Hip and elbow dysplasia are two of the joint problems Golden Retriever owners hear about most, and they are also a very good example of why I bang on about buying a well-bred dog.
Genetics matter. A lot. But genetics are not the only thing that matters once the puppy is in your hands. Growth, body condition, nutrition and how we exercise a developing dog can all influence the load we put through those joints.
The useful approach is not to panic about every funny puppy movement or wrap a Golden in cotton wool. It is to choose the best breeding foundations you can, keep the dog lean and appropriately muscled, let them move, and pay attention when their normal movement changes.
What is hip dysplasia?
Canine hip dysplasia begins as abnormal looseness or laxity in the hip joint as a dog grows. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint; when the fit and movement are abnormal, cartilage can be damaged over time and arthritis can develop.
It is multifactorial, but heredity is a major risk factor. Rapid growth and excessive nutritional intake can also complicate its development, which is one reason I am far more interested in keeping a growing Golden in good body condition than chasing a particular number on a growth chart.
What is elbow dysplasia?
Elbow dysplasia is an umbrella term for several developmental abnormalities of the elbow. The joint is made from three bones, and abnormalities in development can produce uneven loading, pain, lameness and eventually arthritis.
Golden Retrievers are among the breeds recognised as predisposed to elbow dysplasia. It is inherited, but as with hip dysplasia, the eventual clinical picture can be influenced by more than genetics alone.
Signs of hip dysplasia in a Golden Retriever
Some dogs with hip dysplasia show obvious signs while others can have significant changes without looking dramatically lame. Things owners may notice include:
- limping or stiffness;
- difficulty or reluctance getting up;
- reluctance to jump into the car or onto furniture;
- a change in how the dog runs;
- shifting more weight onto the front legs;
- loss of muscle through the hindquarters;
- less enthusiasm for activity they previously enjoyed.
Do not try to diagnose hip dysplasia from a TikTok gait video. Changes in movement have many possible causes. If your Golden’s gait changes, get them assessed.
Signs of elbow dysplasia
Elbow dysplasia more commonly affects the front limbs. Signs can start in young dogs, although some dogs are not diagnosed until later. Lameness may worsen after exercise, and because both elbows can be affected, the movement can look generally stiff rather than like an obvious one-sided limp.
A dog who begins refusing longer walks, becomes persistently stiff or changes the way they load a front leg deserves veterinary assessment.
Look at your Golden’s claws too
This is one of those small observations I wish more owners made. Look at how your dog’s claws normally wear.
The pattern should make sense for that individual dog across the paws, left to right and front to back. If they have always worn slightly unevenly but the pattern remains consistent, note it and keep an eye on it. Long-term uneven wear can still tell you something useful about how that dog moves.
A new change is more interesting. If claws suddenly start wearing differently on one paw, one side or in a new pattern, your dog may be loading their body differently or compensating for discomfort. That is a reason to speak to your vet rather than just clipping everything even and forgetting about it.
If you’re noticing a new change and want veterinary guidance on the sensible next step, Dutch offers online veterinary care. It can be useful for non-emergency questions and follow-up, although suspected dysplasia still needs proper hands-on assessment and imaging for diagnosis. This is an affiliate link, so Golden Retriever Expert may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
How is hip dysplasia diagnosed?
Diagnosis is veterinary territory. It typically combines an orthopedic examination with appropriately positioned radiographs, and there are different methods for assessing hip laxity and joint changes. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons’ canine hip dysplasia guide is a useful veterinary overview of diagnosis and treatment options.
Importantly, an x-ray result and the dog’s actual comfort are not always identical. Some dogs can have substantial radiographic changes and remain remarkably functional, while another dog with less dramatic-looking changes can be painful. Treat the dog in front of you, not simply the picture.
How is elbow dysplasia diagnosed?
Veterinarians may use examination and x-rays initially, with CT, MRI or arthroscopy used in some cases or through specialist referral. The exact abnormality matters because “elbow dysplasia” describes a group of developmental problems rather than one single lesion.
Can hip and elbow dysplasia be prevented?
You cannot guarantee that a Golden Retriever will never develop dysplasia. What you can do is improve the odds and avoid stacking unnecessary risk on top of genetic risk.
For me, that starts with the breeder.
Choose a breeder who actually health tests
Ask for the appropriate hip and elbow results for the parents. Do not accept “we did Embark” as a substitute for orthopedic screening, and please do not accept lower standards because somebody tells you the puppies are only “pet quality.” The OFA’s Golden Retriever screening recommendations are a useful place to check what breed-specific testing should look like.
A pet Golden still needs functional hips and elbows.
I would also look beyond mum and dad. What do you know about grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings and other close relatives? Health testing gives us valuable information about an individual breeding dog, but the wider family helps give context to the genetics behind the puppy.
Our guide to choosing a Golden Retriever puppy and responsible breeder goes into what I would ask before buying.
Keep your Golden lean
This is enormous. Excess weight increases the mechanical load on already vulnerable joints.
I do not want owners obsessing over whether their Golden weighs the “correct” number of pounds. Use body condition. You should be able to feel the last couple of ribs fairly easily, and I like good muscle over the back, hips and shoulders.
Goldens can hide a surprising amount underneath all that fluff, so use your hands.
Exercise a puppy sensibly
I do use the familiar guideline of around five minutes of structured exercise per month of age, twice a day for puppies. I treat it as exactly that: a guideline. A little more or a little less is absolutely fine. Use judgement and look at the puppy in front of you.
The bigger principle is to minimise unnecessary intensity while joints are developing. Sniffing, walking and play are useful. Repeated jumping, lots of stairs and relentless high-impact activity are things I would minimise.
That does not mean puppies should not move. They need movement, exploration, play and the opportunity to develop their bodies. I just do not see the benefit in turning exercise into an endurance programme.
Fetch: play with your Golden, don’t exploit the retrieve button
Goldens are retrievers. Fetch can be brilliant for them, and retrieving can be genuinely satisfying. But there is a difference between playing fetch as part of a varied walk, with pauses and changes in activity, and standing still launching a ball over and over because it is an easy way for the human to exhaust the dog.
The first is play and can provide biological satisfaction. The second can become relentless high-intensity repetition.
Also: skip real tennis balls. Their abrasive felt is made for tennis courts, not repeated chewing by dog teeth. I prefer a dog-specific retrieving ball such as a large Chuckit ball.
Exercise is for fitness, not for manufacturing exhaustion
This is one of my biggest training bugbears with Goldens. Do not use exercise to tire them out.
Use exercise to keep them fit and healthy, give them enjoyable outlets, and then teach them how to self-regulate and relax. Otherwise you can accidentally create an incredibly fit adolescent Golden who still has absolutely no idea how to switch off.
Calmness is taught. Reward your dog calmly when they choose to relax, create opportunities for downtime, and use lower-arousal activities such as sniffing, chewing and licking to help them practise settling.
What if my Golden already has hip or elbow dysplasia?
Do not assume the answer is “no more exercise.” Appropriate movement is often part of keeping a dog functional.
I want a dog with joint disease kept lean, gently moving and maintaining useful muscle wherever possible. I would usually reduce intensity rather than eliminate activity. Shorter or gentler walks, sniffing, controlled movement and suitable rehabilitation work may all have a place depending on the dog and veterinary advice.
Ramps can be genuinely useful for reducing repeated difficult jumps into cars or onto high surfaces. Non-slip flooring can help dogs who struggle for traction too.
And add water. Swimming or professionally supervised hydrotherapy can be useful for some dogs, although what is appropriate depends on the condition and individual. Goldens often love water anyway; just remember that a properly wet Golden is a very wet Golden, and that dense coat needs drying properly afterwards.
Do joint supplements help?
I am sceptical of the idea that every Golden needs a stack of “joint supplements” simply because they are a Golden. The marketing is much stronger than the evidence for many products.
Omega-3 fatty acids are the exception I take seriously. There is evidence supporting their use as part of management for canine joint disease. That still does not mean guessing doses from the front of a supplement tub: talk to your vet about the product and amount appropriate for your dog.
Treatment for hip dysplasia
Treatment depends on the dog’s age, severity, pain, lifestyle and the actual joint changes. Conservative management can include keeping the dog lean, controlled exercise, veterinary pain relief and rehabilitation. Surgical options exist too, including procedures for selected young dogs and total hip replacement for appropriate patients.
Early assessment matters because some surgical options are age-dependent. If a young Golden is showing concerning movement or pain, waiting until they are older to “see if they grow out of it” can close treatment windows.
Treatment for elbow dysplasia
Management again depends on the individual abnormality and severity. Some dogs are managed medically; others may benefit from surgery, including arthroscopic procedures. Once arthritis has developed it can continue to progress, so the aim becomes improving comfort and function and slowing deterioration where possible.
What about senior Goldens?
Work with the senior dog in front of you, not the stereotype of an old dog.
One Golden may need more sleep and less food as they age; another may remain remarkably active. What matters is noticing change. Joint pain can be surprisingly subtle, especially when it develops gradually.
If your older Golden suddenly walks less willingly, takes longer to get up, changes where they sleep, becomes reluctant to use stairs or simply seems different, do not write it off as “just getting old.” Have them assessed.
The bottom line
The best thing you can do about hip and elbow dysplasia starts before your Golden comes home: buy a well-bred dog whose breeder has done appropriate orthopedic health testing and understands the wider family they are breeding from.
After that, keep your Golden at a healthy body condition, let them develop good muscle, exercise for fitness rather than exhaustion, minimise unnecessary repetitive impact in growing puppies and learn how your individual dog normally moves.
And when that movement changes, listen. A Golden does not need to be dramatically lame before discomfort deserves attention.