Golden Retrievers are prone to a variety of joint problems, including hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and osteoarthritis. While dysplasia is developmental and arthritis develops with age, similar steps can be taken to support the health of your Golden Retriever’s joints throughout their life.
4 Strategies for Maintaining Your Golden Retriever’s Joint Health
Weight Management: Extra pounds on overweight or obese dogs put excessive pressure on their joints. This can result in cartilage breakdown and decreased joint fluid production. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways to prevent arthritis, as well as other health problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Regular Activity: Keeping your pet in good physical shape with regular activity helps keep the joint fluid healthy and productive, preventing joints from stiffening up as they age. Physical fitness also promotes strong muscles that better support their joints, improves balance, and reduces the risk of injury.
Joint-Friendly Exercise: Choose activities that won’t put excessive stress on their joints.
Running a puppy too hard or taking an older dog for a long walk on hard pavement is not recommended.
Instead, try playing fetch in the grass, walking on a soft track, or swimming.
Complete and Balanced Nutrition: Joint health is directly related to nutrition.
Feed a diet that meets AAFCO’s complete and balanced standards and is appropriate for their size and age to promote optimal bone and joint health.
This is especially important for puppies while their bones are actively developing.
Switching to an adult food once they have matured (usually around 12 months) is important to help maintain a healthy weight.
Joint Supplements 💊
Conditions such as arthritis can be prevented, managed, or slowed with proven joint supplements. Dogs who are at high risk for joint problems, such as working dogs, agility dogs, or dogs with underlying musculoskeletal conditions, can benefit the most from starting joint supplements early in life. Older dogs could also benefit, as it is estimated that 20% of dogs will experience arthritis in their lifetime.
