# how to find a breeder with longevity. no inbreeding, and golden temperment



## MissmyChaba (Jun 23, 2015)

*avoiding inbreeding*

I'm looking for a breather that does really mostly avoid inbreeding and two breeds for temperament and longevity trying to avoid bring dogs I have cancer anywhere in their blood lines


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Go back far enough and any breeder will have cancers. 
Anyone who tells you different is not telling the truth.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

There is no Golden Retriever breeder that does not have cancer anywhere in their pedigrees. That's why the Morris Animal Foundation is currently doing a Lifetime Study of over 3000 Golden Retrievers, because 60% of goldens die of cancer and they're trying to figure out why, and hopefully find a way to reduce those numbers and find answers. Those that do not die of cancer may very well have siblings from the same litter that did.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

All lines have cancer. All animals can get cancer. If any breeder tells you they've never had cancer in their lines or produced by their dogs, either they are lying, or this is their first litter and the parents are two years old.


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## Goldens R Great (Aug 19, 2010)

Asoro's Goldens in Michigan does not linebreed: Asoro's Goldens.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

MissmyChaba said:


> I'm looking for a breather that does really mostly avoid inbreeding and two breeds for temperament and longevity trying to avoid bring dogs I have cancer anywhere in their blood lines


There are no purebred dogs of ANY breed that meet your criteria. All dogs, purebred or not, can develop Cancer.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Line-breeding on a healthy long-lived dog can be safer than outcrossing unhealthy dogs. If you want to try and really avoid line breeding, it might work best to look at specific litters rather than a breeder's entire program(?).


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## MissmyChaba (Jun 23, 2015)

*okay but...*

I agree, but some breeders post that once a line is found to have cancer in it, they do not rpeat the breeding in that line. I need to find a breeder that breeds for longevity as well as the golden attributes we all love.


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## MissmyChaba (Jun 23, 2015)

*also*

I heard that the English lines are less prone to cancer. My first dog ever, chaba , was a golden white coat, frm a breeder in NJ , um......golden grove kennels. and he died at 4!!!! even with treatment. So unfair. He barely lived. So I want another golden because its been ten years and they are my favorite. But I cannot go through that again so I want to find breeders and buyers that have good reputations for longevity and avoiding inbreeding


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## MissmyChaba (Jun 23, 2015)

*it used to be Clearances*

Clearances used to be the big thing. Now its will my dog get to live a full life. Hip dysplasia taking a back seat to cancer. Need to find a non irresponsible breeder. please help.


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## Eowyn (Aug 29, 2013)

K9-Design said:


> All lines have cancer. All animals can get cancer. If any breeder tells you they've never had cancer in their lines or produced by their dogs, either they are lying, or this is their first litter and the parents are two years old.


Or one year olds...


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

There is no such thing as avoiding cancer. When you get a golden the chances of them dying of cancer are high whether they live to be old or get it when they are young.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

I am so sorry for your loss. 
I don't know that you will find what your looking for in your many threads. The folks who have already responded are some of our most experienced posters. They are all going to say very similar things. There is no such thing as a Cancer free line, if someone says that they are either brand new or lying, run from someone who tells you the have Cancer free lines, etc. 

Ultimately it comes down to that all breeders are working with imperfect animals. Goldens have Cancer in the lines, ALL lines. If the breeders where to stop using all dogs with even a hint of Cancer in the lines there would be no more goldens. With 60% of Goldens getting Cancer, there will be a grandparent, cousin, aunt or uncle with it for every dog that does not get it. 

Good breeders are breeding a whole dog. Hips, elbows, eyes, heart, genetic tests, temperment, longevity, managing Cancer risks, bidability, drive, birdness, managing COIs, getting a particular looker style. These are some of the things a good breeder is managing when the breed because they are breeding a whole dog. It is daunting. I have not bred a litter yet and I have yet to settle on sire for my potential first litter. My second is going to be an extream outcross, something you have stated you are looking for, but I will tell you, that breeding is going to be the riskiest breeding I do. I have very little certainty of what I will get. 

I honestly don't think there is any breeder out their thinking to themselves, "Boy I am so excited, this litter is going to produce unheathly pups, with an almost guarantees risk of cnacer and they should all die young, I can't wait!"

Are their breeders who have priorities that do sometimes exacerbate the longevity and Cancer issues we see in our breed? Absolutely! When the focus soley on competition wins (any sport) or simply making puppies to sell as a marker of success, you certainly can see programs where dicisions are not as well rounded and thought out. 

So, my suggestion is find a breeder who is open, honest and frank about their health issues. One that can tell you how they are making thier decisions and can back it up with showing you a history of making pairings that focus on improving health and longevity. Look for a breeder who does something with their dogs as they will have seen more dogs, made connections with other breeders to learn what lurks behind the pedigrees. Competition is a great thing as long as breeding the next winning dog never trumps trying to breed a health dog.


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## Eowyn (Aug 29, 2013)

Responsible breeders will definitely still be doing clearances. You may say it takes a back seat, but I beg to differ. Hip dysplasia is an agonizing condition, and can create a life of pain. I would rather have a dog that lives a slightly shorter life but a healthier, happy, energetic life than a dog who lives a slightly longer life that is filled with pain, inabilities, and constant management. Now obviously my first choice is a health, long and full life! To disregard hip dysplasia because you are more worried about cancer is not a good idea. In fact the breeders that are clearances are going to be your breeders (for the most part) who are also trying to reduce and delay cancer in the breed. Anyone who isn't doing clearances yet claims to be trying to reduce/delay cancer in the breed is either lying through their teeth or very uneducated. 

Harborview goldens is in Pennsylvanie and they do their best to breed for longevity *and* do clearances.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Try to understand this..... ALL dogs can develop Cancer. 

There are no dogs or lines that are immune to it.

Breeders that tell you otherwise aren't being honest. Dogs/lines imported from Europe are just as likely to develop Cancer as dogs from North America.

Rather than getting stuck on Cancer, you should be looking for dogs with a overall robust health history with good ancestral longevity (there are problems other than cancer too). The dogs with a strong health background will give you the best chances for a long lived healthy dog. Keeping an eye on the COI is only one facet of the equation, you also have to know the history of the contributing dogs. They go hand in hand and trying to use one without the other will usually yield unanticipated results.


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## forgop (May 26, 2015)

When my male was diagnosed in May, I notified the breeder and asked about cancer in her lines. She denied having any other goldens having cancer in her program. It wasn't until my male was diagnosed that I saw just what percentage will get the disease. Funny that she would make such a claim given how long she has been breeding goldens.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

I am so sorry for your pain. It is one that amost everyone on this forum knows all too well. We have all lost a dog way too young to something.

Like the others posted, every animal can develop cancer and any breeder that tells you that their dogs don't have it is a liar and you should RUN. That being said you can spend some time playing with the longetivy feature of www.k9data.com and see some trends on dogs that live a long time and their offspring that tend to live a long time. If the grandparents of a pup you like lived to 13 then you are stacking the deck in your favor that your pup has a greater chance of living to 13 also.

For example - here is a link to my old boy's longevity pedigree Five generation pedigree: SHR Captain Samual To The Max JH, CGC. He is still kicking at 13 and 2 of his littermates are still alive also. You can see some of the dogs died young but most of them, where listed, died well into their teens. Look for a trend where the majority of dogs last a good long time on both sides of the pedigree. While there might be a dog that died at 4 in the pedigree please don't discount it out of hand. You don't know if that dog was inadvertently exposed to chemicals or elements that might have contributed to his disease. 

While it is nice to have a referral to a breeder there really is no substitute for doing the homework yourself. Once you have a litter you like the look of be sure to bring it back here and post it - we will all give our opinions on it to help you.

Good Luck!


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## MissmyChaba (Jun 23, 2015)

Dear all
I am finally ready to get a new golden. Its been ten years since my chaba passed. he got cancer when he was 4. I was afraid to get another due to the proclivity toward cancer. But I think if I am careful I can at least minimize risk. No guarantees I know. But....can you all help me? I need to find a breeder who cares abuot longevity, who doesn't inbreed, who has a low COI %, who wouldn't keep breeding a line where there was cancer in it, and of course has the golden temperament. ANd I want to check on other puppy owners that got from these breeder to see how they fared. but honestly, I don't know where to look. I am having trouble locating lists of breeders that do these things. I don't know where to start and how to continue. ANy help would be appreciated as well as any info from people who have long lived happy goldens or that have had several of those fro the same breeder. 
Sincerest thanks
Abby


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I would start by looking at the Golden Retriever Club of America's website, they have a puppy referral. 

Here are the links-

GRCA-

Golden Retriever Club of America GRCA: The Official AKC National Breed Club

Puppy Referrals-

Golden Retriever Puppies: GRCA Puppy Referral: Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) Find your Golden Retriever Pupppy Here

You've gotten some good information in the threads you've started asking similar questions from some very knowledgeable and experienced members. 

Several members have Goldens from Harborview Goldens in Erie, PA. The breeder is a member here on the forum. Beautiful dogs with longevity in the lines. 

You may want to do a search here on the forum for Harborview Goldens.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

Your criteria make it pretty impossible to find a breeder. Technically all purebred dogs will be inbred, but you can find a mating with a relatively low COI. And if you go back enough generations, any line has cancer in it. If anyone tells you they are breeding those two things, they're likely lying. I think you need to get more specific in what you're looking for. Like COI under 6% or a breeder who's improving the dogs they're producing and with ancestors who's age of death average over 11 years, etc.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

I am not sure that repeatedly starting new threads asking basically the same thing is going to yield any new results for you. 

As state by many before including myself your criteria in Goldens let alone dogs is going to make this near impossible. 

If breeder stopped breeding any dog that had Cancer in the line, ther would be no Goldens at all.

I do think you will find a terrible breeders who will have not trouble prying on your fears and telling you exactly what you want to hear. In all honesty you are counting on a full disclosure of Cancer as part of your search. Good breeders will ill ate themselves because they will tell you. On the other hand those new or bad breeders will not know or will lie to you. 

I am not saying that you can't be careful and reduce your risks, you can. But nothing in your posts indicated that you have any tolerance for Cancer risk which is simply not reasonable. We can not track many cancer or cure them in humans, why does anyone think dogs will be any different?


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

With your fear of cancer and the fact that 60% of golden retrievers will die of cancer then maybe a golden retriever is not the dog for you.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Welcome to the Forum!

As someone else has pointed out, cancer is a common cause of death in Goldens. What really matters is the age at which the dog died, regardless of the cause, since any being that lives long enough is likely to have cancer. For example, my Charlie was just shy of 13 when he died. He had seizures for the last year of his life and seizures in a Golden that old are almost always caused by a brain tumor or lesion of some kind. Does that mean he was from a bad lineage? No way. The average life expectancy for Goldens is 10-12 and he surpassed that.

If you look up litter in the K9data.com system, you can get to a longevity pedigree that shows the age at which the ancestors died, if that information was entered in the system. I look at that and hope to find that the lifespan of the dogs from a breeder has been getting longer, not shorter. To me, that's an indication of a responsible breeder.

There are experts on this board who say that the co-efficient of inbreeding does not always tell us what we think it does. There are advocates of line breeding who point out that they preserve important characteristics in the breed that way. I hope one of them will weigh in and help you understand better than I can.

Your local GRCA probably has a puppy referral program and can put you in touch with breeders who follow the GRCA code of ethics and understand the health issues for the breed.

Good luck!


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## MissMyHank (Jun 25, 2015)

I lost my golden Hank June 5th to cancer. He was 2 years, 1 month, 1 day. It shattered me. I feel that Hank would want me to give another dog a loving home as I did for him. I'm petrified of going through this again. It was awful! I'm doing research and finding so many goldens get cancer at some age. They are my favorite breed but I'm so conflicted. He my heart and soul! Good luck whatever you decide to do! I never want to give up on the golden but the cancer rate is out of control!


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Longevity is hard to predict. Currently, I have two littermates who are 13 and have outlived their mom's death age by 1.5 years...I echo what everyone else has said, that any breeder who says they do not have some issue is not telling the truth..


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

There are also other factors to consider when looking at cancer - food, environment, chemical contamination, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, vaccination or not, neutering or not. Some people think that stress and/or the fear of cancer itself can cause it. Hopefully you will consider these factors as well as the breeder.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Also, don't expect a breeder to just give you a list of their puppy people, 
I would think that'd be a privacy issue. And asking for references would be pointless I'd think since you'd only get people's contact info for happy people (though I hope everyone would be happy).... maybe ask for a referral from someone who LOST one of their puppies. Then you'd find out how the breeder support works.


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## Lilliam (Apr 28, 2010)

This is an impossible request. Cancer is in golden lines. Look back far enough and it will be there.
What I would suggest is deciding on a few breeders from the source provided and then check on k9data.com for information regarding longevity, cancer, and COI.
Temperament can be discussed with a breeder. A well bred golden will be bred for temperament as it is part of the breed standard.
Good luck.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

It is easy to despair, but yet today is Penuche's 14th birthday with 5 siblings still living to attend the party, and nearly 13 year old Finn is snoozing on my feet as I write this ready to take the woods by storm on a five mile hike with ease. I had Joplin who lived until nearly 16 and my Lush's grandmother exceeded 16. There are some goldens who do live long lives, there are just no gaurentees. Also, 16 years even never feels long enugh; there is an aspect of tragedy written into every love affair between a dog and a human bc dog time is quicksliver and fleeting in the best of circumstances.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Ljilly28 said:


> It is easy to despair, but yet today is Penuche's 14th birthday with 5 siblings still living to attend the party, and nearly 13 year old Finn is snoozing on my feet as I write this ready to take the woods by storm on a five mile hike with ease. I had Joplin who lived until nearly 16 and my Lush's grandmother exceeded 16. There are some goldens who do live long lives, there are just no gaurentees. *Also, 16 years even never feels long enugh; there is an aspect of tragedy written into every love affair between a dog and a human bc dog time is quicksliver and fleeting in the best of circumstances*.


This is the truth. My last girl was the picture of health until she was diagnosed with cancer at 12 years, 2 months. She died two months later. As I sobbed over the unfairness of it, my sister gently said, if she had lived to 20, it wouldn't have been long enough. 

All we can do is appreciate and take advantage of every day and month and year we have with them and make the most of their sweet lives. They will never be with us long enough. It's one of the hardest parts about having dogs.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Has anyone considered the awful topical systemic poison used by so many to keep away fleas and ticks. This has to affect all breeds not just our Goldens. It just can't be good!!


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## MissmyChaba (Jun 23, 2015)

*thank you !*



Ljilly28 said:


> Line-breeding on a healthy long-lived dog can be safer than outcrossing unhealthy dogs. If you want to try and really avoid line breeding, it might work best to look at specific litters rather than a breeder's entire program(?).


THANK YOU SO MUCH> COuld you send me more info??? im kind of floundering around... thanks so much!!!!


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

I think you would find a lot of help if you do the following:
Locate your nearest local Golden Retriever Club
Join the club and get to know some breeders
Develop a relationship with a few breeders you are comfortable with
work with those breeders to choose a specific breeding 
This forum has a lot of really useful information but, ultimately, it is important to develop an excellent relationship with a breeder. Joining your local Golden Retriever Club will also give you a lot of access to knowledgable people who can share their expertise re: various aspects of the breed.
Good luck in your search!!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

MissmyChaba said:


> THANK YOU SO MUCH> COuld you send me more info??? im kind of floundering around... thanks so much!!!!


You have received great info on your threads; you just need to compile it. My advice is skewed Northeast bc I live in Maine.

For a good record of overall longevity, it is hard to beat Sunfire Goldens in Connecticut. I believe they also won the lifetime achievement award from the AKC this year for their production of top obedience competitors. This is a handsome performance dog intelligent and energetic with a wash n wear coat, and not a show-style dog.

Harborview Goldens in Erie PA has an amazing number of dogs living into their teens as does Woodwind Goldens, a tiny breeder in CT. The connection between them is they work in the lines of the Tuxedo Goldens who do seem to bequeath a solid shot at longevity into a pedigree ( but their is NO guarentee). This tends to be a a show-stye golden with lots of bone, coat, and beautiful heads with great pigment, and a specific style to them

Another breeder who has teenagers underfoot living very long lives into the midteens is Pebwin Goldens on Cape Cod. You will notice there is a whole "Must Read" editorial about cancer in goldens right on their website stating yes they have lost dogs to cancer, and all golden breeders do. This is honest & transparent, and they have many dogs too living to 15 and 16 currently at Pebwin snoozing on dog beds in the kitchen. This program is one of the most established in the USA, and produces show quality dogs, with beautiful substance and a more old fashioned timeless style, and also plenty of performance dogs ( though not field bred). 

For a low COI, keep an eye on Topbrass Goldens puppy page for Field/ Show blends and outcrosses. Some of the COI's are the lowest I have ever seen since that's what you are specifically seeking. 

This does not mean these breeders never lose a young dog to cancer- it means a good number are long-lived. 

I personally would rather choose a reasonable linebreeding on a longlived dog then a complete outcross.


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## Eowyn (Aug 29, 2013)

murphy1 said:


> Has anyone considered the awful topical systemic poison used by so many to keep away fleas and ticks. This has to affect all breeds not just our Goldens. It just can't be good!!


Not to hijack the thread, but I did want to answer this (because I asked the same question myself and found and interesting answer). The fact is dogs whose owners have used flea/tick meds actually have lower rates of cancer, and a later onset when they do. The thought (science? I can't remember how much of the reasoning is speculation and how much is proven science) behind this is that ticks/fleas have lots of bacteria in their mouths when they bite. This bacteria can cause little infections and also causes inflammation. And inflammation is heavily connected to cancer. The benefit of less bug bites actually outweighs the risk of the chemicals.

Here is a link to an article that talks about the underlying process of inflammation and cancer. http://www.uvm.edu/giv/givsummer2013/200707.pdf Scroll down to "A Malignant Flame". 

Here is a link to the 1998-99 health study http://www.grca.org/pdf/health/healthsurvey.pdf. Table 32 reports chemical exposure data, and these are discussed on p 164. (Remember that P value must be < 0.05 to be considered statistically significant.)


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

murphy1 said:


> Has anyone considered the awful topical systemic poison used by so many to keep away fleas and ticks. This has to affect all breeds not just our Goldens. It just can't be good!!


Just as an interesting point of information, in the last large GRCA health survey, dogs who got regular topspot treatments had _lower_ rates of cancer. That doesn't _prove_ that topspots reduce cancer in some way (though they may if they prevent long-term low-grade infections from vector-borne diseases), but it does indicate that it's unlikely that topspots increase cancer risk. 

It seems like all we talk about with Golden health these days is cancer, but let's stop to remember that Goldens still have roughly the same longevity as other breeds of their size. It's very hard to tease out the actual elevated risk of cancer from other factors like diagnosis rates or the simple fact that a sturdy Golden might survive other issues (arthritis, heart disease) a little longer and thus be at higher risk for cancer because he is still alive.

If a dog, or a human for that matter, lives long enough, cancer becomes more and more likely. So when we talk about cancer in Goldens, we need to look at a much more complex picture than just avoiding it in breedings (impossible) or chalking it up to things we _assume_ are bad, like topspots, cooked food, etc.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Eowyn said:


> The thought (science? I can't remember how much of the reasoning is speculation and how much is proven science) behind this is that ticks/fleas have lots of bacteria in their mouths when they bite. This bacteria can cause little infections and also causes inflammation. And inflammation is heavily connected to cancer. The benefit of less bug bites actually outweighs the risk of the chemicals.


Great minds think alike! I think the science is pretty speculative at this point, but if you consider the way that a lot of these vector-borne pathogens work, like the borrelia spirochetes (e.g., Lyme) and the rickettsias (e.g., anaplasma and ehrlichia), they cause long-term, low-grade infections. So it's not just little infections and the inflammation from bites but also long-term blood infections and the accompanying inflammation. There's very good reason to suspect they might contribute to cancer risk, and this theory would explain why topspot-treated dogs have lower cancer rates, though I have not seen any conclusive research on the subject.


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## Eowyn (Aug 29, 2013)

tippykayak said:


> Great minds think alike! I think the science is pretty speculative at this point, but if you consider the way that a lot of these vector-borne pathogens work, like the borrelia spirochetes (e.g., Lyme) and the rickettsias (e.g., anaplasma and ehrlichia), they cause long-term, low-grade infections. So it's not just little infections and the inflammation from bites but also long-term blood infections and the accompanying inflammation. There's very good reason to suspect they might contribute to cancer risk, and this theory would explain why topspot-treated dogs have lower cancer rates, though I have not seen any conclusive research on the subject.


Ha ha! Your comment is almost word for word what Rhonda Hovan said in a email about this topic (I just pulled it up to get the links for my post). Great minds *do* think alike!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

For people who are new and/or may not know who Rhonda Hovan is, she is THE guru on cancer research in Goldens:

UC Davis School of Vet Med: Center for Companion Animal Health: Understanding Cancer in Golden Retrievers


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

We were discussing the findings of the topical just last week with Anne McGuire (who is known for her TBD knowledge) before field training.


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## MissmyChaba (Jun 23, 2015)

*to sallys mom*



Sally's Mom said:


> Longevity is hard to predict. Currently, I have two littermates who are 13 and have outlived their mom's death age by 1.5 years...I echo what everyone else has said, that any breeder who says they do not have some issue is not telling the truth..


Some quotes are harsh. I would just like to minimize risk..sallys mom u said that u had two dogs lived to 13. That's what I'm looking for...people who got their dogs from the same place and have had good experiences with longevity as well as other traits. Yes I had a terrible experience. Chaba was only 4!!!!! It devastated me but goldens are still my favorite dog. And of like another one ...I'd like to simply minimize risk as Much as possible by.asking questions..where did u get your babies?


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

MissmyChaba said:


> Some quotes are harsh. I would just like to minimize risk..sallys mom u said that u had two dogs lived to 13. That's what I'm looking for...people who got their dogs from the same place and have had good experiences with longevity as well as other traits. Yes I had a terrible experience. Chaba was only 4!!!!! It devastated me but goldens are still my favorite dog. And of like another one ...I'd like to simply minimize risk as Much as possible by.asking questions..where did u get your babies?


People have told you what to do to minimize risks. You contact the golden retriever club of America and find a reputable breeder who does Clearances and look for longevity in the lines. Your not going to find lines without cancer and with any dog there is no guarantees.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I have two Goldens that have lived over thirteen at the current moment...my Georgie and Samantha...when I got in to Goldens, I was told lifespan is 10-12...


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I think the main message is: there is absolutely no guarantee ever that a dog won't get cancer. It is sad but true.

So - you do the best you can. You find a responsible breeder, who does all clearances, who has relative longevity through his/her lines. And then you just have to leap. 

I lost my last Golden at 12. She had outlived the average Golden. She had outlived her parents (they both died too young) and several of her siblings. She died way too early - but as stats go, she had a good, long life. She did die of cancer - she was only sick for two months. When I was looking for my next Golden, you can bet I was looking at age of death in her pedigree. But at some point, you just have to accept that this breed gets cancer. And what people are trying to say is that any breeder who tries to make you believe their dogs won't get cancer are not being truthful. There is no test that can conclusively say that.


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

MissmyChaba said:


> Some quotes are harsh. I would just like to minimize risk..sallys mom u said that u had two dogs lived to 13. That's what I'm looking for...people who got their dogs from the same place and have had good experiences with longevity as well as other traits. Yes I had a terrible experience. Chaba was only 4!!!!! It devastated me but goldens are still my favorite dog. And of like another one ...I'd like to simply minimize risk as Much as possible by.asking questions..where did u get your babies?


I don't think anyone is trying to be harsh but it is frustrating to have the same question asked many times by the same person. I have an 11 year old golden who is in overall good health from a very reputable breeder (now retired). We had another dog from the same breeder who we lost suddenly at a young age from cancer. As others have said, there are no guarantees regarding cancer with goldens. It IS devastating to lose a young dog - we lost one at the age of 5 BUT it's the chance we take with any dog. 
Have you connected with your local golden retriever club and talked with any breeders in/near where you live? The forum can provide guidance and suggestions but nothing will replace the personal connection you will need to make with potential breeders.
Good luck!


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Eowyn said:


> Ha ha! Your comment is almost word for word what Rhonda Hovan said in a email about this topic (I just pulled it up to get the links for my post). Great minds *do* think alike!


Sorry to go off topic, but how does one get on her e-mail list?


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## Eowyn (Aug 29, 2013)

rabernet said:


> Sorry to go off topic, but how does one get on her e-mail list?


It's not an email list, I wish she had one though! We are friends and we had been discussing cancer in a phone conversation that then carried over to email.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

All dogs n humans carry cancer cells.Some develop it and other dont.
Yes, retrievers seem to get it, more easily but no breeders can promise you, a lign free of cancer and if they do, run away from them.
I would look more into long lived ligns but most of all,ligns that test for HD, ED, TO,itchyose and heart tested.


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## deadmanh (Jul 2, 2015)

I'd imagine that if K9Data were able to have a separate category for cancer it would help with the transparency of the problem that occurs later in life generally. Of course that might lead to a slippery slope, what then would be the next category to be listed after cancer?


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Already many people list cancer dx under COD or honorifics. But the real problem (IMO) is that many more do not list COD in any way- even if they found the time to list every accomplishment the dog had in life.


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## Goldngirl01 (Oct 17, 2013)

There are breeders out there that are trying to improve the breed. Longevity is one of the main factors I take into consideration when looking to do a breeding. When I got started over 30 yrs ago, 12-14 was the average lifespan of a golden. It is now 8-10...VERY sad, as many breeders have accepted that 10 is an ok age for a golden to live!! I can say, that 12 is my average with most passing from old age issues. I am a BIG believer that environmental factors play a big role in cancer not only in pets, but in humans as well...look at ALL the cancer around golf courses as an example!! I am a chemical free environment here, using only natural products for my "pest" issues...it is more work, but I feel that it is worth the extra effort!! Temperament, health, longevity, correct structure & function (bred to the std) are some of the reasons I have been successful in my breeding program over the years... 
Good luck in your search.


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## Trina Pearce (Jul 26, 2021)

MissmyChaba said:


> *breeders longevity*
> 
> Any info on breeders who are careful and don't breed lines that have had cancer?





MissmyChaba said:


> *avoiding inbreeding*
> 
> I'm looking for a breather that does really mostly avoid inbreeding and two breeds for temperament and longevity trying to avoid bring dogs I have cancer anywhere in their blood lines


did you find any? I’d be interested to know them as well.

thanks
Trina


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

There are no breeders who don't breed lines that have had a cancer- there are no such lines- and if you find such a claim, they are lying. 
There ARE plenty who seek longevity and health in their breeding choices.


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

The problem with breeding and cancer is that there is no way to avoid it. It appears that whatever makes a Golden a Golden also makes them susceptible to cancer, so that it is ubiquitous and there is no avoiding it. And it may be that you cannot eradicate it from the breed and still have a Golden Retriever; that eradicating cancer requires fundamentally changing the breed into something else. I can't tell you the times I've cried researching possible breedings, going down one rabbit hole after another and finding cancer absolutely everywhere, to the point that I broke down in tears, deeply frustrated and feeling hopeless, and that there was no possible breeding that could be done.

Faced with that, you start to make compromises. Well, you think, I'll look for lines with great longevity, so even if they die of cancer it is in very old age. But even those lines with lots of long-lived dogs die from cancer, and some of them far too young. You tell yourself that if you can't avoid cancer then at least you're going to not double-up on a particular kind of cancer. You tell yourself that your girl's grandsire died of hemangio so you won't breed to any lines with hemangio in them, but you simply can't find any such lines anywhere. It's easy if you only look at the surface. But every single time you dig deeply enough, you absolutely always find dogs who die young from one cancer or another, everywhere you look. If it's not there, it's because there is a lack of information or people are hiding cause of death -- and you wouldn't believe how many breeders still to this day do everything they can to keep from disclosing that their dogs died from cancer (especially hemangiosarcoma, for some reason).

Sometimes they'll play little semantic games about cause of death. Sometimes they will simply be so vague you can't get any real information. Sometimes they will just deny knowing the cause of death even when it's fairly obvious. And sometimes they will outright lie to you -- yes, even some of the more famous, respected, longtime, legacy breeders will just plain lie about the cause of their dogs' deaths.

I've come to the conclusion that it's100% impossible to get away from cancer and still have a dog that is a Golden Retriever. This is after studying hundreds of pedigrees in painstaking detail, both in terms of depth and breadth. If you can breed Goldens that don't get cancer, if that can be done, I've never seen it. And I've looked. I would destroy my line's conformation, drive, and temperament for generations to be able to breed away from cancer. But as far as I can tell, it simply cannot be done.

So when a puppy buyer starts asking breeders about cancer and longevity, it becomes a difficult situation. Some breeders will simply lie. And when a breeder tells the truth, it scares people off. I know one wonderful breeder who told me very matter of factly that, "These puppies will die from Hemangiosarcoma. It's on both sides, and it's in my line, and the granddam of this litter recently died from hemangio. If you buy a puppy from this litter, she will die of hemangio." As a buyer, would you buy a puppy from a breeder who was this candid? Most would not.


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