Golden Retriever and cancer

Discussion dedicated to promoting the well-being of your dog through diet, exercise and general health tips.

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
ZaraD
Posts: 577
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 10:06 am
Location: Staffordshire, UK

Golden Retriever and cancer

Post by ZaraD »

Hi All

after further talks with my mom and spending sometime with the rough collies in the flesh me and my mom actually still feel more happy with a golden retriever first and then maybe in the future a rough collie could be our second dog. its just both me and mom really have fallen in love with the golden before i fostered the rough collie lexi.

anyway the one thing that worries me about the golden is that they get cancer more than most breeds and now my mom is worried that we might loose one young?

i guess im just looking for advice on the matter and what you would do and is there any proof that not neutering the dog will give it a longer life?

and are they that badly affected that i should not choose one and thats what worries me as were settled on the Golden?
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: Golden Retriever and cancer

Post by Shalista »

I don't know alot about goldens specifically but i do know that alot of breeds (particularly the 'popular' ones) have health problems that are more common than in other breeds. That doesn't mean that you wont get a long and amazing life out of them, it just means the odds are slightly stacked in that favor.

Look at it like adopting a senior dog. its the quality of life over the quantity. if this is your heart breed you get it even if it might pass a little sooner KNOWING FULL WELL that it might not. especially if your very conscious of your pets health and regularly take it to the vet for check ups or if anything is off.

i think the increased odds of cancer might be something to be aware of, and of course it IS possible they might die young, but i dont think that should stop you from adopting your heart breed. if you choose the rough collie instead it might run into traffic when its 2, get hit by a car, and die. you literally never know.
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: Golden Retriever and cancer

Post by JudyN »

Beware of falling into statistical traps: a high rate of deaths due to cancer in GRs could be because they don't die of other things first, and an increasing rate could be down to better diagnosis showing that cancer was the cause of death whereas decades ago it would have been put down to 'old age'.

However, it does seem to be widely acknowledged that they are prone to cancers compared to other breeds (this may be more the case in the US, where the studies have been done, than with UK strains but I don't know if this is the case). All you can do is look at their expected longevity, and maybe rates of early death (e.g. before the age of eight). It may be that a GR's risk of death from cancer is similar to other breeds until it gets to 10 or over, which may have a bearing on your decision.

Bear in mind that some breeds, such as deerhounds, only tend to have short lives but owners generally accept that as their expected lifespan.

You could discuss the risks with breeders you are considering - I dare say a good breeder would want to keep track of how long their pups live for and what they die from, and if they find that pups from one line tend to develop cancer early, would want to stop breeding from that line. But it's a difficult one, as susceptibility in the parents isn't likely to show until they are past the breeding age anyway. (And I'm not sure to what extent I'd trust a breeder to keep track of the pups and make hard decisions about an otherwise succesful breeding line.)
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
User avatar
Nettle
Posts: 10753
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Golden Retriever and cancer

Post by Nettle »

If a breeder has old dogs past breeding and showing and kept just because, that is a good sign.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Suzette
Posts: 1518
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:45 am

Re: Golden Retriever and cancer

Post by Suzette »

Honestly, every single breed has its pros and cons (health-wise and other wise). If a golden is what you want, just go for it and enjoy every minute you have with him/her whether that is five years or fifteen years. :) Let go of what could happen or go wrong, you have no control over that anyway, no matter what breed you choose. I commend you for being thorough in your search for a dog, but at the same time, we can begin to over think things if we let ourselves. :wink:
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
Post Reply