Golden Retriever

dturm wrote:
The following is an interesting article from Johns Hopkins.

Basically they did a statistical study and concluded that 2/3 of cancers were "bad luck" related to the length of life and the other 1/3 other contributing causes like genetics, environment, diet, etc.

I too have noticed that Goldens are more prone to cancer now than 30 years ago. We've had 5, two made it to 15+, one to 12, one to 10 and Jill is approaching 13 and healthy. I think expected the life span is closer to 10 than 7.

Maybe we need to add a few flat coated retrievers and water spaniels into the gene pool and mix European gene pool with American.

Doug, DVM

Very interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

You are so right about the European pure bred gene pool. Their breeds are far different then ours and are way longer lived than America. And surprisingly also in the Giant Breeds.

With 'extensive' genetics testing many have been imported and are being introduced to the American Breed for just that reason.

They claim the dog food is essentially the same in Europe but there are 2 glaring differences in the European Dogs.

1. biggest difference between how dogs in Europe are raised versus dogs in the U.S. is, Europe doesn't spay or neuter at nearly the rate we do in North America.....sterilization seems to have a significant impact on both the endocrine and immune systems of dogs


2. European dogs do receive fewer vaccinations. Rabies has been essentially eradicated in Western Europe, so dogs that don't travel aren't required to get rabies vaccines. This probably provides them some protection from vaccine-related illness, especially since the rabies vaccine with its aluminum-containing adjuvant, is one of the more troublesome vaccines administered to dogs.