I thought that Lilly's limping was due to "growing"........I waited until she was 1 1/2 years old to have her seen by my vet for her constant limping. Turns out, that the poor girl was suffering from a mild case of Hip Dysplasia. He put her on some pain relief, and told me to get some weight off of her, which has been a constant battle, but, the good news is that Lilly hasn't limped since she lost about 15 pounds. She is a couch potato and I really, really have to watch her food intake. She will eat anything available.

She takes Glucosamine/Chondrointin supplements, eats good food (Innova Senior...although she is only 3 years old) and exercises regularly at my insistence. If it were up to Lilly, she would never get off the couch and would use a litter box!
LOL!!! I'm so glad her condition doesn't require surgery at this time, but it is always out there as she gets older.

Best of luck to you and your pup. This is a huge issue with a lot of Goldens, mine included. Honey has no Hip problems, but she now has arthritis, and is only 3 1/2 years old. It seems that it is always something.

Logan