# Cancer when they are old?



## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Any dog can get cancer at any age. There are some forum members who lost their goldens to cancer at a young age, but my experience says it is more common in older dogs. How dogs (or people) get cancer and why are big unknowns. Hemangiosarcoma seems to be one of the most common cancers, but I know of goldens who have had osteosarcoma, lymphoma and many other types of cancer. There is no way to predict which dogs will get cancer. Only one of my 5 goldens has had cancer, but cancer is the leading cause of death among goldens. One study says that cancer accounts for 60% of golden retriever deaths.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

A dog can get cancer at almost any age. When I am researching a pedigree, I am not nearly as concerned with cancer in Goldens 10 or over, as I am with cancer in younger dogs. As dogs (and people) age, something is going to eventually happen, cells are going to break down, and often what happens is cancer. 

And cancer is not only in Goldens, it is in all breeds and mixed breeds, and people. While I think there is some evidence for familial over representation of some types of cancer, I also think that a fair amount of cancer is environmental as well-lawn chemicals, over vaccination, etc.-and/or a combination of an underlying prediliction and environmental exposure


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I agree, it's more of a concern when it's happening to younger dogs, because it tends to be passed on to the next generation. Goldens seem to get more cancer than other breeds, and some lines carry more of it than others. If you are looking at breeders it's certainly something to ask, how old are the past generations of the litter - if there seems to be a lot of dogs who didn't live that long....

That being said, environment plays a big part as well. Never an easy answer!

Lana


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## LilxE07 (Apr 12, 2010)

omg i feel so bad right now 
i always wanted a golden but because of them having 70% cancer rate im trying to find another breed
maybe labrador


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

As the others have mentioned, cancer runs in all breeds and mixes, labs included. In fact my neighbor just lost her 12 year old chocolate lab to lymphoma. I wouldn't let the fear of cancer keep myself away from all the years of joy the dogs bring you over the years. In our case, two of our goldens developed hemangiosarcoma. Beau was diagnosed at 13 years 6 months. Barkley was diagnosed at 12 years 9 months and was able to get through chemotherapy with few issues only to develop nosebleeds due to the extremely high pollens we have now. Yesterday he was diagnosed with an unrelated to cancer ACL tear in his knee. Even though both of these dogs got hemangiosarcoma I have enjoyed many many years of happiness and love because they were part of my family. It's heartbreaking to face losing them, be it from cancer or from other causes such as old age. The heartbreak is still the same.


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## Retrievers Rock (Apr 4, 2010)

LilxE07 said:


> omg i feel so bad right now
> i always wanted a golden but because of them having 70% cancer rate im trying to find another breed
> maybe labrador


I was going to say... but someone beat me to it, this isn't the breed to turn to, if you're scared of cancer. There are several breeds that just seem to be more predisposed to developing it.

This website has a lot of good info: http://landofpuregold.com/home.html

My first Golden was diagnosed with Mast Cell Cancer at the age of seven. The tumor was removed with clean margins and I thought we were home free. At 8 1/2 she was diagnosed with Lymphoma. She had a tumor on her spleen and on her liver. I lost her less than two weeks later.

I also have a Chocolate Lab. I purchased the Lab, after Chloe was first diagnosed, knowing full well that Labs are also 'one of those breeds'. Even after losing Chloe, I now have a ten week old Golden.

Knowing what I know, I would have a Retriever in my life, until the day I died, if I could. The two breeds are just that special to me. I would rather have the love and deal with the heartbreak of loss, than never know it at all.

All dogs are going to pass away from something. True, cancer can particularly heartbreaking, not to mention expensive and time-consuming to treat. All you can do, is research the breed like you're doing, and make the best decision for you.

ETA: I also lost a Beagle to Hemangiosarcoma, so it's definitely not a breed-specific disease. You really never know.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

It's very hard to say to what degree Goldens get more cancer because of genetic issues within the breed and to what extent Goldens are getting disproportionately diagnosed or not dying from other issues before they have the chance to get cancer in their old age.

Goldens' actual longevity numbers are indistinguishable from other similarly sized dogs. In some surveys, they actually seem to live slightly longer on the whole than other similarly-sized breeds (though I don't think the statistical data is conclusive). People see that 60+% of Goldens will eventually get cancer, and that may scare them away (which is fine), but it's not a big picture view of canine longevity.

More Goldens are family dogs per capita than most other breeds, and Goldens are more likely to belong to families with enough money to get the dogs to old age and to diagnose cancers (rather than euthanizing without finding out). Both of those factors are going to push up Goldens' cancer statistics relative to other breeds, but they don't mean Goldens are actually riskier dogs or dogs who are more likely to die young. 

It may be that Goldens are more prone to hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma than other breeds, and all medium/large/giant breed dogs are more prone to osteosarcoma than slower-growing, smaller dogs.

However, it's very clear that buying a well-bred Golden is just as good (or better) a bet on overall longevity as any other breed, and in many ways, a well-bred Golden is a better health bet than the majority of other breeds.

And on the age issue, cancer gets more and more likely as dogs (and people) get older, for a myriad of reasons, including changes in the immune system and other age-mediated factors. That doesn't mean you can't lose a dog in his prime to it, as many of us have, but the likelihood before 9 is far, far lower than it is by 11 or 12.


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## LilxE07 (Apr 12, 2010)

tippykayak said:


> It's very hard to say to what degree Goldens get more cancer because of genetic issues within the breed and to what extent Goldens are getting disproportionately diagnosed or not dying from other issues before they have the chance to get cancer in their old age.
> 
> Goldens' actual longevity numbers are indistinguishable from other similarly sized dogs. In some surveys, they actually seem to live slightly longer on the whole than other similarly-sized breeds (though I don't think the statistical data is conclusive). People see that 60+% of Goldens will eventually get cancer, and that may scare them away (which is fine), but it's not a big picture view of canine longevity.
> 
> ...


you explained everything greatly i will talk to my family today i guess my buddy will still be a golden


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

LilxE07 said:


> you explained everything greatly i will talk to my family today i guess my buddy will still be a golden


Well, I'm a little biased. There may be real reasons to be concerned about elevated cancer risks in Goldens. I tend to read the stats with a bias in favor of the breed I love, so when I see something that's not conclusive but indicates a reason for concern, the fact that it's inconclusive is what sticks in my mind.

So I tend to look for reasons to doubt the elevated cancer risk, and the longevity surveys stand out to me, since they don't indicate that the breed is shorter-lived than other, comparable medium/large dogs, and they do consistently show that it's longer-lived than some comparable dogs with known non-cancer issues.

I just wanted to be honest about my bias. I'm glad you're sticking with Goldens.


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