Caring for a Mature Golden Retriever

Get your Golden Retriever used to eating two meals a day. Giving both meals in one shot can be too heavy on the stomach and on his circulatory system and would increase the danger of a gastric torsion. The amount of food depends on your dog's activity, but it is convenient that you study the indications given by the manufacturers. A two-hour stroll does not represent a big effort for the dog and going out once a week around the block does not make your dog a professional athlete. As many golden retrievers tend to be obese, try to go easy on his food. If you normally use balanced foods, you can once in a while change the kind of composition, as long as your Golden does not have a weak stomach. Among mature dogs there are also different types of gluttons. Many are avid for food, they're always hungry and, like a vacuum cleaner, they absorb every last crumb off the floor. On the other hand, others are difficult to satisfy. They stand in front of the bowl, take a couple of bites and walk away with an offended look on their face as if saying "how dare you serve me such a normal food? Eat it yourself!" Don't give in. Check his food, if it is not bad, and everything is in order, offer it to your dog again at night. If your dog is hard to satisfy, leave the food for a while in his bowl - it has to be dry so it won't rot that fast. However, moist food should not be offered the following day because it goes sour.

Taking care of his teeth: Periodically check the state of his teeth. Chewing gum with alleviating enzymes has been successfully used to help get rid of plaque - you can get these in specialized stores. Once the plaque has loosened up a bit, it is usually possible to remove the rest of it with your nails. You can also avoid its formation by regularly brushing his teeth with a soft toothbrush and special toothpaste for dogs. If plaque is not removed, your dog can get cavities and gum inflammations. Extremely tough plaque needs to be removed under the effect of anesthesia. Never let your dog carry stones in his mouth. His teeth might break and part of the enamel that protects his teeth might crack. During teething (between the fourth and seventh week), the young dog may have fever, diarrhea or get upset, and on some occasions even lose appetite. When your mature dog doesn't eat well, has bad breath or starts salivating more, it might be a mouth cavity disease.