If
a golden retriever gives birth, gets stung by a bee or sprayed by a skunk,
veterinarians want to know.
Scientists
are studying the popular breed to find out why their lifespans have gotten
shorter over the years and why cancer is so prevalent.
The
Colorado-based Morris Animal Foundation recently got the first lifetime study
of 3,000 purebred golden retrievers up and running after signing up the first
dogs in 2012. The nonprofit says the review of health conditions and
environmental factors facing golden retrievers across the U.S. can help other
breeds and even people, because humans carry 95 percent of the same DNA.
"Canine
cancer has become a dog owner's greatest fear," said Dr. David Haworth,
president and CEO of the foundation, which invested $25 million in the study.
"You don't see dogs running loose that much anymore, we don't see a lot of
infectious diseases, and the vaccines we have today are very good, so our
concerns are warranted."
The
vets haven't learned enough yet to improve or prolong the retrievers' lives,
but key factors could lie anywhere, said Dr. Michael Lappin, who has 19
patients from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, in the study. When he graduated from
veterinary school in 1972, golden retrievers lived 16 or 17 years. Today, it's
nine or 10 years.
Golden
retrievers die of bone cancer, lymphoma and a cancer of the blood vessels more
than any other breed in the country.
Lappin
plans to get his families together in a few months to see if they have found
ways to make life easier for their dogs, especially because the most helpful
data about cancer, obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions won't emerge
for six or seven years, researchers say.
Early
exams showed 33 percent of the dogs, which are 1 to 5 years old, had skin
disease or ear infections; 17 percent had gastrointestinal illnesses; and 11
percent had urinary disease.
The
dogs get medication to treat the conditions, but vets can't treat them
differently because it would skew the results, Lappin said.
Marla
Yetka of Denver says her nearly 2-year-old golden retriever, Snickers, joined
the study and has been suffering from skin problems. Yetka uses oatmeal shampoo
on her pet, but she's looking forward to talking with other participants about
their remedies.
"I
have too many friends who have lost goldens," she said. "Is it what
we are feeding them, their environments, their breeding?"
Pet
owners keep tabs on everything, from a move across country or across town, a
change in climate or time zone, new children at home, different food or
behavioral changes. Most keep journals so they don't constantly call the vets
when their dog gets a thorn in its foot, eats a spider or devours a bunch of
bologna if it tears into the groceries.
The
vets collect blood, waste, and hair and nail samples annually to test if the
dogs get sick, hoping to uncover a common thread or early warning sign among
dogs that develop cancer or other diseases.
Doctors
also check for changes in temperature, blood pressure, energy, diet, sleeping
patterns or other factors that could explain illnesses.
"Everyone
involved will feel the burden it will take to be able to say, 'I am playing a
role in stopping cancer in these animals I love,'" Haworth said.
So
far, seven golden retrievers have died of conditions such as cancer and
gastrointestinal problems, and one was hit by a car, Haworth said. Another
dropped out when its owner died. The dogs come from every state; about half are
male and half are female; and half are fixed and half are not.
Those
who brought dogs into the study, including both veterinarians, hope golden
retrievers get a shot at the longer life they used to enjoy.
"I'm
glad I found the study and feel in some small way, I might make a
difference," Yetka said.
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