10 Common Goldendoodle Health Issues

Goldendoodles are the hybrid offspring of a poodle and a Golden Retriever. They’re currently one of the most popular “designer” dogs in the country. As cute as they are though, Goldendoodles should see a veterinarian at least once a year for a checkup, and as they grow older a vet visit every six months to check for signs of any health issues common to Goldendoodles.

The sooner you get your Goldendoodle checked and catch any health problems that might exist, and the more comprehensive pet insurance you have in place, the easier long-term care will be on your budget.

 

Common Goldendoodle Health Problems

Below are the Top 10 Goldendoodle health health problems, along with insights on how to identify these issues, treatment options, and last but not least–prevention.

#1: Cataracts in Goldendoodles

When it Develops

There is no specific age for cataracts to develop in Goldendoodles, but the condition is more common in older dogs.

How to Spot Symptoms

Here are the major symptoms of dogs with cataracts:

• Color Change: The dog’s pupil might change color from black to creamy white or bluish white.
• Vision Loss: Your dog might suffer loss of vision as the cataract becomes progressively worse.
• Cloudiness: The dog’s eyes become cloudy, and may develop a white streak or spot.
• Additional Indicators: Confusion, redness, tear staining, eye discharge, squinting, rubbing, and clumsiness.

Treatment

Cataracts in dogs can be treated through surgical removal or physical dissolution (breaking up) of the cataract under anesthesia. Here are the key treatment options:

• Eye Drops: Although no medications currently available that will directly treat cataracts in dogs, your veterinarian might prescribe medicated eye drops to manage secondary symptoms and prevent inflammation, also.
• Surgical Removal: Surgery is the primary method to remove cataracts in dogs, and usually recommended if the cataract causes discomfort or if your dog’s vision is affected.

Prevention

While you can’t totally prevent cataracts in your Goldendoodle, here are some steps that might help: Maintain a healthy weight, avoid too much sun exposure, try to protect your dog from eye irritants and have regular vet check-ups.

#2: Cancer In Goldendoodles

Goldendoodles have the highest incidence of cancer of any breed. Cancer can be a devastating disease, but treatment is available. Treatment is not cheap, though, costing an average of $2,500 to $7,000 or more. This is where pet insurance can be a huge help with expenses.

When it Develops

Cancer can develop in Goldendoodles at any age. However, Osteosarcoma, bone cancer, tends to be a problem in older dogs. Hemangiosarcoma is a type of cancer in dogs that affects blood vessels. It is most often found in the liver, heart and spleen. As a general rule, it’s locally aggressive, spreading easily to other organs.

How to Spot Symptoms

Here are some things to watch for in your Goldendoodle that may be symptoms of cancer: Lumps or bumps, loss of weight and loss of appetite, diarrhea and/or vomiting.

Treatment

• Chemotherapy: Similar to humans, dogs can receive chemotherapy. This treatment involves using drugs that target fast growing, dividing cancer cells. It can help to shrink malignant tumors as well as slowing their growth.
• Surgery: Surgical removal might be a viable option, depending on the location and type of tumor. The goal is to eliminate cancerous tissue and prevent it spreading.
• Immunotherapy: The veterinarian may extract immune cells from your Goldendoodle and train these calls to recognize and then attack cancerous cells. Alternatively, your dog may receive a cancer vaccine such as one commonly used to treat melanoma.
• Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy utilizes high energy rays to target cancerous cells. It is used often for localized tumors, or in cases where surgery isn’t feasible, to relieve pain.

Prevention

Routine Check-ups: It’s crucial to take your Goldendoodle to visit the veterinarian on a regular basis. Detecting signs of cancer early, along with discussing with your vet strategies to help prevent cancer in your dog, can be a tremendous advantage for its health.

Limit Exposure: Always be conscious of environmental toxins, and make every effort to protect your Goldendoodle from them. For example, avoid smoke, reduce contact with harmful substances such as herbicides and pesticides, and limit sun exposure.

Maintain a Healthy Weight: Keeping your Goldendoodle at a healthy weight can help to prevent not only cancer but other health problems, too. Make sure your dog gets regular exercise and avoid overfeeding to keep them fit.

#3. Von Willebrand’s Disease in Goldendoodles

Von Willebrand’s disease affects a dog’s clotting of blood. Basically, a key factor necessary for blood clotting is missing, which causes mild or severe bleeding. Dogs who have milder cases of Von Willebrand’s disease might not need treatment. However, more severe cases will require repeated blood transfusions, which are far from inexpensive.

When it Develops

Von Willebrand’s Disease may not manifest itself when the dog is a puppy. There is no exact age at which symptoms may occur.

How to Spot Symptoms

Dog owners should be alert for symptoms, which include excessive or prolonged bleeding from a wound, after surgery, or in females, after giving birth.

Treatment

Desmopressin (DDAVP): This synthetic hormone stimulates the release of stored VWF in your blood vessels. It’s available as an injection or nasal spray and is commonly used before minor surgeries to control bleeding.

Infusions: Concentrated blood-clotting factors are used infusions.

Recombinant VWF Factor Product: Made without plasma to reduce the risk of infection or allergic reactions, this is a common treatment..

Adjuvant therapies include:

• Antifibrinolytic agents such as tranexamic acid help with prevention of clotting breakdown.
• Fibrin sealant, when applied to cuts, helps to stop excessive bleeding.

Prevention

A minimum of thirty different dog breeds may be affected. Doberman Pinschers have the highest incidence, but Goldendoodles are also prone to it due to their close relation to Standard Poodles. Von Willebrand’s Disease is genetic, so prevention isn’t really an option.

That being said, there are things you can do if your Goldendoodle has this condition to help minimize its effects. Protecting the dog from accidents and trauma as much as possible is helpful, along with regular vet visits and being sure to inform the veterinarian if your dog is having surgery or dental work about the presence of the disease.

#4:Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis In Goldendoodles

Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis, or S.A.S., is a heart condition that can affect Goldendoodles, due to their Golden Retriever genes. S.A.S.is a narrowing of the area just beneath the aortic valve of the heart. This constriction obstructs the flow of blood through the heart, which puts stress on the heart muscle, as well as the dog’s blood vessels.

When it Develops

As Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis is an inherited condition, dogs are born with it. But there are no definitive tests, so a puppy might be several weeks old or older before it is detected.

How to Spot Symptoms

Symptoms may be mild or severe, ranging from a heart murmur to intolerance for exercise so extreme that the dog collapses, or even loses consciousness, from exertion. S.A.S. is a progressive condition, meaning that in the more serious cases, a dog will become worse and its heart function more affected as time goes on.

Treatment

Mild cases might not need treatment, but in more severe cases the dog may require repeated blood transfusions.

Prevention

If you are a Goldendoodle breeder, you should not breed dogs with a familial history of Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis as it is a genetic condition p[assed down to offspring. Other than that, watch your dog for signs and symptoms, take it to the vet to be checked for a heart murmur when it is about 6 weeks old, and maintain a healthy lifestyle including weight management.

#5: Ear Infections In Goldendoodles

Goldendoodles are susceptible to ear problems because of their long, floppy, and furry ears. This combination, while visually appealing, creates the ideal environment for trapping moisture and dirt that lead to ear infections.

When it Develops

Ear infections in Goldendoodles can develop at any time, so it’s best to be mindful and watch for signs and symptoms.

How to Spot Symptoms

Common symptoms include rubbing ears on the floor, excessive scratching, plus a distinctive yeasty smell.

Treatment

To manage ear infections in your Goldendoodle, antibiotics and proper cleaning are the best steps to take. If your Goldendoodle does have symptoms of an ear infection, see the vet right away.

Prevention:

Keep your dog’s ears dry. This means thoroughly drying your Goldendoodle’s ears after swimming, bathing, or getting wet for any reason. Regular ear cleaning is important for the prevention of ear infections in your dog, too. Trimming—not plucking—the hair growing inside your dog’s ears is helpful, as well.

#6: Patellar Luxation In Goldendoodles

Patellar luxation is a common orthopedic condition in dogs, including Goldendoodles. A luxating patella is a dislocated kneecap. A normal patella, or kneecap, will move smoothly in a deep groove, up and down. But with patellar luxation, the kneecap slips outside its normal place within the femoral groove when the dog flexes its knee. Typically, patellar luxation affects one or both hind legs. The front legs are never affected.

When it Develops

Dogs may be affected from as early as 8 weeks old. While the luxation might not be there at birth, the anatomical deformities that can cause luxations will be present.

How to Spot Symptoms

Symptoms include weakness or limping in hind legs or inability to jump, sudden yelps of pain while playing or running, bow legged or knock kneed look, and/or a reluctance to exercise.

Treatment

Treatments for Patellar Luxation in Goldendoodles may include joint supplements, therapeutic mobility diets, anti-inflammatories, or a combination of these treatments, which might slow the progression of arthritis along with helping to control pain and discomfort.

If your dog is overweight, weight reduction is recommended, also. Surgery may be an option, depending on several factors such as the dog’s age, overall health condition, and severity of the luxation.

Prevention

Patellar Luxation is an inherited disease causing alignment problems that occur during the dog’s skeletal growth. Patellar luxation may be caused by a traumatic injury, also, like a vehicle accident or any other accident causing stretching and/or tearing of the fascia and joint capsule. So, there isn’t really anything to be done about the genetic side of patellar luxation, but you can try to avoid the dog experiencing physical trauma.

#7: Hip Dysplasia In Goldendoodles

Hip dysplasia in Goldendoodles is a hereditary condition that affects the dog’s hip joint. The ball and socket located in the pelvic bone are supposed to grow at equal rates, which allows smooth movement. However, in Goldendoodles, the ball of the thigh bone may be resting on the edge of the hip socket, or the hip socket may be too shallow, with joint laxity as the result.

When it Develops

Hip dysplasia in dogs might appear early in a dog’s life, even as young as weeks after birth. Some dogs may exhibit symptoms between 6-12 months, while others develop this condition later, often in conjunction with osteoarthritis as they get older.

How to Spot Symptoms

• Decreased activity
• Difficulty standing up
• Reluctance to climb stairs or jump
• Unusual gait

Treatment

Hip dysplasia in dogs can be a challenging condition, but there are several approaches to manage it and improve your furry friend’s quality of life:

• Weight Control: Weight management is critical to reducing stress on your dog’s joints.
• Exercise: Judicious exercise will help maintain joint stability as well as muscle strength. High impact exercise on hard surfaces should be avoided.
• Pain Relief: Pain and discomfort may be alleviated with anti-inflammatory medications. You should also talk to a vet about Consult your vet about appropriate pain management options for your Goldendoodle with hip dysplasia..
• Surgery: Severe cases may require surgery. A total hip replacement, that replaces the defective hip joint with plastic and metal implants, is sometimes a good option.

Prevention

Preventive Measures: Before breeding, consider checking for hip dysplasia in both parent dogs. Responsible breeding practices can reduce the occurrence of this painful condition in puppies. Proper nutrition and exercise may help to manage or prevent hip dysplasia in dogs.

#8: Epilepsy In Goldendoodles

Goldendoodles are susceptible to seizures, so an understanding of epilepsy may be helpful to you in caring for your dog if it has this condition. Golden Retrievers as well as Poodles—which are the parent breeds of Goldendoodles—are predisposed to seizures. This means that Goldendoodles inherit this genetic enhanced risk of epilepsy. Seizures are temporary, involuntary disturbances of the normal functioning of the brain, usually accompanied by uncontrollable activity of the dog’s muscles.

In Goldendoodles, epilepsy with ongoing repeated seizures is always associated with a brain problem, while occasional seizures may be triggered by causes other than the brain, including toxins and some medical conditions.

When it Develops

Most Goldendoodles will have their first seizure between one and five years old. When genetics are involved, the first seizures generally occur between 10 months and 3 years, although they may begin as soon as 6 months.

How to Spot Symptoms

Symptoms of epilepsy in Goldendoodles may include:

• Tongue chewing
• Muscle twitching
• Falling to one side and making paddling motions with legs
• Uncontrolled jerking movements
• Stiffening
• Foaming at the mouth or excessive drooling
• Involuntary urination or defecation
• Loss of consciousness
• Unusual eye rolling

Your Goldendoodle may seem dazed, confused, and staring off into space immediately prior to a seizure.

Treatment

Please note that treatment for a Goldendoodle with epilepsy may well be a lifetime regimen.

• Regular Monitoring: After treatment is initiated, dogs will need regular monitoring by a vet. Medication may need to be adjusted based on your dog’s possible side effects and/or its response to the treatment.
• Anti-Seizure Medication: The main treatment of choice for epilepsy in Goldendoodles is an anti-seizure medication. The most commonly prescribed meds are potassium bromide. phenobarbital, zonisamide, and levetiracetam. These drugs reduce seizure activity and improve quality of life for the dog.

Prevention

As epilepsy in Goldendoodles is an inherited condition, there is really not much to be done, if anything, in the line of prevention. Regular vet checkups, along with maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle, can help your dog live a quality life even with epilepsy.

#9: Bloat In Goldendoodles

Bloat, also called gastric torsion, or GDV–Gastric Dilatation Volvulus, in Goldendoodles is a very serious condition, even life threatening. Bloat occurs when the dog’s stomach is distended with gas or fluid and then torsions or twists, which then cuts off the blood supply to the stomach and other organs. This may lead to shock, organ failure, and death without prompt treatment..

When it Develops

Doctors don’t know the exact causes of bloat. But it is more apt to occur when a dog:

• Drinks a lot of water after exercise or during hot weather
• Is stressed from changes in routine, loud noises such as fireworks, sickness or an injury
• Eats too fast or swallows too much air while eating

How to Spot Symptoms

Symptoms include labored breathing, enlarged abdomen, excessive salivation, retching without vomiting, an inability to be still and settle down, along with restlessness.

Treatment

Treatment for bloat in Goldendoodles includes insertion of a stomach tube to reduce pressure on the wall of the stomach, and to remove gas or fluid. If it isn’t possible due to the dog’s stomach being already twisted, a large bore needle or catheter can be inserted through the skin straight into the stomach to help relieve pressure. To prevent shock, IV fluids are usually given.

Oxygen therapy may also be used. Pain management is very important when treating bloat in dogs, and meds such as NSAIDS, (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) might be given. Once the dog is stable, surgery is a must to correct the stomach torsion.

Prevention

Perhaps the best way to prevent bloat in dogs that are most prone to it, such as large breed dogs which can include Goldendoodles like those that have a Standard Poodle as a parent, is a surgical procedure called gastropexy. This surgery tacks the dog’s stomach to its abdominal wall, preventing it from twisting and causing bloat.

In addition, or in smaller breeds, feed two small meals a day rather than one big meal that is more likely to cause bloat. It’s also wise to avoid exercise right after your dog eats and spread strenuous bouts of exercise throughout the day instead of all at once.

 #10: Progressive Retinal Atrophy in Goldendoodles

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) in Goldendoodles is an inherited genetic condition. In dogs with this condition, the retina degenerates gradually to blindness. While dogs with Progressive Retinal Atrophy are born without retina abnormalities, the photoreceptor cells–rods and cones–start breaking down and dying off after a puppy grows to adulthood.

Both rods are affected, which function in low light plus detect movement, and cones, as well, which (which need more light to function but do detect color.

When it Develops

PRA generally progresses slowly, over 1-2 years. But, that timeframe may vary depending on the dog’s breed and form of the disease. Retinal dysplasia, also called early onset PRA, usually occurs in puppies 2-4 months of age, while the majority of cases are adult dogs 3-9 years old.

How to Spot Symptoms

Symptoms of PRA in Goldendoodles include:

• Cataracts
• Night blindness
• Dilated pupils
• Bumping into things
• Reluctance to be in dark places

Treatment

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) in dogs, including Goldendoodles, has no effective cure at this point in time. The focus needs to be on helping dogs with this condition adapt and maintaining a good quality of life. Supportive measures such as antioxidant supplements may be helpful in improving retinal function along with delaying the formation of cataracts.

Regular exercise and mental stimulation games are both wonderful for Goldendoodles that are visually impaired.

Prevention

Preventing Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) in Goldendoodles means practicing responsible breeding as well as regular eye exams and genetic testing.

• Eye Exams: Have your Goldendoodle’s eyes examined regularly by a vet or veterinary ophthalmologist. Detecting PRA early on is critical for managing the condition. Things like nutritional supplements along with low vision aids are helpful in slowing the progression of Progressive Retinal Atrophy.
• Genetic Testing: Breeders need to always have their breeding dogs tested for the Progressive Retinal Atrophy gene. Dogs that are carrying the mutated gene should absolutely not be bred, since this will reduce the likelihood of having puppies with the condition.

Does Pet Insurance Cover Common Goldendoodle Health Issues?

The answer is yes, pet insurance provides coverage for most health issues in Goldendoodles, even genetic conditions. A lot of pet insurance companies cover hereditary health issues, as well. When shopping for a policy, factors such as benefit limits, reimbursement percentages, and waiting periods should be taken into consideration.

Generally speaking, pet insurance ordinarily covers many routine health issues in Goldendoodles including skin infections, ear infections, allergies, heat stroke, and other common problems.

There are a variety of types of pet insurance coverage available. For example, you may choose a policy that only covers accidents and injuries, or a policy that goes further and provides coverage for chronic conditions such as arthritis, along with common illnesses. When you make an investment in pet insurance for a Goldendoodle, you can find policies that might cover things such as:

• Diagnostic tests
• Routine wellness examinations
• X-Rays
• MRIs
• Surgery
• Prescription meds
• Blood and lab tests
• Alternative treatments
• Behavioral therapy
• Prescription food and/or nutritional supplements

Bear in mind that basic pet insurance ordinarily doesn’t encompass pre-existing conditions like hip dysplasia or Von Willebrand’s Disease—health issues that Goldendoodles are at risk for genetically and are born with. Although pre-existing conditions aren’t usually covered, some pet insurance providers offer policies that are a bit more costly, but include extra coverage for Goldendoodles.