21 Ways To Help Your Golden Retriever Live A Long Life -

The saddest truth about parenting a pet is that they leave us much sooner than we imagine. And a Golden Retriever does not differ much and will be a part of your life for about 10-13 years. Although it is a heart-breaking truth, you need to accept it. Instead of entangling yourself in the sorrow of losing your pet, how about using some ways to help your Golden Retriever live a long life?

Although you cannot make your pet immortal, you can for sure help your Golden Retriever to live a long life by making some amendments in its lifestyle. A nutritious meal with food supplements, adequate exercising, spaying or neutering, proper training, proper grooming, care, and socialization can promote the lifespan of your pet. Along with this, vaccination, regular health checkup, and consulting the Vet to deal with emergencies can increase few years in their life.

However, I cannot promise that all these ideas will do miracles. So, your Golden Retriever will live with you forever. Yet, I can ensure that these ideas can make your pet happier, healthier, and more active.

Undoubtedly, I will discuss all the above ways in detail further in this article. But before digging into the ways to help your pet live a long life, let us talk about the things that control the lifespan of your pal.

What Controls The Lifespan Of A Golden Retriever?

If you flip the pages in the past, you will find that only a decade ago, the average lifespan of Golden Retriever was almost 17 years. And within a short span of a decade, the life expectancy declined by four years. What do you think is the reason behind it?

There is no doubt that many influencing factors control the lifespan of Golden Retriever. But the vital categories among them are:

The genes that Golden Retrievers inherit from their parents.
Lifestyle and the events that occur in the life, like accidents, attacks, disease, injury, illness, and aging.

Furthermore, once the dog is born, you cannot change its gene. Thus, the lifestyle and events occurring in daily life are factors that you need to focus on to help your Golden Retriever live a longer life.

But do you know how to use these factors to help your pet live a longer life?

Don’t worry! I will explain each one in detail below.

21 Ways To Help Your Golden Retriever Live A Long Life

After you bring a Golden Retriever home, the pet steals the heart of everyone in the family. These dog breeds are the best cuddling and friendly companion for adults. And the perfect playing mate for the kids.

Since Golden Retriever is the best family dog, you want to make more and more memories with your pet. And you want your pet to stay with you forever. Don’t you? However, forever is impossible. But you can help your pal to live a long life using the following ways:

Good Food Will Help Your Golden Retriever To Live A Longer Life

Diet and the food you give your Golden Retriever plays a vital role in increasing its lifespan. Thus, the healthier the food and meal you serve your pet, the longer it lives.

In addition, healthier food with all essential nutrients helps to increase the immunity of your pet. So, the pet can fit against various health issues that may reduce the lifespan of your pet.

Besides this, a healthy diet promotes the body functions of your pet. Hence, your Golden Retriever will live a long and healthy life.

Do not Feed Your Golden Retriever What You Eat

The metabolism and digestion of your pet differ from that of humans. Therefore, the foods that are beneficial for us can obstruct the digestive systems of your dog. Generally, human foods like chocolate, sodas, onions, garlic, mushroom, raw meat, nuts, etc., are harmful to your pal.

Instead of promoting health, these foods disturb the digestion of your Golden Retriever. And leads to constipation, bloating, and diarrhea. So, your pet may plead with its appealing looks for human foods, but don’t fall into its trap. Despite unhealthy food, use healthy natural snacks for giving treats and reinforcement.

Knowledge Of Nutrition Can Help Your Golden Retriever To Live A Longer Life

The nutritional requirement of a Golden Retriever differs with the age and the intensity of the training. Since the puppies are growing, they need more proteins and fats in their diet.

But the body functions in a senior Golden Retriever are declining. Thus, these dogs require a liquid diet full of fibers, minerals, and vitamins. Besides this, the Retriever suffering from health issues requires nutritional supplements along with a balanced diet.

Apart from this, consult with the Vet and add herbal supplements, omega fatty acids, and food supplements (antibiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, etc.) to the diet of your pet. All these things help your Golden Retriever to live a long life.

Managing Diet Schedule Will Help Your Golden Retriever To Live Longer

Since Golden Retrievers are fond of food, overeating is their most common problem. Besides this, these breeds know how to please their owners. Thus, the owner reluctantly feeds the dogs every time it approaches them with pleading eyes.

And this invites severe health issues like obesity, diabetes, thyroid disorders, cancer, joint disorders, hip dysplasia, etc. Therefore, you should never overfeed your pet. Always be cautious about the age of your pet and feed accordingly.

A helpful feeding schedule that I use in my parenting journey is as follows:

Age	Meals per day	Calories required
below 1 month	Four times	1700 calories
1-3 months	Four times	1300-1700 calories
3-7 months	Three times	1200-1400 calories
8 months- 1 year	Two times	1000-1200 calories
Over 1 year	Once	900

Besides this, you can give your pet a small portion of healthy natural snacks if it shows aggressive behavior for food. But avoid feeding it with human treats if you want your pet to live a long life.

Exercise, Exercise, And Exercise

Golden Retrievers are energetic dog breeds. And these dogs require at least an hour of exercise for proper growth and development of the body. Besides this, exercising can also enlighten the mood of your pal and makes it happy.

Moreover, some of the exercises for your Golden Retriever are:

Swimming
Long walks
Hiking
Fetching a ball
Retrieving

Adequate exercising helps in the proper functioning of the bones and joints of your pet. So, it mitigates the chances of dysplasia and joint problems. Hence, your Golden Retriever can live a long and active life.

Saying The Female Golden Retriever Will Help Them To Live Longer Life.

Spaying is a birth control surgical procedure. For Golden Retrievers, the Vet recommends spaying after 18 months before their first heat cycle. Further, many statistics and researches say that spaying a dog reduces the possibility of breast and uterine cancer.

Besides this, spaying also helps to maintain a clean environment because it eliminates the dripping of estrus fluids all over the house. Apart from this, spayed female Golden Retriever does not suffer from health issues related to pyometra, false pregnancy, uterine torsion, and vaginal or uterine prolapse.

Hence, spaying helps a Golden Retriever to live a long life without health issues.

Have Your Male Golden Neutered

Like spaying, neutering is the birth control surgical procedure in male Golden Retriever. And neutering the dog after it turns a year old helps in its proper growth. Besides this, it also reduces the chances of orthopedic problems.

Along with this, neutered Golden Retrievers are at a lower risk of testicular cancer, prostate problems, tumors, hernias, and testicular infections. Furthermore, neutering also manages the aggressive behavior of male dogs. Hence, it prevents the chances of attacks, escapes, and accidents.

Therefore, neutered Golden Retrievers can live a longer and happier life after neutering.

Dental Care Can Help Golden Retriever To Live A Longer Life

Since Golden Retrievers are a curious dog breed, they explore everything around them by chewing and biting. Therefore, the teeth of these dogs come in contact with various chemicals, germs, and bacteria present in the environment.

Dental care eliminates these unwanted substances. Thus, it promotes a longer lifespan of Golden Retriever. Furthermore, dental care also helps in maintaining the hygiene of the pet.

Besides this, you should clean the ears, hair, paws, and eyes of your Golden Retriever along with the teeth. Hence, it rescues the chances of parasitic infection in the pet. So, Golden Retriever can live a longer life.

Take Your Golden Retriever For Vet Checks Regularly

As we know, early diagnosis leads to successful treatment without health complications. Therefore, regularly take your Golden Retriever for health checkups to check the health condition of your pet.

Even the cure of the deadliest disease like cancer is successful if you start the treatment earlier. Thus, regular health checkups can diagnose the disease in an early stage for successful treatment. As a result, your Golden Retriever may live a longer life.

Learn What To Do In Emergencies

Adequate knowledge to deal with emergencies is essential if you have a pet in the house. For this, you can consult with professionals for suggestions. And read books about the care and grooming of your Golden Retriever to help the pet live a long life.

Furthermore, be aware of the signs of emergencies. Such as:

Frequent urination
Excessive thrust
Appetite loss or eating too much
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Swollen gums
Discharge from eyes and nose
Scaly patches in the skin
Continuous pawing
Restlessness
Difficulty in breathing.

If your pal shows such unusual behavior, immediately visit the Vet. The prescribed medication and advice of the Vet helps in the treatment, cure, and elimination of the health issues. Thus, your Golden Retriever can live a longer life.

Always Keep A First Aid Kit With You

Since a Golden Retriever is a playful dog breed, it is always in the ground playing and running. Hence, due to the energetic attribute of the pet, there are higher chances of accidents. So, it is safe to prepare yourself beforehand for accidents.

So, always keep a first aid kid with you. The first aid kid must include bandages, tapes, scissors, anti-inflammatory ointments, and NSAIDs. And if you see your pet limping, inspect its limbs and put bandages or ointments.

Say No To Sugar

Like humans, sugar does no good to Golden Retrievers. Generally, sugary foods have theobromine that is poisonous for the pet.

Golden Retriever cannot digest the theobromine. Thus, that leads to medical issues like a diuretic, heart stimulation, blood vessel stimulation, and immune deficiency. Besides this, these dogs are more susceptible to obesity, diabetes, and gastrointestinal problems after a sugary diet.

So, if you want your Golden Retriever to live a longer life, you should cut down sugar from its diet.

Supervise Your Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever loves the attention of the people. Besides this, the owners are their favorite people. Thus, if owners continuously supervise the pet, they will be happy and active.

Along with this, supervision will also help to eliminate the behavioral problems of your pet. Thus, your pal will be obedient. Furthermore, through supervising, you can mitigate the chances of attacks, accidents, and injuries.

As a result, your Golden Retriever will be healthier and can live a longer life.

Learn To Train Them

Training is essential to manage the aggressive behavior of your Golden Retriever. Through proper training, your pet will follow your commands.

If you learn to train your pal, you can reduce the consequences of aggressive behavior. Besides this, assistance training methods can save lives people. However, some of the helpful training methods that you must learn are:

Socialize Your Golden Retriever

Socialization helps to make Golden Retrievers even more popular. Besides this, your pet may become less defensive and aggressive after proper socialization. Hence, it eliminates the fear, discomfort, and anxiety of your pet.

As a result, the pet will be happier and active. Thus, it promotes the longer lifespan of your Golden Retriever.

Keep A Regular Grooming Routine

Regular grooming helps to maintain the hygiene of a Golden Retriever. And it involves:

cleaning of ears
giving bathe
cleaning of teeth
daily brushing
cleaning of paws

All these things reduce the chances of infections and bacterial growth in your pet. Thus, the pet can be free from possible health issues (ear infections, dental problems, eye diseases, etc.). As a result, Golden Retriever will live a healthy and longer life.

Avoid Exposure To Toxins

Some of the chemicals used in the household are dangerous for your pet, For example, alcohol, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, etc. Since these chemicals block your pet’s respiratory system, they invite several health issues like allergies, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, hair loss, etc.

Besides this, some human foods are toxic for your Retriever, like xylitol, macadamia nuts, caffeinated drinks, raisins, etc. Therefore, if you want your Golden Retriever to live a longer life, you should avoid exposure to such toxins.

Use Sunscreen On Sunny Summer Days

Although Golden Retriever has a doubled-layered skin coat, the pet is sensitive to the sun. Thus, these dog breeds can suffer from sunstroke when exposed to the sun for a longer time. The sun rays can harm the coat of your pet. And that leads to skin disorders, depigmentation, and excessive hair fall.

To avoid such health issues, you should use qualitative dog-specific sunscreen for your pet. The sunscreen protects the skin of your pet from disorders. So, your Golden Retriever will live a longer life.

Do Not Keep Your Golden In Stressful Environment.

Stressful environmental conditions like extreme climates, chaotic surroundings, and pollution degrade the health of your Golden Retriever. Further, your pet suffers from skin disorders like allergies, dermatitis, hair loss, etc., due to extreme climate. Along with this, a noisy environment makes the pet fearful, anxious, and uncomfortable.

Thus, all these decline the life expectancy of your pal. And if you maintain a peaceful environment in the house, your Golden Retriever can be calm and live a long life.

Vaccinate Them

Since Golden Retrievers are susceptible to various fatal health issues (like cancer, joint disorders, thyroid disorders, heart diseases, etc.), vaccination is essential. Vaccination helps in the faster antigen-antibody reaction in the body of your Golden Retriever. Thus, it helps to increase the immune system of your pet.

As a result, your Golden Retriever can successfully fight against various diseases and live a longer life. Generally, your pet needs a shot when it is six months and one year old. And after that, the pet needs only one shot every year.

Keep Eyes On Their Blood Sugar

Diabetes is a fatal health issue for your pet. Diabetes damages the immune system of the pet. So, your pal becomes more prone to several health hazards. And due to the lack of defense mechanism, your pet may die even due to minor health issues.

Therefore, regular monitoring of the blood sugar level is essential. For this, take your pet to the veterinary every three months for glucose monitoring. Or use a diabetic monitoring device to test the sugar level of your Golden Retriever in the home. Since this prevents the health hazard, your Golden Retriever can live a longer life.

Do you think all these ways might increase the lifespan of your pet?

Are there any more ideas that you want to add to this list?

How Long Does Golden Retriever Normally Live?

Golden Retrievers are a large dog breed with an average height of 51-60 cm and weighs around 25-39 kg. Furthermore, the lifespan of these dogs differs according to the type of breed, lifestyle, and health condition.

However, in general, Golden Retriever lives a healthy life for about 10-12 years. But the nutritious diet, healthy lifestyle, and adequate care can for sure help your Golden Retriever to live a longer life. And many exceptions lived for more than their average life expectancy.

Which breed of Golden Retriever do you have?

Are you taking care of your pet properly?

Further, if you want to know more about the lifespan of these breeds, you can read the article- Golden Retriever Lifespan – How Long Do They Live?

Do Bigger Golden Retrievers Have Shorter Lifespan?

Though most people assume that the bigger Golden Retrievers live a shorter life than the smaller ones, it is still anonymous. And researchers are continuously searching the links and reasons for the change in expectancy due to size.

And a research-why do the bigger Golden Retriever die young somehow tried to clarify the relationship between lifespan and size of Golden Retriever. Yet, I think there is a lot to know in this matter. And this concept is still a mystery.

If the size does affect the lifespan of the dogs, do not you think Golden Doodles would live a longer life than all other types of Golden Retrievers. When we compare the American and English Golden Retrievers, the larger size of the American breeds decreases the lifespan their lifespan by two years. Is it a coincidence?

What do you think? Does size affect the life expectancy of a Golden Retriever?

Can Breeding Golden Retrievers Often Decrease Their Lifespan?

Golden Retrievers produced from mixed breeding have a gene pool with a disease-inducing gene. As a result, these dogs are more susceptible to several health issues like cancer, thyroid disorders, diabetes, joint problems, etc. Thus, mixed breeding may be a reason for their lesser life expectancy.

But breeding after analyzing the breed type and the genes can sometimes eliminate health issues from Golden Retriever. And the offspring produced live longer. For this, the breeders should collect thorough information about the inter-mixing breeds and their gene pool.

Do Purebred Golden Retriever Live Longer?

Generally, the purebred is less prone to health issues than the mixed breed. Yet, it is not true that all the purebred Golden Retrievers will live longer than the mix-breed. Some Golden Retrievers though mixed-bred, may live for more than 14 years that is more than the pre-bred.

However, the pure-breed Golden Retrievers have a small gene pool with cancer-causing gene information. Thus, these breeds are susceptible to cause. Besides this, the gene pool of pure breed also includes other health issues that reduce the lifespan of these breeds.

Do you think purebred Golden Retriever can live a longer life?

How will you present your views?

How Can You Help Senior Golden Retriever?

Like humans, the functions of the body gradually decline in the dog due to aging. Thus, a senior Golden Retriever has weaker immunity. And these dogs are prone to more fatal health issues.

Therefore, a senior dog needs more care and attention. If you have an older Golden Retriever in your home, you can follow the followings ideas to help the pet.:

Provide nutritional food. Include food supplements, fibers, probiotics, herbal supplements, antioxidants, and omega-acids in the diet of your Golden Retriever.
Reduce the intensity of the exercise.
Provide a sufficient amount of drinking water to your pet.
Manage a comfortable bed with blankets and toys.
Avoid noise and chaos in the home. Always maintain a peaceful environment.
Supervise your pet and shower more love or affection.
Use soft and low voices for calling your pet.
Frequently visit the Vet. And take suggestions to manage the health condition of your pet.

Do you have a senior Golden Retriever? Do you think it is dying?

If you want to comfort your pet, read the article- How To Comfort A Dying Golden Retriever [14 Different Ways].

Who Is The Oldest A Golden Retriever?

On average, a Golden Retriever can live a healthy and disease-free life for around 10-12 years. But if the owners are conscious enough, their pet can live more than its estimated age. And there are many exceptions.

Like Augie, a Golden Retriever in Tennessee recently turned 21 years in April. And until today, this dog is the longest-lived Golden Retriever.

How old is your pet?

Do you think you can break the record of Augie?

Some Facts About the Lifespan Of Golden Retriever

After detailed information about the lifespan of Golden Retriever, here are some interesting facts about this beautiful dog.:

The average lifespan of a Golden Retriever is 10-12 years.
The oldest Golden Retriever is 21 years old.
60% of Golden Retrievers die due to cancer.
Golden Retriever Lifetime Study conducted a study to promote the health condition of these breeds in 2012. And it involved 3000 Golden Retrievers.
The health issues in Golden Retrievers are hemangiosarcoma, skin problems, lymphoma, hypothyroidism, osteosarcoma, dysplasia.
Golden Retrievers remains playful throughout their life.
After the age of two, Golden Retriever starts graying. And its hair becomes white.

Were you familiar with these facts?

Further, it is your responsibility to love, care and groom your Golden Retriever. I know you want to live a longer life with your lovely pet. And for this, you should be cautious in want you feed and how you care for your pet.

Yes, it is not sure that these ideas will be helpful. Yet, there are higher possibilities that the lifespan of Golden Retriever can increase through proper care. How do you think has Augie lived for 20 years?

Therefore, it is you who can help your pet live for longer life. I hope you make lots and lots of memories with your pal before his final goodbye.

Do you think the above ways will be helpful for your Golden Retriever?

If you have any suggestions, please write them in the comment box.