Mikarrie's Goldens of Arkansas

09/15/2026

Please read this, it could be the reason you catch this before it's too late.

Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer that starts in the blood vessels, most often in the spleen, and goldens get it more than almost any other breed. It has a reputation for striking "with no warning", but that's not fully true, the warning signs are real, they're just brief and easy to write off.

Here's what to actually watch for: short episodes of weakness or wobbliness that pass on their own within minutes (a tiny internal bleed the body reabsorbs), gums that look pale instead of bubblegum pink, and panting or tiring faster than normal even when it's not hot out and they haven't exercised hard. Any one of these alone might be nothing, but a pattern of them is exactly what this cancer looks like before it becomes an emergency.

Two things you can actually check at home: press a finger on your golden's gums, color should return in under 2 seconds, and learn their normal resting breathing rate while they're calm or asleep, so you'd notice if it crept up. Neither costs anything and both are worth doing this month.

What to actually do: if your golden is 7 or older, or you've noticed any of these, ask your vet about a yearly abdominal ultrasound. It's diagnosed with bloodwork, that ultrasound, and confirmed during surgery if a mass is found. Treatment is emergency surgery followed by chemo, and catching it before a rupture genuinely changes the odds.

Book that screening at your next checkup.

09/14/2026

Please read this, a lump check takes five minutes and could matter.

Mast cell tumors are the most common skin cancer in dogs, and goldens are one of the breeds most prone to them.

The tricky part: they don't look scary, often just a soft bump that seems to shrink and grow again. Diagnosis is a fine needle aspirate, a quick, painless sample checked under a microscope, which grades how aggressive it is and whether further staging is needed.

What to actually do: any new lump, however harmless it looks, gets a needle sample at your next vet visit. Low-grade tumors are often cured with surgery alone, higher grades may need chemo or radiation too, but you only know which one you're dealing with after the grading.

Do a full-body lump check on your golden this weekend.

09/14/2026

Next litter news! We should have a litter of puppies in early November to go home for Christmas! Miss Willow is a small golden who has small litters, so if you are interested please let us know ASAP so we can add you to the waiting list. Her first litter wirh Sam was pretty spectacular!

09/09/2026

Good information. I have 8 golden goofballs that I adore, and losing Tucker Budzyn still has my heart hurting. Love your goofballs and keep educating yourselves. Love to all.

This week, golden retriever owners everywhere are talking about lymphoma, because of Tucker Budzyn.

Tucker was a golden retriever with over 11 million followers. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in late August, responded well to chemo at first, and then the cancer perforated his intestine days later. He was 8.

Lymphoma is cancer of the lymph nodes, and it's the single most common cancer diagnosis in dogs. It's usually confirmed in three steps: bloodwork, imaging to see how far it's spread, then a needle biopsy to confirm it under a microscope. The earliest outward sign is a painless swollen lump, most often under the jaw, in front of the shoulders, or behind the knees.

What to actually do: run your hands over your golden's neck, jaw, and behind the knees once a month. If you feel a new firm lump, get it biopsied within the week. If it is lymphoma, chemo protocols put many dogs into remission for months to years, this is not automatically a death sentence caught early.

Save this and do the check this weekend. Rest easy, Tucker.

07/25/2026

How are these girls still here? They are absolutely gorgeous 😍. They are very smart and love to cuddle. They have had 3 rounds of shots, rabies, dewormer and lots of love. They both have excellent temperament.

07/21/2026

We got a visit from our Lifeline Service dog superstar, Bailey! She is so beautiful! Miss Bailey is a Seneca Falkor pup, and is a half sister to Sam, Scarlett, Willow and the last two puppies we currently have.

07/21/2026

Always a good reminder to train children to respect animals as well as the animals to be gentle wirh.chikdren.

07/14/2026

We still have two sweet girls! One girl is a little lighter and has a more narrow face. The other is more gold with a more blocky head. They are 13 weeks old, have had 3 rounds of vaccines, rabies vaccine, have been dewormed and vet checked. Videos of each one are in the comments.