Eye Dog for the blind. She is 54 pounds and is very healthy. she is twelve years of age and still is guiding me. She eats brown rice with lentil and chicken. I saute garlic in her food when cooking. I serve her on daily basis I cup overlap, add her Nutra Drive, Nuvet Plus one pill, Nu joint DS, one pill, a spoon of olive oil, and 2 clove of garlic mush down for no tics. She is the best dog ever. Never sick and still works for me. Hoping she will continue, she walks every day with me.
Nuvet plus pills will prevent cancer.
Alison Pannell says
My Golden Retriever is nearly 14. She has had several operations for cancer including one on her back, one on her nose, one mammary, and the last 4 months ago on her neck. She recovered each time very quickly, and apparently were unrelated cancers. She never had chemo or radiotherepy.
Also 2 years ago she had an emergency op for pyometra. She has slowed down recently, but it may just be the weather and she lost her friend, my cocker spaniel, the other day, so she may just be down.
Vince says
I brought home two brothers from the same litter in 2008. In July of 2019, Wyatt developed a tumor on his neck and it grew quickly. Our vet did a biopsy and he was given 2 months to live. We had it removed but decided against the very expensive chemo and radiation. He fought hard, but ultimately, we had to put him down on December 3rd, 2019 because he couldn’t walk or move and refused to eat and drink. It was a horrible time. His brother, Cody, is still with us. It was a challenge to have two goldens but I don’t regret it. Cody has been the one who keeps us from tears due to Wyatt’s death. I had a golden growing up and I just love this breed. They are the most loving, sweetest, quirkiest dogs.
Warren W O'Leary says
Dear Vince; I agree with your experience with Goldens. My first one lived 12.5 but had mouth/ gum cancer 3 years earlier. Had surgery done, gave sauteed asparagus 4 oz. & 1 /2 cup blueberries with his dry food with warm water mix. Given 6 months to live, Dana live about more 3 years. Became paralyzed and put her down. From a different breeder, Reilly a neuter male at 7 months old; just died at age 12 yrs . & one month old this past Friday 1 / 17 / 2020. Blood work showed normalcy. Total body X-Rays showed nothing wrong, Ultra-sound also showed wrong, second blood work for Addison’s disease was negative.Doctor thinks some sort of cancer in the Central Nervous System but not detected. Gave dog 1 /2 cup blueberries to every every dinner meal as an anti-oxidant against cancer since age 7. Gave 4 capsules of fish oil per day for 5 years also to prevent cardio-vascular problems. Gave 4,000 mg . vitamin ” C “Always used filtered tap water to reconstitute their dry dog food. Reilly’s symptoms that started a week ago were occasional shortness of breath, on his third day of noticeable health issues , he refused to ear his breakfast on Tuesday 1 / 14 / 20. took him to the Vet. ; physical touching , no apparent tumors, X-rays showed the same., heart looked normal. about 15 hrs. later at home, not walking or going to the bathroom , not eating when placed near mouth, drank some water . My clinic closes at noon on Wed.; ultra-sound was done ; ( had to be carried ) Put on I.V. ; died 15 hrs. later at clinic.
Rebecca Kurtza Kurtz says
My Golden Retriever is 9 years old and in excellent health. Some observers at the dog park were exclaiming about his athleticism while we were playing ball but I think they thought he was older than he is . His face has gone white already. He was neutered at 8 months of age is that considered early?
Suzanne Kinney says
My golden retriever was named Buddy and he passed away two days ago from cancer 🙁 he was 17 years old and lived a long and happy life with multiple brothers and sisters. I miss and love him so much.
Marcia says
Please know I have felt that same pain. Allow yourself plenty of time to grieve. This isn’t the best time to get a new puppy….you cannot replace one dear doggo with another. You will know when you are ready. I will always carry the love and memories of my Dear Maddie….she is still very much alive in my heart. Bless you.
Elaine Perkus says
What a nice long life for buddy. I can understand you missing him. Did you have him on a specific diet? Any supplements?
Sally West says
Our golden Miss Bailey Marie West will be 16 on the 21st of January. She is unlike any dog we have had, the absolute best! We give her CBD oil as well as Venus fly trap oil and joint supplements. I make her healthy cookie treats with pumpkin and other healthy ingredients. She still takes walks daily and even trots a bit!
maureen cabrera says
oh wow. congratulations on your golden Miss Bailey Marie West 16th yr. so happy for you she’s with you for 16 yrs and counting. wonder, what do you think that contributes to his longevity? food, lots of walk, exercise, play? our Moses – Golden Retriever , just passed away two days ago, Jan 12, 2020. he was only 5 yrs and 3 months. aggesive tumor*most likely in the spleen area. Golden retriever – our beloved MOSES – the best pet.. so gentle, loving, intelligent. we lost a beloved member of our family of 6. he was the youngest, with 4 older siblings ages 24,22,20 and 18. im still grieving. miss his constant companion now..
Jerome DeHey says
Our Golden Retriever will be 13 years old this Spring. He has had lots of health challenges, but overcome them all. The vet calls him an enigma. We had a female Golden Retriever who lived to be 16 years old. She was born in 1982, and passed on in 1998. We love this breed because they are so sociable.
maureen cabrera says
congratulations both live long lives. wonder how you feed them, basically the lifestyle,including nutrition. thank you so much for sharing. i just lost mine 2 days ago, it hurst..MOSES Golden retriever – the best pet.gentle, loving, handsome, sociable, loves people. he was 5 yrs and 3 months.
Arena J Daugherty says
My golden has been my first, at 43 years old myself, and will always have a place in my heart. Rex is 2 months shy of 15 years old. He has been with me through so many difficult times. I have epilepsy, he always warned me of my seizures, never being trained. He was also there through my sisters death and moms death several years later. He has some trouble getting up and down, the glucosamine helps most of the time. Overall he acts like a puppy most of the time. My husband wanted a German shepherd and was afraid i wouldnt want another when something happened to Rex. So we got one about a year ago. After it just being him for 13 or so years. He wasnt wild about it at first, but i think he loves her now and she has helped longer and hopefully still have a few more good years left. No tricks, that I know of for the long healthy life. I take him on a daily walk 5 to 6 days a week and always fed him Royal Canin.
Pat Bukieda says
I have owed 6 goldens. My first one, Jake lived to be almost 15. 2nd to 14. Then I got Pilot, to be a puppy raiser for CCI (Canine Companions for Independence). He definitely wanted to just be a dog. A year later he was joined by Tucker. Tucker and I became a pet therapy team with a large hospital in Portland f0r 7 years. Pilot has just turned 10 and we were all sitting outside when he collapsed and was dead. A YEAR to the day, Tucker died after having his eye removed due to a tumor 7 months earlier. After Pilot died, I got Toby (aka osama bin Toby), and when Tucker died, I got Monty. He also became an awesome therapy dog, hospital, hospice, juvenile court – and even a school shooting crisis. Last week he was eating tomatoes off the vine, came upon my patio, collapsed and died in my arms. They think it was his heart, but had had a malignant tumor removed from his leg a year prior. He had just turned 9. Toby is now 10 – so am holding my breath. I have known about Morris Foundation, and hope something can be done to help this awesome breed.
Rick says
Our golden Willy just had heart surgery to release fluid buildup in the sack that surrounds the heart. He is turning 11 December 26 2019. Always a healthy dog, other then this latest medical issue. All can can say if interested in the breed always buy from a well reputable breeder and away shave some kind of pet insurance. They are the most loving and kind , caring dog on this planet!
Jessica Dean says
Our Luke is 15 and has zero health issues, other than being deaf and a little blind. His hips are weak, but he’s still a spry guy and plays all day long with our 3 yo Bernese Mountain dog. He has no idea he’s old, and our vet is astounded at his excellent health. I buy into the theory that later neutering helps – when we rescued Luke at age 4, he had been a breeding dog, so was still intact.
Winston says
what was the recovery like for you golden?
Dan says
We have two Golden’s. Our female just had her 13 birthday and our male is 101/2. They both still enjoying taking 2-3 mile walks everyday.
MARY LANCASTER says
We had to put down our 5 year old Golden last Friday. She fought lymphoma hard for 9 month even went through 6 months of CHOP. It broke my heart. We are getting back in the saddle and we are buying a Golden puppy this week. We will take our chances because life without a Golden is just life. Life with a Golden brings so much more.
Colleen Miller says
Our beautiful Ruby is 14 and was just diagnosed with cancer. She had a small mass removed from her mouth/lip which turns out to be melanoma. I am heartbroken. We have decided against any kind of radiation/treatment and are just making sure she is comfortable and happy. She still enjoys her daily walks and is eating well. Just loving her through this next journey however long we have.
May says
So, so sorry for your loss. Back in January my golden retriever”Snowy age 13” also had a lump on her lip.after my daughter pestering me to get it checked.( I just thought it was nothing).she had it removed, two operations later… she was as good as new. If my daughter hadn’t pestered Snowy would not be with us today xxxx
Grac Ryan says
Hi my name is grace and I have a golden retriever who is 14 years old his name is scruffy…he is my dog but my mom had taken care of him for years now , and he is her LIFE , he was diagnosed with cancer (testicals) and my mom is absolutely heartbroken. We were going to get him neutered but are a not sure if we should bc of his age….I was just wanting to get a second opinion on what we should do … he is in great health he does have arthritis in his hips but my mom gives him pills ever day that do seem to help ALOT .I HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU THANKS
Sharon Harms says
My boy, Ranger, was only 8 years old. He weight 120 lbs and He was very tall very lean. and reminded me of a young cold sometimes. He had a melanoma tumor on his toe and it was amputated. It healed nicely & he was doing well, with no sign of pain or lameness and lots of energy. Vets recommended a treatment of a series of shots called “melanoma vaccine to prolong his life” I was assured the only side affect might be a slight soreness at the site of the shot. After 2 shots Ranger was unable to stand. If I took his food and water to him where he laid he would drink and eat. His condition continued to worsen and the only humane thing to do was to let him go while he still had some dignity. It is my belief that the treatment killed him. Ranger was my 3rd Golden; each of them died from cancer, although Ranger died of cancer treatment.
Rebecca Bussel says
Our golden, Freedom, is 16 years and 7 months. She has traveled all over the world. She has lived with us in Japan, Germany, and state side. She has been a very important part of our family. When we told our kids (11, 10, 7, and 5 at that time) about our first overseas move, they only responded with “we’re only going if Freedom can come.”
She is definitely a great family pet and a true Marine Corps dog.
Jessica Dean says
Love the name!!! We’re Air Force – ours is named after Luke Air Force base. 🙂
Shelly Palmer says
Our golden retriever shadow is 8.5 years old. He will turn 9 on October 1, 2020. He weighs 110lbs. He is healthy and plays as though he is a puppy. He is fed 4health chicken with rice, liquid vitamin mixed in it for extra. He is also on joint and hip support chews due to him getting older. He loves kids and hugs everyone he meets. We love him beyond words and he is amazing. Goldens are incredible family pets.
Chad Evans says
Our Sunny dog is 14 yrs old and a couple months. He’s skin and bones, hind legs don’t work well and he has nose bleeds due to having cancer we believe. Wife cry’s daily knowing the hard decision is coming up. For now we are giving him some Chinese supplements that keep his nose bleeds to a minimum but his breathing is very labored at night. The day is coming for sure and will be one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
Chad Evans says
I forgot to add Sunny had puppy strangles when we first got him and then Vestibular disease at age 6 that made one side of his face not work as well. Not sure if his problems are a result of poor breeding or what, but he’s been the best dog we have ever had.
Steve Smith says
How do you dispose of a golden retriever when you broke any separating do you turn them into the BET Humane Society I don’t know
Lainie says
My Golden is about 12.5 years old. She has arthritis and dietary allergies. She eats grain free high quality dog kibble with cooked cow liver. She gets enzymes and some other supplements daily. She is slow but always happy and content. My last golden lived til he was a little over 11 years. A really good diet and care will make a big difference.
Julie says
Our golden is called flo she’s 11 and a half just been told she has a heart murmur stage 2 but still acts like a puppy 🤗 people think she’s a lot younger fingers crossed she is with us for years to come x
Melanie Bosch-Reitz says
My Sasha Bella is 15 years and 1 month. Her legs are bad now. But she still enjoys her food and loves lots of cuddles and love. She has lost weight. She is always smiling but on lots of medication. Cartrophen injections, carprofen anti inflammatory tablets and codeine. I am dreading the day I lose her.
She is my right hand girl. Hope we have more time.
Betty Davis says
I just lost my Rosie yesterday to cancer and an enlarged heart. She was 9yrs.10mths old. Started with limp in front left shoulder. Thought maybe at her age arthritis. I am devastated. I lost my Male 3yrs ago at age 11yrs. 2mnths. I still miss him and want another, but dont know if my heart can take the loss again. Goldens are the BEST, cant someone find the reasons for all the cancers?
Meg Austwick says
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, Betty! Rosie sounds like she was really special.
Janine says
Betty, so so sorry! We also just lost our seemingly healthy 9.5 year old to bone cancer (Nov. 1) that started on right shoulder and moved to lungs. In just 10 days after diagnosis we put her down. Goldens are so sweet, I was heartbroken. We had just started her on a study at Colorado State University, looking at a vaccine that might reduce the incidence of cancers (she was limping when she started the study, but the cancer wasn’t showing up in the pictures or blood work). It’s a 5 year study, but hopefully something good will come out of it for someone else.
Vaidyanath says
Very sorry . I understand the sorrow.
Rick Constance says
My golden “Orian” will be 17 in April of 2020. He still chases a ball just not as fast or many trips as he used to. Have fed him dry food and made sure he gets some excercise each week. Hope I get to see 20 out of him.
Deb says
my golden retriever is 14 years old he will be 15 on November 25th ,2020. He has a few health problems and wasn’t sure if he would make it that long keeping our fingers crossed and praying he does
Cory says
We said good bye to our 16 years and 2 week old sweetheart, Madison, yesterday. My wife and I got her shortly after we were married and she has been with us every step of the way ever since. She was the sweetest dog and touched the lives of many people. She loved her family, especially our kids. She had been slowly losing weight over the past couple of months and then deteriorated over the week-end to the point where she was no longer eating, drinking, or could stand on her on. However, she did take some ice cubes and pieces of steak from her best friends, the kids. My 12 year old son stayed by her side for nearly 18 hours, sleeping on the floor next to her on her final night and not leaving her alone into the next day. A hour before the vet arrived to send her on her way, she tried to get up. I picked her up and took her outside, she was being a good girl and went potty as I held her upright in the grass. She wagged her tail and while holding her, I let her lay in the yard for a few moments one last time. The vet arrived shortly after that and we tearfully said our goodbyes. We love you Madison and we are looking forward to seeing you again on the other side.
Brianna says
We put down our 14 and 9 month year old dog last night. He would’ve been 15 in November. He was the best dog I’ve ever seen. Never wore a leash or collar his whole life. We decided to but him down because he had a huge malignant tumor on his chest and the cancer was only spreading, busting through the skin. He was as good as gold and went out of this world wagging his tail. This guy was an absolute foodie, but was not fat at all, probably the biggest dog you’ve ever seen, yet a purebred coming from show parents. I think you know it’s time when normal everyday aspects of their life diminish. He would only be hand fed at the end and cried for help when he didn’t even bark. It was his time, he passed in my arms before the doctor even administered the medicine.
God bless all your dogs and hug them extra tight. Time is so precious and moves so quickly.
RIP Bailey Sheamus
Carmen Reinoso says
My Golden Retriever will be 13 years next February 2020, his name is Bobby . He still very healthy, still running full speed for his age. He is a great dog, very obedient and smart.
Marie says
What do you feed your GR? You are lucky he is still very healthy.
Suzi says
Was curious so I googled ‘how long do golden retrievers live’ and came across this article.
Our boy is turning 17yo next month and seem like he still has some years in him.
He’s very skinny and cannot seem to put on any weight despite eating more in a day than my parents and I combined. We’re very strict with his diet, we limit human foods with high fat, high salt contents etc. He’s physically active, loves his walkies and dog parks. Is always hungry and sleeps A LOT.
He’s never been sick until last year when he had a droopy eye (due to inflammation of the brain from old age) and his first ear infection. Both were easy fixes with time and medication. His teeth aren’t as good as they used to be so he no longer eats kibble or bones.
We’re just so grateful he’s still with us and has been so low maintenance throughout his entire life. So full of love and patience. Goldies really are the best breed in my opinion. They have the best temperament and so adaptive to your lifestyle.
Phil says
Would you mind sharing what it is you feed your Golden? My girl is 2 1/2 yrs old and I wanna do everything I can to make her live as long and happy as she can. I’m a 59 yr old retired Texas peace officer and spent 5 yrs in Iraq and Afghanistan and I’m not gonna lie, the tears won’t stop reading about putting them down. This girl is with me every minute of everyday except for the 2 hours I am at church and I’m working on that. I want to do everything I can to make sure she lives s long as possible. I won’t even let her jump out of the jeep because it might make hips hurt sooner. Any advice would be much appreciated
Tomas Pacheco says
Our Daisy just died (July 28th), she was 13y and 4 months old. She was diagnosed with a localized liver growth when she was 12 years old.
Her vet advised us not to operate has she was already to old and could die from anesthesia.
A prior growth on her buttocks area was removed when she was about 10.
She also had a lip growth that kept getting bigger until she died.
She, like every golden retriever, was sweet, gentle and very attached to the owners specially my wife (never left her side).
Hip problems were more accentuated on the last 6 months.
I guess you can say that she had the most typical golden retriever diseases.
As long as she was playful, and had appetite, we did everything we could for her, until she gave up eating, could not stand up anymore and was visibly in pain (it happened quickly).
We used the seven point assessment method scale to make the decision (we took readings everyday).
She left we our help to be amongst the stars at home and surrounded by love.
Shine bright my girl.
Jeannette Longworth says
My Daisy is 12 and a half and I would be lost without her. RIP to your Daisy over the Rainbow Bridge.
Michelle Flint says
My dog Cassie is 13 years and 7 months old. I have had her since she was 7 weeks old. She is my baby and I have noticed problems with her walking. I am devastated and can’t stop crying. She has always thought of herself as a puppy and loves to play with her toys. Only for the past week, she hasn’t made any attempt to play. Her hearing has diminished and she sleeps heavily for long periods. She is still eating and perhaps drinking a little too much water, but isn’t incontinent and seems quite lucid. She gets up to the door for walks but struggles to place her front left paw and her back end can intermittently drop every now and then. She can’t walk long distances anymore and is struggling to stand for long periods. However, the mind is willing but the body is not. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow to be assessed. I think she does have quality of life but am worried to what extent she is in pain with her joints. She has metacam daily now and lately, 750mg of paracetamol spread over the day to help with pain. I have been reading about cbd oil and lifting harnesses to help with mobility but ultimately am unsure of what to do as I fear I am prolonging the inevitable. Reading everyone else’s comments has reassured me that I am not alone in thinking about euthanasia, but it breaks my heart and I am worried about the affect on my 11 year old daughter who absolutely loves Cassie so much. I am secretely hoping she has just pulled herself ad needs time to recover but can also see her just being old. 13 years is not enough and has gone far too quickly. I am overwrought with emotions of fear, devastation and soon to be anger as it’s not fair and I love her so much. However, I know I will have to do what’s right and I can’t bare that at this time right now.
Jacob says
Its okay, my dog is a very skinny dog and now we have to dlfeed her in the morning. She is 8 years old. I do suggest to u that u get another puppy so Cassie has a partner. And by the way. I had a dog who was named Cassie
Marie says
Do you use a grain free diet? Our nearly 13 year old was just diagnosed with Diallated Cardiomyopathy. Caused from 9 years of a grain free diet. Her symptoms sound very similar to what you discribe in your dog. While DCM may not be the case for you, it is worth a phone call to your vet. We bid farewell to our girl last Thursday
Chas says
Our Golden was just diagnosed with severe DCM at 13 and we suspect as well the grain free diet. We wish we could have known the risks associated with grain free dog foods sooner. I urge anyone reading this feeding their dog a grain free food to reevaluate. There is good information from sources as UC Davis and the FDA, and of course your Veterinarian.
Diane says
Michelle,
My golden Capri just turned 15 years old. She is having trouble with arthritis and weakness in her back legs. My Vet, UC Davis alum, just put her on a new OTC called Flexadin Advanced with UCII. It turns off the body response that creates inflammation and pain. Additionally she told me to massage and stretch her back legs. Check with your vet.
Diane
D Starr says
“However, research on the factors that contribute to Golden Retriever’s short ATTENTION span is early and inconclusive…”
Is the highlighted word correct? The paragraph was about short lifespan in the breed.
Lucy says
Well spotted, what an unusual typo! It’s now been fixed, with thanks for letting us know 🙂
Rob B says
We had to put our golden retriever of 12 years 3 months old down today. We are devastated and heartbroken right now. I’m 43 and I haven’t cried like this since i was a kid. Rosco was the most loving and gentle dog. He treated my 6 year old son like his little brother. He always kept an eye on him. Rosco loved people. I will miss you Rosco. So you know Rosco who had weak hips over the past 3 years started slowly losing his appetite about 3 weeks ago. He would eat but only smaller portions, which wasn’t like him. Then he was always laying down. Over the past week his appetite got worse and didnt get up much. We took him to the vet 4 days ago and I was prepared to let him go but adrenaline kicked in and he was his old self for 2 hours and the vet was optimistic it may be something temporary. So they did a few tests. This morning his condition deteriorated, labored breathing, not taking any food or water, same as yesterday I tried putting ice cubes in his mouth to keep him hydrated but spit them out. I made an 11am appt today. While there they told me his blood tests were abnormal, super high white blood cell count, etc. They said his gums were not healthy which pointed to internal bleeding. We made the painful decision to put him down. While we were there with Rosco I am so happy we did this as I loved him so much and wanted to help him out and take away his pain. For all of you going through this hell…do what’s best for your dog and make the decision to put them down before they start suffering too much. They are depending on their owners to make this decision for them.
Tomas Pacheco says
Hi Rob,
We just lost our 13y old Daisy 2 days ago.
It happened in a similar way as your Rosco.
It is very hard.
We are left with a huge bag full of memories and love, and we know we helped them reach the stars in peace.
They will live for as long as we remember them.
They are shining bright up there!
Kris says
Five days ago I sent my beloved 11 year-old Golden Retriever girl over the “Rainbow Bridge”, freeing her from having to endure, and me having to helplessly bear witness to, the heart-wrenching and debilitating effects of a very aggressive and fast-moving brain tumor, which only made it’s cruel and life-sapping presence known in the last two weeks of her beautiful life. Up until then she was a lively and loving certified therapy dog, and when she wasn’t bringing joy to all of those folks who were fortunate enough to have met her, she was frolicking in the backyard with her 8 month old Standard Poodle brother.
Approximately three weeks ago, I noticed an ever-so-slight swaying motion as she stood across from me in the kitchen, waiting patiently for her breakfast. Looking back now, I distinctly remember making a mental note of the swaying, as well as her being a bit more laid back than usual. I attributed the diminished energy to age. She also started isolating herself, wedging herself between the wall and the bed to nap or sleep. Or hiding behind a lawn chair on the deck instead of sunning herself, like she always did before. I assumed she was growing tired of poodle puppy antics.
Another warning that something was amiss, was when she was unable to jump onto the couch to take her place in front of the bay window to bird watch. A jump she’d successfully done a thousand times before. And shortly before that, she tried to do her usual leap into the truck, but, was unable to clear her hindquarters, falling backwards onto the pavement.
I should have known, I should have known…
Off to the vet’s office we went. I expressed my fears that she may have a brain tumor. The vet said it was arthritis and prescribed Adequan, Dasaquin and Galliprant. I did what I was told and meticulously followed the vet’s plan of care, however by the fourth day I was seeing no improvement. It seemed each morning the cancer was coldly dealing another hand of futility. The following day, she started to display a very slight head tilt to the right and she was walking with a drunken gait, shuffling her rear legs and throwing her front legs out to the side when she walked. Subtle, but, noticeable head tremors, lasting around five seconds started to occur around this time, too. I believe grand mal seizures were imminent.
Phooey with the vet’s diagnosis! I had enough!
I made an appointment with an orthopedic specialist to confirm the first vet’s arthritis diagnosis. Again, I expressed my concern about a possible brain tumor to the orthopaedic vet. He carefully examined her and he agreed with me. He told me I should see a neurologist to be sure, but, he felt 99.9% sure my girl had a brain tumor. He told me I had three choices. Choice One, surgery and radiation. Choice two, prednisone and other corticosteroids. Choice three, palliative care.
I chose palliative care and, ultimately, merciful euthanasia for my beautiful girl. Why? After losing a wonderful cat eighteen years prior. The cat whom I had given sub-q fluids at home for a year leading up to his kidney transplant, only to lose him three weeks later because the pre-op tests weren’t sensitive enough to discover the toxoplasmosis lurking in his bloodstream, which caused an infection, killing him.
Or the surgery for my fifteen and a half-year-old Labrador Retriever to remove the cancerous right kidney and him dying five weeks later. Both my primary vet and the vet oncology surgeon convinced me my dog would have another year or two of quality life because, otherwise, “He was in such wonderful shape!” My poor buddy!
Looking back now, WHAT WAS I THINKING???? I wasn’t…
I was VULNERBABLE …
and
I was reacting
to the “pie-in-the-sky” hope presented to me of restoring my fur baby(ies) back to an younger, healthier time and I was desperately trying to put off having to feel the excruciating, heart-searing pain of losing a best friend.
Or the 80 lb. Chocolate Lab I fostered and adopted who had been found emaciated, weighing only 45 lbs., nursed back to health by me, but, due to his previous starvation, had bone issues, which did not present themselves until the poor dog blew the last four vertebrae in his lower lumbar region, leaving him paralyzed and only able to pull himself around on the floor with his front paws, watery excrement dribbling from his flaccid anal opening. The glimmer of hope for recovery to allow basic bodily functioning would require a complicated surgery, followed by months of intensive physical and hydro therapy and home nursing care performed by me. The prognosis was a 40% chance of him being able to regain the use of his bladder muscles, sphincter muscle and back legs. His option if the surgery failed would be a dogcart for his back legs, me manually expressing his bladder three times a day and giving him an enema every other day so maggots would not eat the flesh around his anus.
IMHO, I feel qualified to speak on this subject.
My gorgeous, little Golden Retriever died the way she lived–gently. I was able to provide her the dignity and grace she so deserved by having the veterinarian come to our home at a time of our choosing, surrounded by all of her fur friends and two-legged friends, and not under duress in an emergency vet clinic at 4 am as she’s desperately gasping for breath while enduring a violent seizure that seemingly won’t end.
Better to euthanize an hour too soon than a second too late.
Carol Drohan says
My golden, Wilson, is around 12 years. We’re not really sure how old he is because he was a rescue and the vet thought he was about a year and a half when we adopted him, 10 years ago.
This is our fourth golden and is the longest lived of the all.
He gets lots of exercise and is still very happy, very typical golden retriever. I love him so much.
Four years ago he made a full recovery from bloat, so I thought he’s so tough maybe he’ll live beyond 12. My first one died from mega esophagus (adopted), our second one died at 7 from a heart attack, and our third one died at 8 from hemangiosarcoma.
My absolute favorite breed!!!
Jeff says
Our Molly will be 15 in November. She is a wonderful dog but now is having a some problems. Her hips are week and we need to help her stand end up. She doesn’t sleep tho right the night as she barks around 3am as she can’t stand to drink her water. She eats great and seems happy but i sense her quality of life is getting worse ( as is ours with being woken up every night at least once)
When is it time to say goodbye? It is so hard because she is not sick she is just aging and having associated problems
It is so hard to make this tough decision
Linda Saunders says
I hope you can keep her as long as possible and find a way to help her drink I add water to the feed but maybe it’s not that easy with your girl. they are just so lovable and make a great big then shaped space in our hearts . I have two but both have their own huge space cznt bear the thought of losing them 1 of mone is 12 the other 8 so not youngsters but q5 is a great age I hope mine get to that and yours finds away to sleep and drink
Jack says
My golden is 14 and her quality of life has deteriorated. She cannot stand up without assistance, and can no longer go down stairs. I have to carry her outside. Her hind hips have lost all muscle mass. Her appetite is good, but she also displays signs of dementia, which is not unusual in older dogs.
Goldens are absolutely the best. The love that they share with you is hard to put into words. My first lived to be 15.
We have made the gut-wrenching decision to say goodbye. Knowing that she will be free of pain and living an eternal life helps, but knowing how much you will miss her hurts.
The final thing I remind myself is this….the need to be humane and fair. Your dog will always love you.
Helen says
Our Sunny is 15 years and 4 months. He struggles to get in the back door and up & down stairs, so we carry him a lot… He has now taken to barking once every 10 mins from about 5am each day until I bring him downstairs and I then kip on the sofa until its time to get up, or he starts barking again. He still seems to be quite happy… So don’t think we’re ready to pts yet…. But I am sooo tired…
Debbie Manduzio says
To Ms. Drohan,
We had to put down our golden about 2 months ago because of an hemangiosarcoma. He would have been 9 years old today. The heartbreak is unbelievable; worse for my husband as he works from home and was always with Jessie. We were really blindsided and understand greatly the pain that you are suffering. We were so reluctant to finalize our decision but seeing him so uncomfortable and miserable was horrible; we just could not let him go on like that. We have great memories and can still laugh at some of his funny antics even while crying at the same time.
Jen says
I am so sorry because I understand you’re pain. I had to put my golden max to sleep yesterday. He suddenly became ill from internal bleeding due to spleen rupture from probable hemangiosarcoma. I wanted to do surgery to save his life, but the vet said his prognosis was very poor. He was 10 years old and 1 month old. I was hoping I’d have a few more years with him. I’m absolutely heartbroken. I had to put my other golden Sophie to sleep at 12.5 yrs old old almost 3 years ago. Max has been my saving grace through the loss of Sophie and I’ve been extra diligent with keeping him healthy and active in hopes that he would live a Ling life. The grief I feel over his loss is horrible!!! I loved him so much and he brought so much joy and comfort to my life. He was so special!!!!
Christy Lynn Milliken says
My golden retriever just turned 14 years old. His arthritis has begun to get worse. He is the best breed of dog I have ever owned.
Beth says
My golden Kasay is 13.5. She’s been behind the 8 ball from the beginning, but has outlived all her litter mates. Injury at birth required surgery to remove a back leg. It never slowed her down though! About 3 years ago, vet diagnosed GRPU requiring both eyes to be removed. She’s been a trooper though. Rimadyl daily has helped her immensely with arthritis. She’s still as sweet as can be! Just recently diagnosed a MCT on her foot and since she’s only got 3 feet, it’s been a struggle. We are on day 4 of Masivet to try and shrink it before removal. Please pray for my girl!
Linda Saunders says
I am praying it’s great you asked us to. would love you to keep us posted on her
Linda Saunders says
I am praying
Sharon says
We have our girl Sally, who is very large 10 year old that still thinks she is a lap dog. Unfortunately, she is showing signs of age. She is greyed a lot and has the shakes on her hind legs. She use to play catch but now prefers to chew on the ball or let someone else get it for her
V says
I rescued my golden from a friend’s dad who was unable to look after him, that was 7 months ago and he is 12 years and 8 months, he was very weak on his back legs but for the last few months I have been giving him a cod liver oil pill with every breakfast and he has a new lease of life at the park with his 14 month old rescue sister, its not a lifesaver but has definitely prolonged his, I hope this helps and yours lives a lovely, happy rest of life, X
Peter DeBlasi says
We have our 10 year old golden glucosamine and her back legs stock shaking and she’s stopped limping
Mona says
Our sweet Golden, Einstein, just turned 14. He has had one cancerous tumor removed with clean margins about 5 years ago and actually got bit by a venomous snake at 12 1/2. It was in our back yard at a 2:00 am potty break and we had never seen one and nor did we see or find the one that bit him. Thank God it was a dry bite but it was the next day before we realized something was wrong. It was rough going but with good vets and lots of love and care, he made it through like a trooper. He is a little slow now with stiff hip joints but he is still sharp mentally with good hearing and sight. Named after a golden retriever from a book I read many years ago by Dean Koontz called “Watchers” he has truly been a blessing to us. I hope and pray he will be with us much longer. Life would never be the same without my constant buddy. Seeing that sweet face tilted up at me and those precious brown eye shining with so much love makes it difficult to fathom being without him. I try hard not to think about it.
Alison says
Our beautiful girl was 12.5 years when we had to make the tough decision on March 15,2019. She started with diarrhea in January was treated with 3 courses of antibiotics. No known cause of the diarrhea after several tests. We changed her food to the vet gastro kind as recommended. The diarrhea stopped then about 2 weeks before she passed she developed a cough Took her into the vet and x ray done and blood work done. X ray showed an enlarged heart and fluid around it and also fluid in the abdomen. Vet tried to drain the fluid to see if it was from a bleed or just from CHF. She was unable to drain any fluid at the time. Treated her with heart meds and Lasix to try and reduce the fluid. Within 2 days she progressively became worse. She stopped eating and drinking and then she could no longer walk. We carried her back to the vet and put her at peace. It was the hardest thing we ever had to do. We had our baby’s girl since she was 10 weeks old.
K says
I’m so sorry to hear that. Your story sounds all too familiar. Our first golden died from a tumor that bled out around his heart at age 11. He was fine one day, the next day he had difficulty breathing, and died that evening. Absolutely nothing we could do accept make him comfy while we let him go. Fast forward 8 years, we have 2 sibling Golden’s…now age 7. We hope they live 20 healthy long years but realize that is unlikely. So, I am reading all I can on how to make them as healthy as possible. It seems the only things we can control are their diet and exercise. There are so many opinions on what to feed it can make your head spin. We are currently feeding a kibble diet (Acana Wild Atlantic) and incorporating some raw food (primal freeze dried nuggets or beef & bone raw meat from a local supplier), no grain. Now I read they may benefit from grain after all.
It’s too soon to tell if the addition of raw and elimination of grain is making a difference so we will keep at it for now.
If anyone reading this has diet advice for Golden’s I’d like to hear it.
Yolanda Febres says
My Rosie passed last week. She was only nine.
She started having seizures in January and last week after her ninth birthday she had several in one night.
I am devastated!!! She was the sweetest dog and never leaved my side.
Sharon says
I am so sorry. I had to say goodbye to my 11 yr old German Shepherd 3 yrs ago. So heartbroken. Time doesn’t heal. But it gets a little easier. xoxo
Diana says
Looking at websites for comfort and came across this one. My sweet Daisy is 16 and tomorrow I made the appointment to euthanize. I’m struggling but she’s ready. She had a stroke last summer and we nursed her through it. She even became much of a clown about her limitations grinning as goldens do. But her heart is failing and she is tired. The vet said the next stroke is imminent and I can’t do that to her. Please keep my family in your prayers
Mona says
I just read this. So sorry. I know your heart is breaking. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
There is a special place for your little Daisy’s soul.
Michael Nathans says
My amazing golden retriever boy Austin is 14 years old. He was a rescue from the pound whom I was blessed to have come into my life when he was 1 year old. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and I am heartbroken. I started him on chemo – 3 so far – but it makes him very tired and inactive and there is no way of knowing how much or little it is helping. I do not know if I will continue with another 3 chemo treatments as the vet recommended as the outcome of the chemo is unknown. The chemo treatments are $1,000 each which is very costly. If anyone out there has any experience with chemo to treat prostate cancer please let me know.
Carol Crans says
My golden Retriever will be 7 years old in two days. We got her as a puppy when my husband retired. We knew my husband had terminal cancer and had maybe 4 years to live. McKenzie was such a blessing for him. He had the time to devote to her. He took her to the dog park one or two times a day. He fed her, groomed her, had her vet checks and gave her preventative meds.i mostly played games with her in the house. As my husbands health started to fail we got him assistive devices so he could still take her to the dog park.
Now that my husband passed away its just me and her. She gives me so much love, and even comes running to my side when i start crying. I feel like she “takes care of me”. I see her turning grey around her eyes and on her muzzle and i cry. I cant bear the thought of losing her. Is there some sort of timeline for when they start turning grey? Is 7 years old typical? I am researching anything i can do to keep her healthy as long as i can
Lucy says
Hi Carol, I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. Dogs can turn grey early, just as humans can. I haven’t seen any evidence of this being linked to lifespan, and I read a lot of canine studies, so hopefully it isn’t any kind of an indicator. Wishing you and her many more loving years together.
Margaret says
Hi Carol
Our Bonnie turned grey at the age of three and lived to be 13. I hope you keep yours for many more years to come.
Julie says
Our adorable Golden Ariana will be 14 in 6 weeks time. She is very special and our hearts ache at the thought of losing her. She has just been diagnosed with a nasal tumor. We have set her off on a course of nutraceuticals and have changed her food which has always been high quality to all natural ingredients. We have decided against surgery as we feel she is too old and would prefer to enjoy a shorter life than be subject to fear and pain. She is actually still very motivated to walk and eat so very hard to consider any invasive treatment. We are trying to apply the same rules we want applied to ourselves in the future. She has had an amazing life and given us such joy. We continue to cherish each day.
DANIEL says
I had to put down my dog due to a big ball growing above her hind leg very painfull. she was 12 years old my best freind ever had, we cried for days,,she will be missed its been a week now and the house is not the same without her.i cannot get over doing what i had too do,the vet says i did the write thing,but i question myself still.
Simone says
We ha e a golden who will be 15 in March – he too has a mass on his nose which we fear may be a cancerous tumour –
He had a different looking tumour coming from his nostril about 7 months ago and strangely started to eat the basil plant daily and then it disappeared so we thought it was a herbal miracle but sadly a cluster of lumps have now grown from the same nostril reaching down to his lip – we feel the same about surgery due to his age so it is a case of keeping him comfortable – he is still happy and o retested in food and a very slow walk – the only other thing he has started doing is turning night into day – we love him
dearly and can’t imagine life without him!
Simone
Tasia says
Our girl Bella will be 13 this year. She started having problems jumping up into 4 wheeler last year. She loves her rides! So started giving her glucosamine. What a difference it made. Highly recommend it! You wont believe the difference.
Fiona says
My goldie Max will be 16 in May, although heartbreakingly I don’t think he is going to see this landmark birthday. Just taking one day at a time till we have to make that dreaded decision but all the while he’s still getting excited about his walks and eating well we carry on cherishing every cuddle and kiss
Frances says
My sunny turned 23 years this year. Not sure of month all i know is the year she was born 1996. We picked her up from the pound, and the dog catcher had been picking her up for 3 years. She has good days and bad days, but she is happy. And we have enjoyed her alot. Maybe she will make Guinness book some day.?
K says
23! Wow! I think that is a record for a golden. Congratulations!
What has Sunny’s diet been?
Jill says
Just had to put my Annie girl down January 30, 2019. She would have been 12 on February 26th. She enjoyed her walks and play time right up until she passed. We discovered a mass in her stomach in the summer of 2017. It wasn’t causing her pain so the vet recommended leaving it since it could have always been there. The mass burst and caused internal bleeding. She was the absolute best dog we have ever had. We miss her a lot.
Beba says
Bruno will be 12 in April, I hope. He is not doing very well lately. The vet says as long as he eats normally and can walk on his own, it is ok. But we are watching him closely, waiting for change in his health, and we’ll have to put him down soon, I am afraid
I am crying every day, I can’t imagine my life without him. We got him when he was 8 weeks old. He has brought so much love and joy to our family.
Kandice Huyck says
We’ve had 3 Golden’s. Our first, Buddy, was born in 1990 and lived to be 14. We fed him Purina Dog Chow his whole life. He only got rabies and distemper vaccines. He was on heartworm for 6 month per year. That was his preventative for 14 years. Our second Golden, Jak, was born 3-1-07. He will be 12 in March. He has had extreme digestive issues his whole life. We’ve spent thousands of dollars to figure out why. We almost lost him to a severe intestinal infection last September. He has been on every kind of dog food available. He has been a perfect weight his entire life (70-75). He receives all the preventive vaccines out there today, plus heartworm and flea and tick. Our third Golden, Gracie was born 01-07-09 died 09-11-17. She had low grade lymphoma and a secondary cancer of liver cancer that spread to her lungs. She was on all the same preventatives as Jak. Fed 1 cup of Iams dog food twice daily. She was about 65 pounds her whole life. She had a serious reaction to a flea and tick medication a year before her cancer diagnosis. She was 8 when she died. She was sweet, beautiful and loyal. We miss her so much!!!
Chris Simmons says
I am so so sorry for your loss of Gracie. There are no right words to console you. I find it interesting that she had a serious reaction to a flea and tick medication a year before her cancer diagnosis. My baby had a terrible reaction from a flea and tick collar whereby all her skin peeled off. Before that she was a happy, silly, care free girl. Then IBD set in. No more flea and tick treatments for her the next 2 years but natural things. Two years later my daughter found tick larvae on her and rushed her to vet whereby he put a flea and tick chemical between her shoulder blades. She developed hives and welts and her IBD turned into small cell lymphoma. I don’t know how much longer she has but I’m devastated and wonder if it’s the chemicals in these flea and tick meds giving our babies cancer?? Can I ask what kind did she have a bad reaction too? Again, I’m so sorry and crying as I write this.My heart goes out to you.
Suzanne Calvert says
My boy Tex is 14 and doing great! I highly recommend glucosomine (sp?). It made a big difference and he lost 20 pounds over time. He was overweight. Vet is amazed at his bloodwork and he still loves his walks. Cancer survivor too! (tumor on his back leg 5 years ago).
Jean Ryan says
My boy Carson turned 12 on Christmas 2018. He has slowed down. He does have him and joint problems but with a shot of adequin monthly he is still going strong. We feed him taste of the wild salmon, which seems to help his skin. We have 2 shepherds in the house as well as a great Pyrenees, so he has plenty of playmates.
Amber says
My Golden is almost 7 and just diagnosed with severe arthritis in his elbows. Vet is suggesting Adequan…you think it’s helped your pup?
Anne says
Our Golden, Dixie, turned 12 yrs old on Jan 11, 2019. She’s 49 lbs and in great shape. She still acts like a puppy. She’s enjoys running, walking and playing. She is my 3rd child and I cannot imagine life without her. I had heard about the cancer but did not know about the average lifespan. I pray that when she goes, she gently passes in her sleep. I pray that for all of our beloved Goldens.
Catherine says
My first golden, Maggie, was the sweetest girl and everyone loved her. She passed away when she was 13.5 years old. I was sad and cried off and on for days. My golden that I have now, Ginger, will be 13 in May. She isn’t very gray in the face and except for a little trouble getting up sometimes, she is doing great. They always make me smile and love you unconditionally.
Lauren says
Our golden boy Bailey is 16 years and 8 months and I count my blessings every day. I’ve just noticed him really slowing down over the past few months. I’m not sure if he will make it to 17 but I know we are so lucky to have had him this long and we will continue to spoil him every day that we can. We love him so much!
A says
Lucky you! What do you feed him if i may ask?
Inge says
My friend in Australia adopted a senior Golden who is celebrating her sixteenth birthday today. I do not know what they feed her but she lives, along with two other Goldens, on a nice property near the east coast of Australia, large enough for long walks. They do not have city water but use tanks to catch rain.
Whenever Zoe seems to slow down or shows her owners she is under the weather, they call a woman who gives her acupuncture or a massage.
I am glad that their adopted Zoe is hanging in there especially since the couple lost their two Goldens when they were relatively young, around nine years. One of them just dropped dead.
Marie T says
You are so lucky. What do you feed him. Please, I am very confused at what food shd be given to my golden.
Lucy says
Hi Marie, I think you’ll find this article helpful: https://thehappypuppysite.com/best-dog-food-for-golden-retrievers/
Bobby House says
My first golden was 15 years old when he died in my arms his name was Brooks. My golden I have now his name is Baxter and he will be 4 in June. I just love the comments I have read and the golden are the best. Dogs ever
Priscilla Martinez says
Our girl is 14 yrs old starting to slow down. My best friend can go any were in the house without her.
Bonnie says
I have a Golden who just turned 8. He is active but is already turning white on his face. My last golden lived to 12. He had adrenal cancer. My one before that was 13 and had liver cancer.
It seems that our dogs when I was young were fed table scraps and Purina dog chow. They always lived to 13 or 14 with only a rabies shot Never medication for ticks and heart worm. Maybe the drugs are an issue.
But Goldens and English setters have been the best dogs i’ve Ever had.
Mimi says
Do you still maintain that table scraps are ok ? I wouldn’t go without a tuck collar though knowing with their thick fur how easily you can miss one . Our “ GRADY” is 8
Black nose pulled off on a ice when jumping through icy snow when a young boy , never grew the black back. He’s been so healthy thank God . Love him
Beth Charan says
We had to put down our beloved golden girl today. She was 15 years and 9 months. She was the very definition of unconditional love. Yesterday we were all together for New Years Eve. I noticed a lack of interest in eating and very unstable in her walk. By bedtime, she couldn’t walk and this morning the same thing. This was the day our entire family has dreaded. Blessed to have had her for as long as we did but the house feels empty without her.
Rebecca says
I am so sorry. I know the feeling of dread as they age. Skye, our female golden will be 15 next month. Organs healthy, very selective hearing, I use a flashlight for her going down the steps for her at night. Diet has been 95% Iams all her life.
We have another dog who is about to turn 8 and attached at her hip – so we brought in s puppy in July. Best decision ever! He is a big boy and was afraid of the puppy early on – but Skye was back to the 7 yr old who made Avett feel at home. She plays and plays with Darcey (who is 9 months and bigger – adored by both older dogs).
I thought we would be lucky to make 15 years – now 16 years doesn’t seem impossible.
We are grateful for ever day
Meredith Carter says
My friend’s Golden was 5 when diagnosed with kidney cancer in May. She just got over that surgery and was unwell again, this time with an infected cyst on her spleen. This was another surgery but quicker recovery.
In November she had her 6th birthday. Then she started limping badly on front leg so on restricted exercise – vet advised all joints have arthritis.
Christmas Eve she was back to the vet with a bad eye – cloudy and bloodshot. She has to go back Friday for another check as it was too inflamed to get a good like behind it. The vet gave several options – unfortunately opthalmic specialists closed till New Year. One prognosis was possible tumour behind the eye linked to kidney cancer so at this stage she has drops and painkillers and is being kept inside apart from toilet breaks. The bloodshot look has cleared and she is back to destroying toys and giving us her Goldie smile but her owner is dreading the next appt and possible diagnosis.
Paul says
We have 3 Goldens. All from small family Breeders. Our oldest is celebrating her 16th Christmas at 15 1/2 years of age. She’s a cancer survivor as during a routine exam about 5years ago they caught a tumor in its very beginning stages. She’s still pretty active and plays every day. We have another that’s 8 and a third that’s 2. Wonderful dogs and our oldest has been an amazing family member. My son’s 10th birthday present…he’s now 26 and married with kids…
Shawna Lauria says
Our sweet boy Luke is 6 years old. He absolutely loves everybody and is the most kind and happy dog you could ever meet. He has hypothyroid and takes medication for that, chronic skin issues and and chronic ear infections no matter what we do. He is also overweight, even though we measure his food and give him small amounts, we can’t seem to get his weight down, he’s 125lbs, he is a big is stature golden though, he’s very tall and wide boned. I worry about him being overweight and it causing future health problems. No signs of hip/arthritis issues though thank goodness. Does anyone have any tips regarding his weight and chronic ear infections? What worked for you? We’ve tried everything that we can think of. Any ideas would be appreciated. We want him to have the best life possible.
Those that have lost their babies, my heart goes out to you. There’s something about a golden and they just melt your heart and truly make an impact in people’s lives. It’s so hard to lose a family member. My heart is with you if you’ve lost your baby.
Linda says
I had to put my beautiful boy Noah to sleep on Christmas Eve. He was only sick for one day – tumor on his spleen, but the Vet felt it wasn’t the only one. He was throwing up blood. I sat with him for two hours before making the dreaded decision to give him peace. My heart aches for him and feel that 8 was not enough time for him. My first Golden died at age 10 from cancer. I will always be thankful for my two wonderful boys.
Kandice Huyck says
Our first Golden was a big boy like you describe. He was big boned and tall. He was never over weight. He lived to be 14. He was never a good eater though. Our next two Golden’s were/are perfect weight for Golden’s. We feed 1 cup of dry dog food twice daily. Our breeder told us that would keep them at a healthy weight for life. It has.
Marcie says
Just found this post…We also have a wonderful Golden Boy!! 125 lbs…He will be 14 in June 2019..Also Hypothyroid…He has had chronic ear infections, terrible itching!! The vet could not cure these problems…I switched him to “natural foods,” available through stores…He went into congestive heart failure and Kidney failure…He was well taken care of and we couldn’t believe this was happening to him…The vet gave him less than a month to live. May of 2017…I told the vet I had nothing to loose and said I was going all natural with him…I found a website ..FiveLeaPetfBotanicals.com…VERY helpful…I put him on the kidney and heart formula in May of 2017…by January of 2018…the vet announced …No kidney failure!… I did everything the book said, that comes with the plan…A Major thing is cooking for your dog…he does not have ear infections AND NOOOOO itching…I made my own dog food…French toast…4 Aldies sprout bread, two egg whites, organic if possible and 1/2 cup of ORGANIC coconut milk…He has this twice a day..His heart is great…He does take a diretic and now a low dose of thyroid medication…He had A Lot of fat in his blood now none…HE is doing GRRReat…This company is very helpful with their chat option…Hunter is also on slippery elm for some digestive issues that he had later on…His hips are still good, but his hearing and eyesight are becoming poor. He lost 30 lbs. and is maintaing 94 lbs. He has low protein snacks now. Hunter could NOT loose weight and I felt like I was starving him…Now he is eating well and has lost weigt and I do not feel like I am starving him…I would be hard pressed to feed any dog any combination of dog food that you purchase…If I had not taken control of his health and what I fed him Hunter would not be with is today…Vets DO NOT know nutrician..I don’t care how many degrees they have…I was fortunate to have a vet that went along with my choices…Hope this helps…
Tracy Cummings says
We changed our Golden’s protein source to kangaroo (zingnaure brand) per vet suggestion and her chronic ear problems cleared up.
Chris says
For the ears, you might try Hills ZD which has hydrolized protein. This cleared up the yeast occurrences in our golden’s ears.
Is your dog’s bloodwork normal? Low thyroid can cause weight problems. If everything is normal, then you need to up the exercise& reduce food.
Good luck!
John Minihan says
We just lost our Golden, “Biscuit” at 12 years 9 months on December 19, 2018. She was the sweetest dog ever! I was unaware that Goldens used to live much longer or has an increased prevalence toward cancer. Biscuit had a tumor on her jaw that grew but wasn’t malignant. What eventually took her was kidney disease which made her sick and not wanting to eat or drink. It was so painful to watch her turn away from food she used to gobble up. But she was a trooper and a gift from God.
Angele says
My first Golden (Emma) lived only to 8.5 years old. She had brain cancer or strioke which caused her to suddenly lose function on her left side and have seizures.
Our second Golden (Cassidy) passed 6 days shy of his 9th bday. He had lymphoma and leukaemia. We tried a few chemo sessions but had to do the humane thing as the chemo was not helping.
Now we have Eddie (who will be 10 next month yet acts like a puppy other than his arthritis – which doesn’t slow him down now that it’s treated) and Murphy who is 6. Both have a great bill of health. I tend to walk on eggshells as I haven’t had a Golden make it to “double digits” as yet (Jan 21/19 Eddie will be 10)
A says
How did you treat his arthritis?
We have an almost 14 year old Golden and he limps on one front leg and has a hard time to lay down or to get up. Pain meds are only a temporary thing and if i give him a dose of Gabapentin he gets diarrhea… supplements don’t seems to make a big difference. If you could share please what helped yours i’d be happy to try it on ours. Zum h love from one dog lover to another!
Andrea
Anthony says
Use sashas blend. It works !
Janis King says
I give my golden 1 capsule of turmeric with black pepper. Must get the kind with the black pepper! This has helped my 13 year old golden a lot for her leg stiffness.
Debby says
My boy Jake will be 13 January 9th. Very healthy, very active.
Elizabeth Springall says
My 4th Goldie is now 12 She is happy and healthy…I dont thnk of her age as she doesnt seem old. She has always been fed a raw diet and never any preservatives of processed food. This was the diet she was on when she came to us as a rescue at 20 months. It has been great.
My first Goldie died aged 8 the vet diagnosed Lupus after many many tests. My second died aged 14 in poor health and wirth a skin complaint. I made the decision then I would always make a decision when they my future dogs got sick as I had delayed being responsible for selfish reasons. My third goldie died aged 14 after suffering seizures . She was so scared and disorientated that after her third seizure I made the decision and hugged and told her how loved she was as she passed. Goldies are magnificent dogs .
Shelly says
My sweet girl is 11.5 years old. She lost her vision (cataracts) a year ago and has become a lot less active since then. When she was less than a year old we had a lump removed under her ear that we never had tested for cancer. She has had a few more lumps appear over the last 6 years that have not seemed to bother her or slow her down. After losing her eyesight though she has started to show her age. We recently got a lab puppy who is now 6 months old. She loved playing with him the first few months but now just lays down all day and growls any time he comes near her. She must be tired and weak but still loves walks and attention from her humans.
Traci says
My golden turned 12 in Sept. As a pup he had 3 different personalities one different for each grandchild. In the past 2 months 2 unexpected trips to the vet. He has a almost white face now. Has some good days and bad. When he leaves us it will be hard to handle. He is truly my baby.
D says
My Golden Retriever is 15 years old Nov 2018. She’s a sweet old girl who walks like a drunk due to a bout of Vestibular Disease in 2016. She came from a small family breeder in Massachusetts. Her Dad an AKC Grand Champion. She’s prone to skin issues but is still going strong. She loves her food and tries to be involved in everything although sleep is her best friend these days. She’s a gentle giant at 90 pounds. Not a mean bone in her body. Her food is grain free. She can’t do stairs anymore or get into cars sadly. Car rides were always a favorite activity for her. I don’t question how much longer we have with her and I pray she goes comfortably in her sleep one day. I simply consider each day with her a gift. She seems to thrive on the attentions of the 4 other dogs she’s been raised with. Her bestie is my big boy Bichon who’s 15.8 years old. He is oblivious of his age and still does everything he always did. Running, jumping, and acting like a pup. His only deficit is vision that is fading. He takes care of his girl grooming her tenderly. I’ve truly been blessed by these little souls and all they give.
Jodi says
I got to experience the unconditional love, and brightness my golden retriever, Angus, brought to my Family and I for almost 9 years. My husband and I got him at exactly 8 weeks old. We had him to ourselves for 2 years and we then had our daughter Angus was a a very emotionally intelligent and attuned animal. His presence was calming and he was so gentle. Especially with children. Angus also an exceptionally handsome Golden very thick wavy golden fur with a big square head. I took My boy to the vet on October 29 because he had a slight limp which I assumed may be arthritis. Nothing major. Vet did an exam felt an enlarged spleen did a blood test. Called me the next day to tell me the Angus’s has acute lymphocytic anemia and has a week to live and we would neee tobdecide when to put him to sleep.bMy hsuband, 6 yr old and I were completely devastated. My daughter doesn’t know life without Angus. There was no viable treatment options. We used the week to say good bye. Of course the morning of Angus decided to eat and is able to have a short stop at the park then he was wagging his tail inside vet right till the end. I wanted to reechedule the appt but my husband reminded me that we were warned soMething traumatic like a bleed or seizure could happen. He could just die on the floor we didn’t want him to risk having to go through that experience as it would’ve scared Angus. So We gathered around our precious golden love and let him as he fell asleep on November 08. It was one of the hardest if not the hardest things if ever done. It has been a week now and my heart still aches for him. My house feels empty I see Angus everywhere arouud our home and the parks I took him to. Everyone says we did the thing for Angus as he didn’t suffer and they say the pain fades. But I’m really struggling and it isn’t fading. Angus was a truly exceptional dog and my best friend thank you for saving us my good boy. And thnk you for always being happy and always loving us back. You will never be forgotten.
Tim Charest says
Golden Retrievers are the purity and epitome of what love is supposed to be!
We adopted our Scooter almost 10 years ago from our elderly neighbor that could no longer care for him. He was welcomed into our home and the other dogs welcomed him into their pack. He showed everyone affection all of the time, with each person having something different that Scooter did just for/with them.
On November 5th we had to let him cross over the rainbow bridge to be with our lab Sandy that had passed a year before. Scooter was playing like normal the week before he passed. He had a bit of an upset stomach on Friday night, but Saturday morning he appeared fine. Ate normally Saturday evening but progressivly went down hill. He would be walking and stumble over, then the moaning started….I was up all night with him doing whatever I could to comfort, but he would pace aimlessly around the house and yard. I could tell he had a fever as his normally wet nose was warm and dry. Although he wanted water he couldn’t learn over to drink, and every time he did poor guy would stumble over. Knowing that it was dire, I rushed him to the emergency vet. Blood work..normal, parasite..negative, toxin screen….negative, x-ray.. nothing abnormal, ultrasound…normal. While we were there he had a series of seizures, no outward reason for it. Monitored him through Sunday morning, he seemed a bit better, fever had came down, they suggested I take him home and return if he exhibited any other strange behavior, and ofcourse follow up with our regular vet. Just a week before was his yearly checkup and everything was… normal. He was greeted at the door by his buddies, my 15 y/o lab Toby, and our 3 y/o Australian Shephard Sadie, all adopted by the way, as he was happy to be home. After a little nap, the moaning started again, and we witnessed several seizures so off to the Emergency vet we went. He had the worst seizure in my truck on the way back to the vet, and as I carried him in and put him into the exam table my thoughts were torn. They gave 2 rounds of phenobarbital over the course of the night, as it had to be neurological. With no call throughout the night we were hopeful for a good report. The vet told me that Scooter had not regained consciousness and there was not much response pupillary, pain, or stimulus. It had to be a brain tumor! They surmised it had to be in the hypothalamus region as it is what regulates temperature and could explain the uncharacteristic behavior. We made the heart wrenching decision, and I brought his buddies to see him at the vet. Toby, Scooter’s best Good friend, was licking his face as soon as he saw him. Granted, I had to put him up in a chair, as he is 15 and can’t get on his hind legs any longer. When we were ready the vet came in, and as she was administering the drugs, Toby was still licking his friend until the last breath which Scooter would take on this side was exhaled. Toby turned away and layed down exactly as he did when their girl, Sandy, our 15 y/o lab was put to rest a year earlier at our home.
When we took him to be cremated we told them what had happened and we suspected a brain tumor. The person operating the crematorium chamer itself said that tumors have a different smell to them. When he smelled it, he opened the window to see a tennis ball sized tumor at his head area. How ironic because Scooter, as does every Golden Retriever absolutely loved tennis balls. As we have went over different things looking back since last week, there were truly no signs until the last 2 days were had him here. Golden’s give all of their love every day, and I believe that they don’t want us to worry how bad off they are until it’s too late and they can’t control it. It is truly a Golden’s life mission to please their family, and please us they do, until the moment the rainbow bridge calls them home.
Elizabeth Springall says
This is exactly what happened to my beautiful Sophie. We too had to make the decision after her third seizure,.She was so scard and bewildered. Its a hard decision but we cannot let them be scared and in pain .
Maureen says
I’m so very sad we just lost our beloved golden, Jeter on Tuesday, Nov 6. He was only 9. He wasn’t eating for over a week and I took him to the vet and they were running tests and then he died the next day at home. My last one died at 9 also, of cancer. I love my Golden’s, but I can’t handle losing them so early. ??
Linda says
Maureen, I know the pain you are feeling. I put my lover boy to sleep on Christmas Eve! I’m still crying! Golden’s are a special breed and to experience their loving ways is something special.
Teresa says
My sweet Gracie turned 13 in September. Monday, November 5, my heart broke as I made the decision to let her go to sleep. She had severe arthritis in her spine and it rendered her unable to walk. I miss her loving companionship.
James says
My golden was just diagnosed with Blastomycosis. Vet gives him 50/50 chance of recovery. He is only six, my second golden after I lost my first to cancer at the age of 10. I’m not sure I can go through this yet again. I am so afraid for him and not can’t conceive my world without him. Please keep Coooer in your prayers for me.
Cathy says
My Golden is 11. She got sick yesterday with a high fever and swelling under her neck. She is home with antibiotics but goes Friday for another check. Praying she doesn’t have cancer. She is the best furbaby anyone could ask for. I love her more than life itself.
Jonna says
Our golden, Sandy, turns 13 this week. He started limping before the age of 7, with the cause eventually diagnosed as osteosarcoma. After amputation and chemo, he has been cancer-free! We are grateful that he has been with us so long after bone cancer.
Bhuvaneswari says
It is true. We realized that on 16th October 2018. My Benny passed away due to irresponsible veterinarians and our carelessness.
Valerie says
My sweet boy just died at age 14.5. Started aging rapidy in the last year. Found a Bleed behind the eyes after he had a stroke or siezure in my arms. I had to make the heavy decision to let him go. He was my best friend and my heart is broken. He was my shadow. Literally by my side from room to room for 14.5 years. I miss him so much i cant stop grieving. I want him back. No pet has ever or will ever be as wonderful as he was to me. My sweet boy.
Jim says
Valerie
My heart goes out to you.my own sweet boy wilf is lying across me now and i dred that awful day.But as my third Golden i know given time move on and love another and give him the best life you can.
Jim
Alex says
My sincerest aympathiy on your loss. We lost our golden on the 28th of October 2018. This was our second golden. Our first one crossed over at the age of 8. Our second was two months shy of 10. She crossed over in her sleep. We weren’t with her when she departed.
I know how you must be feeling as I am also feeling the loss of my best companion.
I am thankful for the joy, love, loyalty and companionship that our golden shared with us during her short stay.
Lisa says
My Golden retriever Has just turned 14 , she is showing signs of old age now . She is very slow on walks and her legs give way a lot . Will be a very sad day when it comes . She has given us all so much joy over the years ?❤️
Laura says
My 2nd to last Golden Alex died in 2004 at 17. We had to make the final decision when his back legs would no longer carry him. My last golden i had to have euthanized on Monday. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and due to age and health reasons he was not a candidate for surgery or treatment. He was 12 years, 11 months. I am bereft.
Jennifer says
I’m so sorry. I have a 3 year old Golden and he’s my sweet heart. I’m sorry for your loss.
Tammy Riggs says
My golden retriever is 13 years old and I pray we have for many more years to come. I can’t imagine our family without her ?
Rebecca says
My golden is 14.5 and still with a spring in her step! She was identified as having hip dysplasia when she was spayed as a puppy, so I’ve given her glucosamine and chondroitin all her life. Her weight was 52 at last checkup.
Pam says
My Golden is 15.5 and still goes on walks of 2 to 4 miles a day
His weight is 95 pds very big boy
Biljana says
My golden sweetheart is 11,5. years old. He is in good sbape and ery joyful
Jamie says
My sweet golden was diagnosed with Lymphoma at the age of 21 months. His cancer was very aggressive and non responsive to chemo. We lost him at 25 months of age in June 2018. I can’t even begin to describe the heartache of losing him.
Pippa Mattinson says
How terribly sad – very sorry for your loss Jamie
Crystal says
My golden retriever is 13 and still healthy. She is small though, 55 lbs and has always been at a good weight. I’m hoping she lives like they used to a decade ago!!
Deborah Cizmar says
My female golden just turned 13 August 20, her weight is good 52 pounds. Still playful. I hope I have her for awhile. I love her so much..
Terri L Slotta says
Hi Deborah,
Our baby girl Molly just turned 13 yesterday. She had been ours since she was 8 weeks old. She still like to play and cuddle. We are praying she will be with a few more birthdays.