That lovely, soft coat needs regular grooming. The Golden Irish certainly isn’t considered one of the more hypoallergenic breeds — it will shed, and sometimes heavily, so give your pup a good brush every couple of days.
Unless it’s dirty — and in wet weather it’ll probably return from an off-leash adventure soaked through and covered in mud — it won’t need a bath often.
Otherwise, brush teeth regularly, check ears and keep nails trimmed as and when needed.
Golden Irish health
All being well, your Golden Irish will live a happy and healthy life, with an average lifespan between 10-15 years. Like all breeds of dog — pure breeds and crossbreeds — it can be affected by health issues throughout its lifetime, though. As a pet parent, it’s your job to be aware of poor health and take appropriate action when it comes to consulting a vet — that’s where
pet insurance comes into play.
There aren’t any major health issues specifically associated with the Golden Irish dog, though it may inherit problems from its two parent breeds. These can include:
Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia
Both hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are reasonably common health issues in many dog breeds; Golden Retrievers and Irish Setters are among those. With hip dysplasia, the ball and socket of either one or both hip joints is malformed, which prevents smooth movement.
The joint or joints are loose, so the leg moves around too much, causing pain and discomfort. This can be an inherited condition or occur because of incidents such as injury, or fast weight gain.
Elbow dysplasia is arthritis of the elbow joint. It can make a dog limp after exercise, cause stiffness and lameness. Primarily a genetic developmental condition, it can affect large breed puppies that grow rapidly; Golden Retrievers are among the breeds more commonly impacted.
Ear infections
Ear infections in dogs are very common — one of the issues you should check for regularly. Because both the Golden Retriever and Irish Setter are breeds that love to be active and enjoy being in the water, they’re prone to getting dirt, debris and foreign objects such as twigs stuck in their ears.
Those lovely large floppy ears can also get hot and heavy, trapping moisture inside the ear canal. Watch out for your Golden Irish shaking its head from side to side or pawing at its ear; the ear might give off an unpleasant smell, too.
Read more on how to clean a dog’s ears here.
Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV)
GDV is a potentially life-threatening health condition. It can start when the stomach fills with gas, but it becomes a major problem if that progresses into a situation when the stomach rotates from its normal position, effectively flipping over. It can cause the stomach to balloon. It’s a serious issue, and needs immediate action — surgery — to resolve. GDV is sometimes known as Bloat.
GDV can be caused by a number of things — eating large meals too quickly is one, as is anxiety; it’s thought that a dog suffering from stress is more at risk than a relaxed pup.
Vets advise not feeding one main meal a day — a hungry dog is more likely to bolt down its dinner. Large, deep-chested breeds are more likely to experience GDV, and the Irish Setter is listed as one of those.
A Wag! Wellness Plan can cover many of your dog’s routine vet appointments and annual boosters. Choose from three plans, with optional add-ons like grooming and flea and tick treatment available.
What to feed an Irish Setter Golden Retriever mix
The correct type of diet is always important, regardless of breed — what you feed your pup has a huge say in terms of health, stool quality, growth and more. There’s so many dog food recipes available that it’s almost overwhelming — dry dog food, wet dog food, grain-free, raw — and it can be difficult to know what’s best.
We’d always recommend asking your vet for advice, but also looking for breed and age specific dog food. Don’t feed a large dog like a Golden Irish a recipe formulated for small breeds, and don’t feed a Golden Irish puppy adult food.
Generally, a Golden Irish needs a dog food made with the best quality ingredients available and, because they’re an active breed, recipes need to be relatively high in protein to provide some of the energy they’ll inevitably burn off during the day.
Read our guide to choosing the best dog food for your dog here. You might also find our recommendations for the Best Dog Food for Golden Retrievers useful.
For detailed ingredient analysis of major dog food brands, visit our partner website, Dog Food Advisor.
