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. 2017 Nov 15:4:14.
doi: 10.1186/s40575-017-0053-5. eCollection 2017.

Population characteristics of golden retriever lifetime study enrollees

Melissa Simpson  1 , Erin Searfoss  1 , Sharon Albright  1 , Diane E Brown  2 , Barbara Wolfe  1 , Nancy K Clark  1 , Susan E McCann  3 , David Haworth  4 , Mike Guy  5 , Rod Page  6
Affiliations

Population characteristics of golden retriever lifetime study enrollees

Melissa Simpson et al. Canine Genet Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Background: Studying cancer and other diseases poses a problem due to their protracted and multifactorial nature. Prospective studies are useful to investigate chronic disease processes since collection of lifestyle information, exposure data and co-incident health issues are collected before the condition manifests. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is one of the first prospective studies following privately-owned dogs throughout life to investigate the incidence and risk factors for disease outcomes, especially cancer.Owners of golden retrievers in the contiguous United States volunteered their dogs in early life. Owners and veterinarians complete online questionnaires about health status and lifestyle; dogs undergo a physical examination and collection of biological samples annually. The data presented summarize the initial study visits and the corresponding questionnaires for 3044 dogs in the cohort.

Results: The median age of dogs at enrollment was 14.0 months (interquartile range (IQR): 8-20 months). Approximately half of the population had undergone gonadectomy by their initial study visit. Medical conditions reported at enrollment consisted primarily of integumentary, gastrointestinal and urinary dysfunction. A large majority of the dogs have a record of having received preventive care (vaccines, parasiticides, flea and heartworm prevention) by the time of the initial study visit. Clinical pathology data were unremarkable.

Conclusions: This study represents one of the first lifetime observational investigations in veterinary medicine. The population characteristics reported here indicate a healthy cohort of golden retrievers cared for by owners committed to their dogs' health. Data acquired over the study period will provide valuable information about genetic, dietary and environmental risk factors associated with disease in golden retrievers and a framework for future prospective studies in veterinary medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval

All owners and veterinarians participating in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study provided informed consent to study their dogs and publish findings resulting from the study. The study protocol was reviewed and approved my Morris Animal Foundation’s Animal Welfare Advisory Board.

Consent for publication

not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Recruitment regions and number of dogs enrolled by state in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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