What kind of diseases can a golden retriever get when they got old most common

veterinarians that examine thousands of xrays and grade the hips they

see. Dogs that are past a minimum age and have good hips are certified

Fair, Good, or Excellent; hips that show signs of arthrosis and hip

dysplasia do not get certified. Needless to say, both parents of the

puppy you are considering should have OFA certification. The more OFA

numbers in the pedigree (including littermates of the parents,

grandparents, and previous offspring of either parent), the better off

your puppy is. However, as the inheritance of hip dysplasia involves

multiple genes, breeding only OFA certified dogs only _lessens_ the

chances of HD in the puppies, not _eliminates_.

Dogs not intended for breeding but who will be active in obedience,

agility, hunting, etc. should be screened between 6-12 months of age.

This way if there is a problem that shows up this early, you have

several options for corrective surgery that are best done at this age.

And if your pup shows no signs of hip dysplasia at this point, you can

more comfortably continue with your planned activities without

worrying that you are making a problem worse down the line.

If your puppy has a persistent, unexplainable limp, he should be

xrayed to determine if hip dysplasia or something else is the cause.

On the other hand, Goldens and other retriever breeds often seem to

have high pain thresholds and do not show signs of pain. An x-ray does