Labrador Retriever Forum
Hi! I just discovered this forum.
I have had 5 Golden Retrievers over the last 29 years. 4 of the 5 died prematurely from cancer. I lost my last boy on Sept 30th - he was my best friend and a devoted companion. Reserach shows that Goldens life span is down to 10 1/2 years with 63% dying of cancer. As much as I love Goldens, I am strongly considering a Lab. From what I have read so far, Labs are susceptible to cancer, especially Mast Cell, but it doesn't appear to be at epidemic levels like it is in Goldens.
What can you tell me about cancer in Labs? I don't think research had been done like it has been done for Goldens hopefully because there hasn't been a need.
Thanks.
I just saw and read the June 08 thread on this subject. It was helpful but I still would appreciate additional input. Thanks again.
I am sorry for you losses. All I can tell you is that I've had no incidence in cancer in my dogs so far, granted I don't have a lot of old ones. I have a 13 1/2 year old with benign tumors on her (pet-bred bitch), an almost-11-year old doing great, no health issues, and her 8+-year old daughter who hasn't slowed down yet. So far I haven't had any reports from puppy buyers either of cancer.
So yes, I have heard of cancer issues with Labs, but it doesn't appear to be nearly as prevalent as it sounds like it is with Goldens.
It seems that lymphoma is more prevalent in Labs than mast cell cancer is.
Just an aside based on no research at all....
In the couple of dogs from my breeding program who have had Lymphoma, they were raised in wealthy neighborhoods. I think these neighborhoods are using lawn chemicals.
I, myself, have what is called a "Freedom Lawn" . . . weeds that are mowed down to create a lawn. I have had no cancer in my own dogs.
I would love to see a study of the effects of lawn chemicals on the health of dogs ( and kids for that matter).
John, I am sorry your Golden experience has been so sad. A long lifespan with good general health is a high priority for anyone seeking a family dog. There are "pockets" of research being done on various cancers at different vet schools or research centers around the world. Unfortunately, they are not tied together so that one can benefit from the work of others. That makes gathering statistics very difficult. The GRCA has worked toward collecting this sort of data into their health database. It is not perfect, but seems to have the support of many Golden owners and breeders so that information is shared about these problems.
As a breed, Labradors MAY have a predisposition to certain cancers or other life-shortening conditions that need more research or attention. Frankly, we just don't know because there has never been a central repository for health information. Three years ago when LabraData was started, my primary goal was to help build a database that collected all types of information about the most popular breed in the world - including health issues. The vision the board shared was to see LabraData grow into a useful reference and research database for owners, breeders and researchers.
Toward this goal, a specific type of record is used for reporting health information so it can be categorized and tabulated. Unlike most of the document-driven data in other records, the owner can enter health information as an anecdotal report. If there is documentation to enrich the report, that can also be uploaded. One of the most important health records is for reporting a dog's death. If it was due to illness, that information is valuable to assess at what age and for what reasons we lose our wonderful breed. It is one of the ways we can make important decisions about breeding and - more importantly - the areas we may need to support with research and donations.
We have been very disappointed at that most users have not entered any health records for their dogs. Quite a few of the dogs in the database are marked as deceased, but only a handful have a health record to document the underlying cause of death. I read on the various forums about one health challenge or another an owner is facing with their dog.... but the information on diagnosis and treatment has not been entered into the database for others to share. This is just ONE big step all of us can take to learn more about our breed and help others who may need that information in the future.
I appreciate that many may just see LabraData as a place to brag-up a dog or display accomplishments. That appeals to an owner's ego, but was never the mission for the database. Those of us who envisioned this project shared a common goal of making it a place where owner, competitor, breeder and researcher alike could store and find information to make our dogs' lives healthier, longer and more rewarding. It is designed to be a living history of the breed and a tool for enriching the lives and the future of the breed. All it needs to reach those goals is participation.
The article posted a few threads down talked about the link between sterilization and osteosarcoma (i.e. bone cancer): "Spayed and neutered animals are twice as likely to develop this cancer. Those spayed or castrated before their first birthdays had a roughly 1 in 4 lifetime risk for osteosarcoma and were significantly more likely to develop a tumor than intact dogs."
I have several friends who have Goldens. In recent years they have gone to Canada for pups. It appears the European dogs that prevail up there do not suffer from the problems currently occurring in the American Goldens.
This is true. European Goldens (commonly referred to as English Goldens) still have a life expectancy of 13+ years and the % dying from cancer is less than 40%. The problem is that most English Goldens are cream colored American Goldens. I have only found one breeder whose dogs come directly and exclusively from European stock.
Hi-
I had a golden years ago (the 70's)who developed mast cell at the age of 13 - she did live to be 17. My dads labs never had any cancer and most of them lived to 13-16 years. I just lost his last dog at 11. He was put to sleep due to failing health - indeterminant causes but no cancer that we could find anywhere and we did check everything. I find this post really interesting, however. Hmmmm
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Hi John,
I have had several Labradors through the years from many "reputable breeders" and friends who own labs and yes "cancer" is very much on the rise as is with Goldens. Several Vets agree on the rise in cancer in Labs nobody is sure what is the cause. One can speculate about lawn chemicals, certain dog foods, floor cleaner, etc, etc. Good luck with your search on your new Best friend.
John,
I also had a golden who at 5 yrs old died of cancer. I then changed to labs. My yellow lab who at 10 yrs. had to be put down because of cancer. I also have a 13yr old black lab who has cancer and has had it for 3 yrs. All of these dogs were purchased from back yard breeders. When I look back at their lines and other things, I realize they didn't know a whole lot. I don't know if that is it or not. I now have a almost 1yr old lab that I purchased from a wonderful breeder who really works hard at producing healthy and well balanced dogs. That doesn't mean they won't get cancer, but I think that finding a breeder who does their homework and is up on the lastest research helps.
I have always purchased my Goldens from top breeders which I think is a major part of the problem. Goldrush Kennels became the major Golden breeder back in the seventies with Charlie who won Westminster BIB in 73 & 74 (could be off a year). Charlie is the all-time top award wining Golden. The demand for Goldrush dogs was huge and,IMHO, Goldrush became the epicenter of Golden Retriever cancer. More recently, Sunshine National Cowboy, who was loaded with Charlie & other Goldrush blood, was hugely popular and bred indiscriminately hundreds of times before he was two (admittedly heresay). Cowboy grew up right around the corner. One of my Goldens was Cowboy's grandson and also had alot of Goldrush. He died at 2 1/2 from osteosarcoma. My vet said you can almost guarantee that any Golden with Sunshine in his/her name will get lymphoma.
PS The GRCA Health study did not show any connection between hemangiosarcoma and use of lawn chemicals (hemangiosarcoma is the #1 offender killing 1 of 5).
John, if you email me privately, I have some good articles on cancer that I can send you. I think they may help you a great deal.
John,
I agree! Just because a breeder has all the titles and may be a top producer of champions in that breed doesn't mean thats all we should be looking for. Thats why I like the breeder I got my puppy from. She takes the health of her dogs and puppies extremely seriously!! When she does a breeding she goes through the lines very closely. She has passed up some top dogs because of potential health issues.
I believe that things in our environment also have something to do with it too! Our dogs are exposed to so many things.
Cancer, in young dogs, is prevalent in this breed as well. Bone cancer, lymphomas, mast cell. I am sure it is NOT a recorded percent, but there have been some "noted" Labradors having cancer or having offspring with cancer. It has affected me, here, and upon delving furthur, it was something kept quiet by breeders. All the dogs I personally know affected were out of "noted" dogs,kennels and bloodlines.
Hi everyone: The sad truth is that Labradors are subject to many serious health problems such as, joint problems, eye diseases, heart disease to different forms of cancer, most common in Labradors being Mast Cell.
I love this breed so much!! Please Breeders keep up the good work on testing and research. Our beloved Labs deserve no less.
Hi John,
I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost 1 Lab to hemangioscarcoma of the uterine stump and 1 Lab to osteosarcoma of the humerus. Neither were very young dogs(10 and 13 years), but sad and tragic nonetheless.I also had English Springers at the same time and lost 3 of them to uncommon cancers. After alot of digging and research, it turns that the house was built on a reclaimed landfill. When I became ill with a rare autoimmune disease, the pieces began falling into place. Environmental factors are a contributor to the genetic mutations that precede cancer. All of this may not be completely the breed incidence, but perhaps the environmental factors in combination with a predispostion have increased the incidence of cancer in our critters.Just a thought.
Best to you
Lisa M
