Goldendoodle health
Goldendoodle health: a guide for new owners
Most Goldendoodles are healthy dogs, and they typically live 10–15 years. Smaller Goldendoodles tend to live longer than standard-size ones. Like any cross, a Goldendoodle can inherit health problems from either parent breed, the Golden Retriever or the Standard Poodle. This page explains the conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to, and what you can do about each one.
Goldendoodle health overview
The big picture
Most Goldendoodles are healthy dogs, and they typically live 10–15 years. Smaller Goldendoodles tend to live longer than standard-size ones. Like any cross, a Goldendoodle can inherit health problems from either parent breed, the Golden Retriever or the Standard Poodle. This page explains the conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to, and what you can do about each one.
A few everyday habits help prevent many common problems. Keep your dog lean, brush its teeth, keep its ears clean and dry, and book a checkup every year.
Common Goldendoodle health conditions
Worth knowing
Hip and elbow problems, eye problems, skin problems and bloat are conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to. Ear infections and extra weight are everyday problems that good habits help prevent.
Hip and elbow dysplasia are joint problems that develop as a puppy grows and can lead to arthritis later.
What you might noticeYou might see limping, stiffness or a bunny-hopping run.
What you can doKeep your puppy lean, and save long runs and jumping for when it is grown. Your vet can check the joints with X-rays.
Both parent breeds can pass on eye problems, such as cataracts and a slow loss of sight called progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
What you might noticeLook for cloudy, red or sore eyes, or trouble seeing in dim light.
What you can doKeep hair around the eyes trimmed, and ask your vet about an eye exam every year or two.
Ear infections are common in dogs with floppy ears, hair in the ear canal and a love of swimming.
What you might noticeCheck the ears when you groom, and look for redness or swelling.
What you can doDry the ears after every swim and bath, and ask your vet which ear cleaner to use.
Many Goldendoodles have dry, itchy skin. The Poodle side can also pass on sebaceous adenitis, an inflammation of the skin's oil glands.
What you might noticeWatch for scratching, flaky skin, or patchy, scaly hair loss.
What you can doBathe only when needed, and brush a few times a week. If scaling or hair loss lasts, your vet can take a small skin sample to find the cause.
Bloat is an emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist. Large, deep-chested Goldendoodles are the ones most at risk.
What you might noticeRetching without bringing anything up, a swollen belly or pacing means go to a vet at once.
What you can doFeed several small meals from a slow feeder, and skip hard exercise for 1–2 hours before and after meals. You can also ask your vet about a surgery that tacks the stomach in place (gastropexy).
Extra weight can cause health problems and makes existing ones, such as sore joints, worse.
What you might noticeWeight gain with a thinning coat or low energy can point to an underactive thyroid, so mention it to your vet.
What you can doFeed measured meals, count treats as part of the day's food, and exercise your dog every day.
Less common conditions in the Goldendoodle
Less common
- Eye swelling in middle age, called pigmentary uveitis (Golden side): red or sore eyes need a quick vet visit.
- Extra eyelashes along the lid, called distichiasis (Golden side): a vet can spot them at an eye exam.
- Flaky skin, called ichthyosis (Golden side): fine white flakes, often seen as puppy dandruff.
- A slow thyroid, called hypothyroidism (Golden side): it can cause weight gain and a thin coat, and a blood test finds it.
- A narrow spot near a heart valve, called subvalvular aortic stenosis (Golden side): it is often first heard as a heart murmur.
- Diet-linked heart disease (Golden side): a weak heart muscle tied to some grain-free diets, which often gets better when the diet changes.
- Cancer (Golden side): two kinds, hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma, are common in Golden Retrievers, so get new lumps checked.
- An inherited nerve disease, called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (Golden side): a DNA test can find it.
- Addison's disease (Poodle side): a hormone problem that causes vague, returning stomach upsets and tiredness, and a blood test confirms it.
- Seizures, called epilepsy (Poodle side): they usually start in young adults.
- A brain defect from birth, called polymicrogyria (Poodle side): it can cause blindness.
- A seizure disease of newborn puppies, known as NEWS (Poodle side): a DNA test can find it.
Goldendoodle DNA tests
DNA tests
A cheek-swab DNA test can check a dog for several uncommon inherited diseases from both parent breeds. Each result comes back as clear, carrier or at risk. A clear dog has no copy of the gene change. A carrier has one copy and is healthy. An at-risk dog has two copies, which means a higher chance of the disease, not a diagnosis. Some of these diseases come from only one parent breed, so a first-generation (F1) puppy can be a carrier but not at risk.
Goldendoodle vet checkups
Checkups your dog will get
- Your vet listens to the heart and sends a puppy with a murmur for a heart scan (an ultrasound).
- Your vet also checks the eyelids, eyes and knees.
- Puppy vaccines are given every few weeks until about 16 weeks, as your vet advises.
- Hip problems and several eye diseases show up later, so checks carry on into adulthood.
- Your vet keeps an eye on growth and weight.
- It is a good time to talk with your vet about spaying or neutering.
- If you want to know about your dog's hips and elbows, ask your vet about X-rays.
- A yearly exam includes a weigh-in and a body condition check.
- Your vet may suggest an eye exam every year or two.
- Before any planned surgery, ask whether a bleeding test makes sense, because Poodle-line dogs can carry a bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease.
- Checkups move to twice a year, with a yearly eye exam.
- Have any new lump or swelling checked promptly.
Goldendoodle life stages
Care plan by life stage
- Socialize widely in the first 3 months, and join a puppy class once your vet approves.
- Feed 3–4 small meals, and avoid overfeeding and rapid growth.
- Handle the paws, ears, eyes and teeth daily, and practice short spells of alone time in a crate.
- Ask your vet whether a cheek-swab DNA test makes sense for your puppy.
- Watch for eyelash irritation, flaky skin and food coming back up after meals.
- Keep your dog lean through growth, with controlled exercise.
- Keep obedience training structured through the long adolescence, and book professional grooming every 4–8 weeks.
- Watch for lameness, a cloudy lens and distress when left alone.
- Give 30–60 minutes of exercise a day, brush several times a week, and dry the ears after swimming.
- Watch for returning vomiting and tiredness (Addison's disease, Poodle side), patchy, scaly hair loss and loss of night vision.
- Support the joints with weight control and low-impact exercise.
- Watch for red, painful or cloudy eyes, stiffness and weakness in the back legs.
Goldendoodle vet costs
Planning for Goldendoodle vet costs
These are typical published costs for treating what a Goldendoodle vet exam looks at and the conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to. Each range shows where it comes from and when, and your own vet's estimate will differ.
| Item | Typical cost | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eyes Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | at US veterinary teaching hospitals | 2023–2026 |
| Eye tests before cataract surgery (ERG and eye ultrasound) | $500–$1,300 | at US veterinary teaching hospitals | 2025–2026 |
| Cataract surgery, one eye | $3,800–$5,500 | at one US veterinary teaching hospital | 2023–2025 |
| Cataract surgery, both eyes under one anesthetic | $5,600–$6,700 | at one US veterinary teaching hospital | 2025 |
| Skin and coat Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | at US veterinary teaching hospitals | 2023–2026 |
| Allergy skin test (intradermal) | $350–$550 | at one US veterinary teaching hospital | 2024 |
| Allergy blood test (serology) | $340–$350 | at one US veterinary teaching hospital | 2024 |
| Kneecaps Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | at US veterinary teaching hospitals | 2023–2026 |
Costs vary by state and clinic; the vet costs page shows state figures where a source publishes them. Vet costs by state →
First-year routine care costs (exams, vaccines, spay or neuter) are on the vet costs page. First-year care →
Goldendoodle pet insurance
Pet insurance is highly recommended.
Goldendoodle Veterinary Health Report
What the Veterinary Health Report checks
The breeder's licensed vet checks your puppy before it goes home. The vet follows PetPay's exam standards, and the results go in your puppy's Veterinary Health Report.
- Puppies must be at least 8 weeks old and weigh at least 2 lb before they travel.
- If the vet finds something that could put your puppy at risk during travel, your puppy stays with the breeder until it's resolved.
- Problems that can be treated before travel are treated by the breeder's licensed vet first.
- Anything else the vet notes is shared with you.
Goldendoodle puppy health guarantee
Health guarantee
Every Pawrade puppy comes with a health guarantee administered by PetPay, independent of the seller. The terms are on the health guarantee page.
Frequently asked questions about Goldendoodle health
Frequently asked questions
A Goldendoodle can inherit conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to, from the Golden Retriever and the Standard Poodle. The ones most worth knowing about are hip and elbow dysplasia, eye problems such as cataracts, skin problems and, in large dogs, bloat. Less common ones include an underactive thyroid, Addison's disease, heart problems, seizures and cancer.
Not automatically, because conditions both parent breeds share, such as hip dysplasia, cataracts and one form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), can appear in any generation. Later generations can also inherit diseases that come from only one parent breed.
Cancer runs in the Golden Retriever side of the family, especially two types called hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma. No peer-reviewed study has yet measured cancer rates in Goldendoodles themselves. Have any new lump or mass checked promptly, especially in an older dog.
Cheek-swab DNA tests check for several uncommon inherited diseases from either side of the family, and optional tests can predict coat type. Each result is clear, carrier or at risk. A carrier has one copy of a gene change and is healthy. An at-risk result means a higher chance of the disease, not a diagnosis.
Signs of hip dysplasia cannot be seen in very young puppies, so hip checks come later. Hip X-rays can be taken from 4 months of age, and your vet can tell you whether your dog needs them.
Goldendoodles typically live 10–15 years, and smaller Goldendoodles tend to live longer.
A standard Goldendoodle is usually considered a senior from about age 10, the last quarter of its expected lifespan. From then on, checkups twice a year, a yearly eye exam and low-impact exercise help keep it comfortable.
Large, deep-chested Goldendoodles can be, because bloat runs in the Standard Poodle side of the family. Feed small meals from a slow feeder, rest around meals, and get to a vet at once for retching without vomiting or a swollen belly.
Everyday habits do most of the work: keep your dog lean, dry the ears after swims and baths, brush the teeth and book a yearly checkup.
Puppy first, every step of the way.
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