Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cancer death and age in golden retrievers from 1989-2016 study
By Kent, Michael S et al.·Published in PloS one·2018·Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of cancer-related mortality, age and gonadectomy in golden retriever dogs at a veterinary academic center (1989-2016).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that many golden retrievers are at a higher risk of dying from cancer, with about 65% of those examined having cancer as the cause of death. The average age at death for these dogs was around 9 years, and the most common types of cancer were hemangiosarcoma and lymphoid neoplasia. Interestingly, spaying or neutering did not significantly affect the risk of dying from cancer, but older age did increase the risk. This suggests that while golden retrievers are prone to cancer, their reproductive status may not play a major role in their overall cancer risk.
People also search for: golden retriever cancer risk · spaying effects on dog health · hemangiosarcoma in dogs · golden retriever lifespan · dog cancer symptoms
Abstract
Golden retriever dogs have been reported to have an increased prevalence of cancer compared to other breeds. There is also controversy over the effect spay or neuter status might have on longevity and the risk for developing cancer. The electronic medical records system at an academic center was searched for all dogs who had a necropsy exam from 1989-2016. 9,677 canine necropsy examinations were completed of which 655 were golden retrievers. Age was known for 652 with a median age of death 9.15 years. 424 of the 652 (65.0%) were determined to have died because of cancer. The median age for dying of a cause other than cancer was 6.93 years while those dying of cancer had a median age of 9.83 years (p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of intact males and castrated males dying of cancer (p = 0.43) but a greater proportion of spayed females died of cancer compared to intact females (p = 0.001). Intact female dogs had shorter life spans than spayed female dogs (p<0.0001), but there were no differences between intact and castrated males. Intriguingly, being spayed or neutered did not affect the risk of a cancer related death but increasing age did. The most common histologic diagnosis found in golden retrievers dying of cancer was hemangiosarcoma (22.64%) followed by lymphoid neoplasia (18.40%). Overall golden retriever dogs have a substantial risk of cancer related mortality in a referral population and age appears to have a larger effect on cancer related mortality than reproductive status.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29408871/