How long do Golden Retrievers live?
Dogs are man’s best friends. As a potential dog owner, you think about everything possible in advance. For example, how much exercise the breed needs. But rarely does one think about life expectancy. In this article, I go into more detail about how long do Golden Retrievers live.
The life expectancy of the Golden Retriever is between 10 and 14 years. So Golden Retrievers live to a relatively old age compared to other purebred dogs of this size. Factors such as feeding and exercise significantly influence the health and, therefore, automatically the life expectancy of Golden Retrievers.
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The life expectancy of a Golden Retriever?
The life expectancy of Golden Retrievers has declined sharply in recent decades. 30 to 40 years ago, 15 to 17 years were not uncommon.
Today, Golden Retrievers can live up to 14 years if they lead a healthy life. In exceptional cases, they also get older.
The oldest Golden Retriever is the Goldie lady August from Oakland (Tennessee, USA). They became proud 20 years old on April 24, 2020.
I read about an older man who wanted to get an older dog again in a forum. The contribution to the forum was four years later when the Goldie was already 19 years old. It became then a 15-year-old Golden Retriever.
So there are also exceptional cases like with us humans. If you offer your Golden Retriever a healthy life, you can be lucky and increase your life expectancy by a few years.
How does your Golden Retriever grow old healthily?
As an owner of a Golden Retriever, you can lay the foundation for a long and healthy dog’s life by following a few self-evident basics.
Reputable breeder
Whether you get a healthy or a sick Golden Retriever stands and falls with the breeder’s choice.
You cannot have healthy puppies if you breed sick animals for profit.
Of course, you can get healthy puppies without papers from a “private hobby breeder.” That is out of question.
But as a rule, you should ask yourself, why does he not breed officially?
Costs and effort are simply higher if you breed officially because there are many mandatory examinations of the parents to exclude possible diseases as best as possible.
In addition, there are appointments and costs for the breed warden and breed judge. It will be checked if you have enough space to breed.
If you buy a Golden Retriever in the worst case on the parking lot, which was raised in a 40 square meter apartment or a stable, the parents are sick, the risk that the Golden Retriever will not grow old is higher.
Good dog food
The most important thing in terms of health is food. Make sure you feed a food that is as natural as possible, without artificial additives and with a high meat content.
A Golden Retriever, like any other dog, cannot be fit and healthy in old age if it has been fed the cheapest discount food for years which is packed with fillers that have no place in a dog food.
Whether the food is harmful or not only becomes apparent when the dog is older. Do not listen to the people who buy the cheapest food and tell them that the dog tolerates it. How do they determine that?
And just because the dog eats its food doesn’t mean it’s suitable for it. Some dogs eat other people’s feces.
Of course, there is never a guarantee, but I think the chance increases if you feed good dog food.
Sufficient exercise
Just like us, dogs need exercise to be fit and healthy. Especially Golden Retrievers need a lot of exercises. Original hunting dogs from Great Britain are used to being out with the hunter all day.
In addition, Golden Retrievers are voracious eaters and tend to be overweight. Being overweight can also shorten the life expectancy of your Golden Retriever.
Reasons why Golden Retrievers do not grow old!
Time and time again, you hear about Golden Retrievers dying way too early. But what is the reason?
International studies have found that 40% of Golden Retrievers in Europe and 60% in America die of cancer.
According to these studies, 7% of Golden Retrievers die before they are 5 years old, 13% die before they are 8 years old and 22% of Golden Retrievers do not live to be 10 years old.
In addition, other diseases can also occur in the Golden Retriever and prevent it from growing old.
Typical diseases of the Golden Retriever!
Typical diseases in the Golden Retriever are among others
- HD/ED – elbow dysplasia/hoof joint dysplasia
- Epilepsy
- Ureteral ectopia
HD/ED, in particular, is more common in the Golden Retriever, as they tend to be overweight, as mentioned earlier. So it’s up to you to check your Goldie regularly, adjust the food portion, and exercise accordingly.
A Golden Retriver does not need as much food as he would like to eat.
I think being overweight in general can already be listed as a disease. Because overweight can lead the Goldie and many other dogs to various conditions that can affect life expectancy. These include:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- reduced endurance
- Liver disease
- Diabetes
- Problems with heat
- Weakened immune system and more susceptible to infections.
Of course, all of this is influenced by the type and amount of food and exercise, among other things.
Conclusion: How old do Golden Retrievers live?
Golden Retrievers can live between 10 and 14 years. This makes them one of the dogs of this size with the higher life expectancy. However, food, exercise, and genetics significantly impact how old your Golden Retriever will live and can greatly influence life expectancy.
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