Golden retrievers may hold cancer keys

A study of 3,000 golden retrievers in the U.S. may eventually help researchers understand the role that environmental factors play in spontaneous mutations like the ones that cause ET. (And, yes, dogs can get ET, though instead of coming with clot risks, canine ET more often results in inflammatory disease.)

Dogs and humans share as many as 500 diseases in common, and dog studies have already been parlayed into treatments for some cancers in humans. NBC news reported  that Emily Brown, who suffered from a terminal type of bone cancer, was treated with an immunotherapy designed for dogs.  She has lived for 20 years since receiving that therapy.

According to the Washington Post, cancer is the leading cause of death in all dogs after age 2. Sixty percent of golden retrievers, according to a CBS report, get some form of cancer in their lifetimes. (Here's a healthy but somewhat hyper goldie in the video below!)

As a result of the high cancer rate in dogs, the Morris Animal Project started enrolling dogs under two years old in the current golden retriever study in 2012. Retrievers were selected because of their popularity and because their owners typically have a high degree of involvement in their well being. The study does not experiment on the dogs in any way, simply monitors them closely to uncover patterns that might point to further research.

The study hopes to determine to what extent diet, exposure to environmental substances, exercise, neutering, etc. makes the breed susceptible to cancer. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study will make the data from dogs available to researchers as the dogs are tracked throughout their lives. Participating clinics will collect periodic hair, nail, and bodily fluid samples. Owners are required to keep diaries about their home environments (what kind of cleaning products they use, whether they treat their lawns with chemicals) and the dog’s lifestyle (how much exercise they get, whether they sleep with their people, what brand of dog food they eat, whether the dog is neutered). These tests could point researchers to lifestyle and environmental factors that might shed light on what causes certain cancers.

David Haworth, veterinarian and CEO of the Morris Animal Project  said, "We know 66 percent of those currently enrolled get their primary water from the municipal water supplies, and most of that obtained from one particular bowl per dog. The U.S. Geological Survey has data on all heavy water contamination, and we can overlay this. That tells you the level of detail we're looking for."

The Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association reports that the study will look specifically at four main cancers: osteosarcoma, mast cell tumor, hemangiosarcoma, and lymphoma. Most of the 3,044 dogs enrolled in the study are still participating, and the current focus is on the role obesity and neutering play in disease development.

Stay tuned and be well!