From The Wall Street Journal:
Cancer is all too common in dogs, especially golden retrievers: 60% of them die of it, more than twice the average rate for all breeds. That includes lymphoma, a cancer of the white blood cells; osteosarcoma, a cancer of the bones, and hemangiosarcoma, a particularly nasty cancer of the cells that line the blood vessels whose first symptom may be sudden death.
"A dog can be literally chasing a ball in the backyard, come in for a drink of water and collapse and be dead within minutes," says Rhonda Hovan, research facilitator for the Golden Retriever Club of America.
While it's tempting to see cancer as the Curse of the Golden Retriever, all breeds have their health scourges. Bulldogs have respiratory problems; dachshunds have back issues; Labrador retrievers have heart disease and diabetes and even with a much lower rate of cancer, die at roughly the same age as goldens.
... All purebred dogs are essentially inbred. And the genes become more concentrated with each generation, because most pet dogs aren't bred and breeders select only a few dogs with the most desirable traits to reproduce.
"It's possible that some trait that we desire in goldens is linked to something that puts them at risk for cancer. We just don't know what it is," says Ms. Hovan, who has also bred goldens in Akron, Ohio, for the past 30 years.
A couple of bits here: The American numbers seem to be quite a bit higher than the U.K. numbers, where just under 40% of Golden's die of cancer, not 60%.
The second bit is the notion that "all breeds have their health sourges" is nonsense. Not true.
Some breeds of dogs are famously healthy, while some breeds are notoriously unhealthy. For example, the Border Terrier is a very solid and healthy dog that lives, on average, to age 14, while Bull Terriers are dead, on average, between the age of 6 and 7.
Does that mean that any dog lives forever? Of course not. But the idea that it's a "pick your poison" kind of situation, or that all decisions are equal is patent nonsense.
You want to pick a healthy breed? Here's a simple set of tips that will save you money, time and grief in the long run.
.
The second bit is the notion that "all breeds have their health sourges" is nonsense. Not true.
Some breeds of dogs are famously healthy, while some breeds are notoriously unhealthy. For example, the Border Terrier is a very solid and healthy dog that lives, on average, to age 14, while Bull Terriers are dead, on average, between the age of 6 and 7.
Does that mean that any dog lives forever? Of course not. But the idea that it's a "pick your poison" kind of situation, or that all decisions are equal is patent nonsense.
You want to pick a healthy breed? Here's a simple set of tips that will save you money, time and grief in the long run.
.
4 comments:
Oh, how I wish the WSJ's numbers were wrong. As a longtime golden retriever breeder, I have been emotionally devastated by the rise in cancer in my breed. When I saw your comment that only 40% of goldens were dying of cancer rather than the 60% that the WSJ reported, I decided to recheck the numbers from our 1998-9 Health Survey.
Sadly, the WSJ is correct. The actual number is about 62% of goldens in the survey died of cancer, and that's if you don't include mast cell in that total (and if things haven't gotten worse in the last 10 years). I would be thrilled if you were right although it's hard to grasp that 40% would be a victory.
I really liked your 10 tips on avoiding dogs with problems and will share them with those I know who are looking for a family dog.
Alas, I'm hooked on goldens and am determined to try to reverse the trend in their health, temperament and appearance. One of the worst things that have happened to goldens is their label as the "ideal family dog." That may have been true 50 years ago when many families still included hunters and dogs had more freedom in their days to roam, play, hunt, etc.
But I digress. I wanted to tell you and your readers about a program I've proposed to attempt to reverse the effect of cancer on the breed. Since cancer cures appear to be decades away, I'm approaching this as a breeding issue so am asking breeders to quit linebreeding, select for longevity, and broaden the gene pool. You can read more about the program here http://gaylansgoldens.blogspot.com/2010/04/reversing-trend-proposing-rule-of-6s.html.
I'm looking for comments and suggestions so if anyone has ideas, please post them on my blog.
I start my day with your blog and truly enjoy it! Thanks, Gayle
Just found the health survey here >>
http://www.goldenretrieverfoundation.org/insidepagesdata/healthsurvey/GRCA%20Health%20Survey.pdf
The numbers ARE indeed sobering.
Will change the post to reflect this. MUCH THANKS!
Patrick
Our first dog was a golden retriever, who suffered an alopecia similar to the one of the dog in the photo. Incidentally, it's untreatable and just looks horrible. Don't get me wrong, this dog was obviously neglected, but if I had a dollar for every person who shot me a stink eye while I walked my half bald golden around town... well, lets just say I'd have a lot of dollars. Although probably still not enough to cover what we spent trying to diagnose and cure his alopecia... go figure.
However, this experience (our golden, by the age of two, was diagnosed with epilepsy, hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia and auto immune based anemia) taught us some serious life lessons not only about dog care, but also choice.
We now have three cattle dog mix females, and we're much more confident with these girls than we ever were with our Golden, health wise.
I should also mention that it took a year to choose our golden breeder. We were very careful to avoid any exaggeration, to choose from field and working lines, and to view health clearances from not only mother/father, but grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives. And we still got a time bomb.
Well done Gayle - I'd certainly be interested in learning more about your initiative. Here is part of the reply I posted to the WSJ which touches on this:
I disagree with Rhonda Haven when she says "we have no breeding tools at this time that seem to make any difference in the rate of cancer in goldens." It is true that all goldens descend from the same foundation stock the world over (and, indeed, they descend from flatcoats which also have a very high rate of cancer - albeit a different one). It is certainly possible that this is the source of cancer in the breed but it may not be because they have inherited specific cancer genes; rather that it is due to the inbreeding itself - about which breeders *could* do something.
Melinda Beck writes: "Are mutts and crossbreeds less prone to cancer? Not necessarily, several experts say". But a recent Italian study found that purebred dogs are - on average - *twice* as likely to develop cancer as their more muttish cousins and there is good evidence that inbreeding - in and of itself - leads to impaired immune systems, less capable of fighting cancer [and indeed other immune mediated problems undoubtedly relevant to goldens]. A possible solution, therefore, lies in outcrossing - both to different geographical populations (there are fewer reports of cancer in UK goldies for instance) and to different breeds. The latter is an anathema to breed purists, but it has been, and can be, done to import valuable traits and health-giving diversity. Indeed, occasional outcrossing to other breeds was all part of the dog breeder's armoury in the past and breed gene pools were not always 'closed'. After the second world war, flatcoats were crossed with labradors to boost numbers, with long-haired progeny registered as flatcoats and short-haired as labradors. More recently, Dr Bruce Cattanach crossed a boxer with a Pembroke Corgi to produce a naturally-bobtailed boxer (to circumvent the UK tail-docking ban).. He was back to "type" within four generations and his bobtail boxers are now registered by the UK Kennel Club. Earlier this year, the UK Kennel Club also approved the registration of dalmatains crossed with a pointer to rid the breed of a problem with high uric acid levels (a wonderful US initiatve which, unfortunately, the Dalmatian Club of America has refused to embrace).
Jemima Harrison
Pedigree Dogs Exposed
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