Study: Golden Retriever’s Lifespan Dropped In 35 Years

70 comments on “Study: Golden Retriever’s Lifespan Dropped In 35 Years”

1. I know a lot of breeders are going to overlook this and say, “hey, this isn’t my breed.” However, there have been developments occurring with other breeds, and just like the article states, dogs share more than 95% of DNA with other breeds. (Probably 99.999%) What’s happening with one breed certainly affects us all.
   I’m certain that a combination of factors is involved.
   Breeding and nutrition will probably be at the forefront of resolutions.

   1. Unfortunately this study will not find any useful information because you are ignoring the increased use of vaccines in all dogs. This has been accompanied by a decline in age of all breeds of dog and a significant increase in many chronic and debilitating illnesses.You will not find what you do not look for and this will be a very expensive study that will not find anything of significance because it ignores the environmental toxins given to all dogs in vaccines. This is very sad situation for dog owners and a tragedy for the health of our dogs.

      1. Dear Judy
         Are you aware the world is round and actually goes round the sun! Who’d have thought?!
         Your ideas on dog vaccines are based on similar scientific logic to flat earthers, ie. Non at all. You didn’t exercise your brain enough whilst at school and now use 2,000,000 yr old instinct to make up for it’s shortcomings.

         1. What an ignorant comment! Clearly you have never done any research into vaccinated vs unvaccinated people. All health problems are greatly increased in human populations who are highly vaccinated. The literature is there if you’re willing to take a look instead of name calling those who use critical thinking skills and ability to read!

      2. Judy, I don’t know how old you are but dogs like children use to die all the time due to simple diseases and they have been prevented. Yes maybe a few children and pets die of an allergy to a vaccine — but the millions and millions that have been saved is wonderful. I mean heartworm use to never be treated to prevent, and dogs almost always died once discovered. But once they were treated, that stopped happening. Except feral animals. When I was growing up, you treated them by almost killing them. Today we know what to do. It’s the same for parasites period. For people and animals. My gosh 100+ years ago children that died of childhood diseases was very high — sometimes 3-4 children died out of 6-9. Even flu. Look at what happened to places like Hawaii or the native Indians who had never been exposed to diseases like measles, Diptera, etc and once the Europeans arrived — they ended up dying. Wiped the populations out. They had no immunity. Go to undeveloped countries and see how many died, went blind, etc due to lack of vaccines, and treatments including to parasites. I suggest you get out of your head and start doing some research back over the past 100-200 years not just in America but also in other countries. Start with the continent of Africa. But then look at those like Hati, Jamaica, etc. Move on to India and continue on including the native Americans, Hawaii, and other tropical islands who were healthy, not exposed to diseases and didn’t have vaccines even today.

   2. I agree. This study will help Goldens & all other dogs, probably many animals including us since we are 80 something % of an exact genomic match to our dear canines.
      There are SO many factors that go into this test & they are ALL important!! It’s why this study is being done the way it is. They are checking everything.
      My hope is this reveals so much more than they ever expected for this amazing breed, for all amazing dogs, other animals & people it will help in the end…. Or hopefully we’ll before the end of he study! I hope this continues to get funding so the knowledge can be learned.

      Have t we humans learned the hard way in that Big Pharma cares about nothing that doesn’t line their pockets. It’s more than awesome this study is happening. The possibilities of what can be learned are endless.

      I think about this study all the time praying everything good happens w/it.

      God Speed!

      1. I have been enrolled in the Harvard Nurses study for over 20 years and it is a similar huge longitudinal study of a reliable reporting group. They have looked at so many factors and details over the years it will continue to be information that will change the way we live. I tried to get my golden into this group but just missed the cut-off. Aren’t science and research wonderful!

2. Indeed Bree, although it is focused on Golden Retrievers, the study should and will benefit scientific progress for the overall population of dog breeds within the canine species.

   Hopefully it actually leads somewhere brighter than the current years… The shortening of their lifespan is extremely shocking and worrying.

   1. I just had to put my almost 8 yr old golden down due to lymphoma. His brother passed 3 months ago from it and apparently the father did as well. All from different locations and on different food and lifestyles. The saddest thing ever. They came from a reputable breeder and were purebred CKC. Breaks my heart because to me it is the only breed I ever want but to go through this again at such a young age would kill me

      1. Indeed. This is why breeders and breed clubs should never let their beloved breed get so deeply affected by hereditary issues/diseases. Because then, it becomes difficult to breed out and will take generations/decades.

         All the best to you Brenda, stay strong.

   2. I would like to see any proof to your claim about Goldens living routinely to 16-17 years old. This has not been claimed by Morris nor why the GRLS was started nor shown in researching K9data.com. Where did you get this information which I believe is completely false? I have only known of two 18 year old Goldens. One is still alive and the other died 2 years ago. I’m sure there were others but this has never been close to the norm. The first AKC Registered Golden died at 9. 10- 11 has always been the average, I believe.

      1. See: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/study-underway-shrinking-lifespans-golden-retrievers-article-1.2212563

         1. Ok. I know Mike pretty well. We were actually officers together on the Golden Retriever Foundation when the GRLS study was starting. This was NOT a study. It was only what Mike said he saw in the practice her worked in MA in the 70s. He also did not say “routinely”, either. So this was just ONE veterinarian’s observation based on one small area. There is a breeder in Canada who does have the majority of her dogs live into their teens, but the life expectancy has not decreased over the years, either. So I have to say your article’s title is incorrect. Search k9data.com and I’m sure you will see this is simply not true.

      2. My Katy lived for 14.5 years. Last 2 years she had DX of b and T cel lymphoma. We treated her for 2 years 1 month before we had her sent over the Rainbow Bridge. We used natural b 17, and other agents and extended her life 2 additional years.
         [email protected] if you want more details

      3. While my childhood dog was not 100% Golden, she was 50%. Most people thought she was because of her look. The sire was a German Sheperd. She lived until 3 months after her 18th birthday.

      4. I have had 3 goldens. 2 lived 13.5 years. One 4 years. The latter had a heart condition and dropped. Any one thinking of putting there dog down, I would suggest a holistic vet to come to the home. My last one passed with dignity

         1. I have two female Goldens from the same litter who are 13.5 years old. We can not determine if they are purebred, probably not, because of being rescues. They have always been a little creaky if they exercise too much. One of them has had fairly severe ankylosing spondylosis for about a year. One has just been diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
            They have been vaccinated regularly and fed dry Purina kibble since we got them at age 4 months.
            Those of you who say that raw meat is the only thing to feed dogs are very ignorant of the genetics and heredity of dogs. Dogs are OMNIVORES just like humans, bears, pigs and assorted other animals. They need plant material in their diets. For those feeding the “boutique” foods, maybe you need to be informed that Purina and other reputable pet food companies have spent millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of hours for research into what is good for each type of animal.
            The pet anti-vaccine crowd is spouting the same malarkey as the human anti-vacc’ers. When will you accept that the many scientific studies that have been done confirm that vaccines are not the cause of these ailments?
            From a degreed animal scientist and loving pet owner.

            1. Purely anctedotal respone but….I grew up with dogs who were treated very infrequently by the farm vet, got the required rabies shot only and no flea/tick or heartworm treatments. Their food consisted of Dad’s economets and table scraps. Except for dogs killed in the road I don’t remembera dog having cancer or not living into old age. When I got my first dog on my own I did everything recommended by the vet including flea/tick and heartworm preventatives, annual vaccinations for distemper et al, kennel cough and lyme and premium kibble. The result? He died in horrible pain at 9 from bone cancer. Our second dog? Lymphoma at 10. I went back to an approximation of what my family did with our dogs: vet visits only when absolutely necessary, rabies vaccination only and no preventatives. Also a home cooked diet. The result? Our retriever mix is 13 and going strong and we’ve had to switch vets three times because the 2 previous vets claim we are irresponsible dog owners because we decline their “treatments”. I am in no way anti vax, but it’s clear to me that something in the way we’re being told we “have to” care for and feed our dogs is hurting them. So yeah, maybe you have an animal science degree and good for you but the dog food companies and pharmaceutical/vet complex are not the benevolent entities you proclaim them to be.

      5. Our Casey Lived till he was 18 and charlie till 12 both pure bread Retrievers so to me i dont think the 9-11 ages is correct My opinion

3. I have been breeding golden retrievers for 35years.I have at present a13 year old,an11 year old,two 9 year olds.Fed raw,vaccinated very infrequently.I lost One 12 year old..My goldens have all reached into their teens.I rarely see the vet.treat Homeopathic most of the time.

4. I have bred Goldens for just over40 years in the UK and have raw fed for most of those years.I hope that the research includes raw fed dogs. in my experience my dogs have all lived to 14-16 years old with no serious health problems and I considered the two that died at 13 plus were the exception At present I have one bitch with gastro-intestinal disease but she is 13 plus and is doing well on medication and leads an active life for her years.
   The only incidence of Cancer in my lines has been in the siblings and or progeny of my dogs who have all been fed on dry foods!!!

   1. Hi Sally,
      I live in South Africa and have a red male golden retriever who turned 12 on 1 April 2018. He has never had health problems of any kind bar one pesky ear infection. All the vets who have seen him are surprised about his mobility and liveliness. He has not been neutered and ate dry food most of his life with frequent bone or dried meat treats. He also owns two cats who practically worship him. I would love to be able to contact you with the aim to import one of your pups since they obviously have good genes. My email is [email protected]

5. Agreeing with you all! It seems like pet obesity is on the rise, along with the poor quality of manufactured food, so the scientists should focus on the dog diets to find answers…

6. I just had to have my 13 year old bitch pts as she had slipped her crutiat ligament and would not have survived the anasthaetic,

7. Plz make sure I continue to rcv. Info on this study. I have a 7 yr old golden, Cody & being on a fixed income I don’t have the means to take care of a SERIOUS illness & would dye if I had to put this gentle, gentle giant down to soon!!! I am fortunate that I have a 13 yr. old dauchsund, Oscar, a black cat, Shadow aprox. 9 yrs. old & Cody. They all interact very well with never an issue. They all love little children, my grand children LOVE them all 3!!! I don’t know if the constant companionship will extend there lives but I certainly would like to think so. Just thinking about losing any one of my trio makes me tear up right now!!! I’very tried to feed them L.I.D. foods. My dauchsund because of food allergies & the other two because it seemed like the right thing to do. All 3 are adopted & couldn’t be loved any more… Thank you for listening & sharing this important info in your study!!!

   1. We’re constantly on the lookout for more info about this study. Any progress will be posted here! Let’s hope for the best!

8. […] Study: Golden Retriever’s Lifespan Halved In 35 Years […]

9. I try to feed my golden only meat mistly chicken shes 8 years old very healthy but on the heavy side 80 lbs i give her fish oil every day let her fig mole boles are what ever atleast four times a week for exercize and to keep her nails worn down naturally how much should she way i take her for car rides often she rolls the window down in car likes to ride with her head out the window i try to allways take back roads

   1. Meat-based diet is the way to go… I mean, wolves rarely got a bag of kibble from the store hehe.

      1. Wolves do not have long lifespans

10. I have had 4 Goldens in the last 20 years. The first 2 died of liver cancer at 13 and 9. Another one developed osteosarcoma at 6 years old and the other one that is 5 is fine for now. I would guess the causes are breeding inferior lines and food quality. I have only feed my dogs top quality food so I would guess it is more about the breeding lines than it is the food. I just hope they find some clues as Goldens are some of the best dogs around. Even with the cancer I would not trade them for anything.

    1. Indeed, I think food quality has been horrendous over the last decades (just like it has been for us, humans) and it is a great step forward to see so many premium healthy foods out there.

       They are probably over promising and under delivering but still, it can only be an improvement.

11. I first had a 5 year golden no other health issues that developed lymphoma and did 4 months before her 6th birthday. I now have a 13 year old golden who has health issue basically her entire life, hip dysplasia, arthritis, torn acl . She is in fairly good health now just old, blind and spoiled. They were both raised basically the same, mostly dry food. The 13 year old get occasionally digestive problems we thought because she was old so we have switched to beniful wet food for most of her meals she does still have some dry food.

12. You know, when it comes down to it: it’s no different than people (when addressing cancer.) There are obvious triggers/contributors, but it eventually all boils down to genetic disposition. You can feed your dog organic, raw, blah, blah, blah all you like and he/she may still develop cancer. Some dogs (it’s annoying) can eat grocery store “junk food” their whole lives and die of old age. I live in a non-smoking household, never used “junk food” and have lost 2 cats and a golden to cancer, yet currently have a 13 year old cat and an almost 11 year old golden who are more than fine. They just happen to be exceptions to the rule. Not much else has changed in their environment.

    I am interested in a true, full-“factors” study that shows that “the majority of dogs who eat x,y,z” do or do/do not develop cancer. I have a suspicion that the numbers for either side will be in the 50/50 range…

    Obviously the numbers change with age. I still think the main study would show that via bloodline(s) there is a connection and that the food, environment and supplements are not major factors when it comes to cancer. Obviously things like hip dysplasia and other things have already been proven to be genetic and there’s not much we can do to fix them after the fact.

    As our goldens age, their diets need to be modified anyway because of sensitive systems. If they make it past 10 with no cancer I think we have already won. Whatever else you do, or whatever else you feel you didn’t do (after a pet dies) is almost irrelevant.

    The most important part is to love and cherish them and feed them emotionally. My dog still runs around like a goofy puppy. She gets tired faster, but the motivation is still there!

    1. It’s pretty true… Just like with cigarettes and alcohol. Life is so easily taken away that it’s hard to focus on a few points and consider than these will assure a longer life.

       Yet, we can’t dismiss an improved health and diet just because we and our dogs can die of plenty of other stuff.

       And the point made by the researchers here is that unpredictable deaths are and will always be sensibly the same. So why is the overall lifespan declining? Because of cancers provoked by human actions that repeated themselves over the last decades.

    2. I agree with the person above. It is the same as people, some live a very healthy lifestyle and get cancer and die young and others who never take care of themselves live to a ripe old age. It is the same with animals……..genetics play a big part and also humans and animals are more incline to get a cancer the older they become. I just had to have my retriever put to sleep as she had liver cancer. I dont know why I was so shocked when told that by the vet. I could not believe it she had had a great life, expensive food and lots of love and exercise. I thought it would be her hind legs that let her down but cancer. It not has taken all my family and close friend, 2 cats and now my very best friend that I loved more than life itself. Cancer sucks big time!

       1. Yes I had to put to sleep r Dakota😢He was almost 10 and diagnosed with cancer In his left upper leg🙁Miss him tremendously 😢

13. I just lost my golden boy Mikey yesterday. He was 13 years old. He had his spleen removed at age 11 and it was benign. When we took him in this weekend for breathing issues, he was found to be severely anemic with high lymphocytes and low neutophils. Scans showed enlarged nodes in his body and neck. They said his needle aspiration followed their prognosis of lymphoma. He had laryngeal paralysis which made his condition acute and in need of surgery in order to breathe on his own. We decided to euthanize and it has been weighing heavily on me. I keep asking ” What if he would have made it through the surgery?” Or “What if chemo would have helped the lymphoma?” I am looking for answers. 13 was not long enough with my boy.

    1. Denise, you made a decision and stick to it. What If’s aren’t helping you and I know you can’t do otherwise and it is probably lopping on and on and on and on in your head but you made the right decision for yourself.

       Now, finding answers and helping the next generations of Labs and Goldens to improve their life expectancy is awesome and you have to be commanded for that.

       I sincerely wish you all the best Denise.

       L

       1. I agree with the person above. It is the same as people, some live a very healthy lifestyle and get cancer and die young and others who never take care of themselves live to a ripe old age. It is the same with animals……..genetics play a big part and also humans and animals are more incline to get a cancer the older they become. I just had to have my retriever put to sleep as she had liver cancer. I dont know why I was so shocked when told that by the vet. I could not believe it she had had a great life, expensive food and lots of love and exercise. I thought it would be her hind legs that let her down but cancer. It not has taken all my family and close friend, 2 cats and now my very best friend that I loved more than life itself. Cancer sucks big time!

    2. Denise I am very sorry for your loss really I am. My lovely Lucy had LP from the age of 10 and the vet told me to cut her walks down and no going out in hot weather. She coped well but than was diagnosed with Liver cancer this March and I had to have her put to sleep on the 1st April aged 11. To say it has broken my heart is an understatement. She was my best friend and apart from when I worked she was with me the entire time. I loved her so very much so having to make the decision to say goodbye was the kindest thing I could do for my girl. I owed it to her not to let her suffer……….and I bet you was exactly the same……….

    3. Chemo only actually helps 3% of cases compared to placebo, so personally and for my pets, I’d never go down that route. I think you can relax. You did the kind thing, and stopped your dog from going through a lot of suffering. I wish someone would do that for me when the time came. xx

    4. We just lost our 13.5 year old golden named Lucy. She had laryngeal paralysis also. She had a surgery that she had a hard time recovering from. Her breathing was so labored and she became super anxious she needed to be on oxygen for several hours. She was greatly weakened by the trauma of the surgery and she would have anxiety attacks and have difficult breathing often. She died about 2 weeks after the surgery and I believe that she should not have had that surgery. I know that she was getting to her time but I think the surgery was what ultimately pushed her to die. An older dog should not be put through that kind of stress. We miss her so much but we are hesitant to start over.

14. I have had many Goldens mine recently died of lymphoma. Your never ready to let go, but it is much better than seeing them suffer. You have your wonderful memory of your loving pet, friend, and/ or family dog. I have had them live from 8 years to presently a 15 year old is my oldest. My dogs where my family’s best friends.

15. I just put my 12 year old golden down feb. 28 2017. He was my service dog because I had a brain tumor surgery and he helped me recover so much. He is the best dog ever and I will always remember him. He meant everything to me. He was my only friend.

    1. It’s hard when they leave us but one day we’ll reunite and their tail will wag like it never has before. All the best Jeffrey, stay strong and make sure you get through this.

    2. Dogs go to Heaven. I have studied hundreds of NDEs and some were allowed to see there Pets they had on earth when they were in Heaven. Just make sure you go to Heaven?✝️

16. I really think vaccinations have a huge part in the increasing cancer rates. People vaccinate their pets nowadays much more frequently than they used to, and for a larger variety of things. I believe the immune system is the most important factor in preventing cancer by detecting and destroying abnormal cells. “Dr. Schultz agrees autoimmune disorders are more prevalent in both pets and humans than they were 20 or 30 years ago. He thinks there are a number of reasons for the increase, and without question, vaccines are among them. Dr. Schultz also blames the presence of intoxicants, environmental pollutants and chemicals in our world today.
    The rabies vaccine for example contains adjuvants like aluminum and thimerosol (mercury based) which is a grade 3 out of 4 carcinogen. If golden retrievers as a breed are genetically predisposed to having a weaker immune system due to popularity and therefore high coefficient of inbreeding (all it takes is one popular sire with bad genes), then vaccinations should be avoided as much as possible after their first year.

    1. Ditto that. Vaccination courses and commercial dog foods are, to me, the most cancer-inducing habits nowadays. Obviously genetics and inbreeding doesn’t help anything either.

    2. Not me I dont believe in all these vaccinations……that is about the vets making money out of people. Lucy was vaccinated when she was a pup and that was it. She died aged 11 from cancer.

       1. Totally agree…. dog owners must consider the natural rearing method if they want their dogs to live longer and happier lives. Take a look at the work of Juliette de Baïracli Levy, pioneer of holistic veterinary medicine… i have been following her method for years in the breeding and rearing of my goldens – the last one i have is 15 and going strong. Since the increase in vaccination and the introduction of commercial pet food, life has gone down-hill for our beloved pets – it’s obvious why

    3. I agree — I started asking for titer tests for both of my Goldens. They are expensive to have done but my dogs have not been vaccinated for many years now. Our vet would vaccinate them every year if he had his way, however, he did admit he was surprised that my dogs seemed to be doing well without them. Sometimes you just have to do what you think is right, even if professionals try to tell you otherwise. My goldies are 10 and 11 now and I try to feed them real food, do not over vaccinate and make sure they get plenty of exercise and love every day. There is nothing you can do for their genetic makeup but you can help them live longer. Love Goldens xx

17. We just lost the love of our lives to T-Cell Lymphoma this past Sunday. Luke was our 8 year old Golden. Like all the Goldens described in the posts here, he was truly a gentle loving soul. Our hearts are forever broken. I have been avidly reading and researching human nutrition for about 6-7 years and now canine nutrition and yes, they are very similar where the foods we consume are not meant for our bodies nor our dogs. I recently read a very interesting line. “If the food you are eating has a list of ingredients, DON’T EAT IT! Now grant it we all have “busy lives” but to what good does it do if we do not have the proper nutrition. Same for our pets. Dogs and cats are not meant to eat processed food! period. To that end, we and our pets are dying this slow agonizing deaths due to illness bred by chemicals, pesticides and more and more drugs. The insanity has to stop somewhere. Unfortunately I do not think I will see it in my
    lifetime. Big Pharma and food companies like Monsanto need to be pushed back and stopped. I believe the solution lies in better quality foods and reducing the drug overload. I would like to keep updated on more findings from the “study” that was mentioned in earlier posts.

    1. I can feel the pain and sorrow in your comment and I am supporting you 300%. It’s horrible. The (pet) food industrials and manufacturers are having a race towards the worst. Our dogs are fed shit while the owners believe that it’s very ‘nutritious, balanced and complete” simply because of the disgusting packaging and marketing going with dog food.

       If you have netflix, look at the documentary PET FOOLED, it’s worrying.

18. Our Golden Retriever is 14,years old and only started slowing down in the last 12 months. He had a mainly raw meat diet until about 12 years of age with dry food and the occasional treat. We found that the common skin complaints disappeared when we put him on a grain free dry food and he’s always been healthy, happy and active. We went back 5 generations to assess hips, elbows, eyes etc before choosing a breeder. He was one of a litter to a new English sire bringing in new blood lines. Best dog I’ve ever owned and most loyal family dog.

    1. We just lost or ten year old Golden “Crosby” to cancer. He was the best dog that I have ever had.
       Not ready yet to replace him, but would be interested in the English breeder that you used.

19. Have they looked into lifestyle rather than diet. I grew up with dogs eating people food and being mostly outside during the day maybe ininside at night. Every dog had purpose in his mind chase squirrels hind ducks whatever. I’ve heard in people many die shortly after retirement. Are we causing this by changing the lifestyle?

20. Our golden lived one month shy of being 16. She got a lot of human food as I didn’t want to waste what my kids didn’t eat. She had her basic vaccines and a booster. They need vaccines but not every year or every three years. Do humans get vaccines every year and we live a lot longer than 16. Keeping them active, stimulated and slim is key. We helped our wonderful Taffy girl to the rainbow as her body just wore out and her kidneys weren’t working very well. Everyone has a different opinion but over vaccinating and giving them chemicals in their bodies they don’t need is key. Depends where you live and if you really need flea/tick, heart worm etc. Not a fan of raw as that contains parasites worms. Comparing a dog to a wolf is like comparing a human to an ape. I’m not going to eat like an ape so my dog is not going to eat like a wolf. Similar but not the same diet. Besides Wolves don’t live to be 16.

21. I love my Golden Retriever more than I love life itself. This is simply because my beloved, late husband and I adopted her (Leia) when she was 3 years old in November of 2009. When my husband unexpectedly passed away he was the only one to truly share the grief with me when it became Leia’s time to go and that is still true today. She just turned 11 years old this November 2017 and is doing very well.

    I am a high level quadriplegic and needed to stay with family after my husband’s unexpected death but they lived across the country from where we were living. So Leia and I made the trip from Arizona to Pennsylvania. after 3 years, I was devastated when my sister and brother-in-law (along with other family members albeit very few) wanted me to “move on” when I knew I had nowhere to go. I was not going to go anywhere without Leia and I am not wealthy. To make a long story short… there was not one single apartment or house nearby my family so I made the decision to move back with a live-in caregiver that I found online. I believe things happen for a reason and of all the people who could have responded to my ad (people who would have left me by now or worse) this live-in caregiver is extremely loving and caring and knows not only a ton of information about caregiving but about many animals. I did not know this when I hired her but I had to do something. So Leia and I made the trip back to Arizona from Pennsylvania! She absolutely loves riding and so she made both trips with happiness in an ambulance style transportation company.

    When I lived with my sister and brother-in-law I got her US Certified to be my Support/Companion Furbaby and so the apartment complex I chose to live in (trying to find an affordable house now) does not charge me any fees. I take her with me whenever I can and she absolutely loves going to Wal-Mart and all the employees and shoppers love to stop and talk to her and ask to pet her. She has always been EXTREMELY skitter-ish since day one and has gotten better over the years. This is not normal for a Golden Retriever so I must assume that she was somehow abused which makes me sick to think about. She flinches so easily.

    Anyway, she has not left my side since my husband’s passing in June of 2012 and she is laying right here next to me on the floor because I have to stay in a hospital bed when I sleep and I have had my share of problems since I have moved here keeping me bedridden.
    She loves coming home as well as she loves going. She is the most intuitive and perceptive dog I have ever had and I love her to pieces since she is basically all I have left. I lost my parents when I was age 13 and 16. I then lost my grandparents. I had lost my first common-law husband after 13 years together and then losing my husband and my best friend who was more than I can even begin to explain here as far as sacrificing everything for me and the 2 Goldens we adopted with our first been adopted in December 2001. He had never had a dog as a family member but not long after adopting our first… his commentary was “How did I go this many years (over 50) without adopting a most beautiful dog?” Leia follow him around like a duckling following its mother because I was bedridden much of the time with a Stage III wound. Then, after his death, she knows that I need her and has not left me since. When we had to put our previous Golden that we adopted from another family when she was about 4 years old (we had to guess because she did not come with any papers) my husband broke down and cried like a baby and I had to be the strong one even though our previous Golden “Brandy” had gone to service dog classes with me despite me having to stop the classes because she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. I was not going to make dog work in pain.

    In May of 2009 Brandy was diagnosed with Stage III mast cell cancer which we accidentally found when my husband was rubbing her time me and he saw a small outer growth on her skin. We took her to our veterinarian (such angelic man over all these years who just retired) and he said that it was probably nothing (even though he was a well seasoned vet… probably 30 years or more) but he thought he should remove it and did so that afternoon. He thought we should do a biopsy just in case. We did not hear from him 2 weeks and so we thought no news was good news and then the call came and we got the diagnosis which is basically a death sentence. He said it took so long because he wanted to talk to the lab technician himself because he had no idea it was that bad. We were happy to enjoy a full year with Brandy before she exhibited “signs” which included not being able to keep her food down. We kept locks of her hair and we have so many photos (well, I do since my husband is gone) since my husband was a photographer. Brandy was a “Red Golden” whereby she had beautiful auburn hair. When I took her for walks people were always yelling out their car windows how beautiful she was and she made so many people happy as she loved other people and children!

    Back to Leia. When we adopted her from her other family they said she was part Labrador but since she looks like a Golden. If she IS a part Lab my guess would be 5%. They named her Leia and she is nothing less than a princess!!! Since I am basically alone now I do not know what I would do without her and all she has done for me. After my husband died I began to have “Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures” which I had never heard of before in my life. But I found out. So now when it is time for Leia to go and without my husband here to help with the grief and not knowing that I have been alone for so long and I can’t feed her or take her out with help. I am going to be MUCH MORE than a basket case. I can’t even watch a happy movie with dogs without crying very hard (with great happiness) because they touch my heart so much.

    I am hoping and praying that Leia has a few good years left. Her eyes and ears are impeccable but it is now a little bit more difficult for her to get around now. I think Cosequin and Desoquin do more than help their joints and ligaments. I stumbled upon Cosequin when Brandy began limping with her front right leg and couldn’t stand it. My husband went to medical school and was a Chief Lab Technician and he was the one to make the comment whereby he thought Cosequin helped Brandy lived longer than she normally would have with her dreadful diagnosis. I started Leia on Cosequin when she was 7 even though she did not “need” it.

    Thank you for reading my story.
    ~Lori and Leia

22. Is there an update on this story written in May of 2015? (I’m asking this in January of 2018)
    Thank you.

23. I have a 16 year old that survived her 15 year old mother that I also had. I have usually fed both of them Kibbles and Bits and kept herbicides off the lawn. I hope the study takes a good close look on Herbicide use by the owners as I have not read anything about this.

    1. You make a great point about herbicides and pesticides in the yard. We have had three Golden’s. First one we adopted and named Clifford. He developed a brain tumor and made it to age 14. He died peacefully in my and my daughters arms. We grieved for a long time. Clifford was a wonderful golden ! And we still have his ashes in a beautiful wooden box.
       We got Rugby 12 1/2 years ago as a pup. He grew up with my youngest daughter and except for a few cysts and hip issues ( we have him on a supplement which works wonders for him!) he has not really gotten sick. A year ago he injured his neck jumping down our stairs -why do Golden’s always think they are still puppies :):). And we had him on steroids for a few days and then he was back to his old self. We do use a ramp now to get him in and out of our truck as he still wants to jump that distance but we don’t want him to become reinjured. Other than that he is a healthy and very happy boy ! We feed him a lot of raw veggies ! He loves them and so the veggies are his treats. We do not use any chemicals whatsoever on our yard and buy organic veggies for him. Dry dog food and lots of time outside but at night inside on a supportive dog bed.
       I am so sad to hear that so many people lost their Golden’s at such a young age and feel so blessed that we still have Rugby. We recently got a new pup -of course another golden :). His name is Chance and so far no health issues. He is at the super hyper /chewing everything /digging /jumping stage but is a very good natured boy and he and Rugby get along well.
       I’m not sure vaccines are the issue unless the active and inactive ingredients have changed over the years. I would guess breeding and perhaps GMO’s in the dog food that could be factors. And of course the chemicals in lawn care. They are breathing ,playing in laying on and sometimes eating that grass and digging in that dirt. Wonder if the chemicals are affecting their bodies and immune systems.
       When will the study be completed ? It would be nice to hear the results

       Thank you to all of your who wrote with such love for your Goldens. They are truly our family members and we love them so much !
       Laura

24. Just switched my 7 year old Goldie (and the 2 cats) to raw. 80 lbs of chicken (et al.) every 6 weeks. Cats are looking better and I am hoping my girl will live a long life. Minimum vaccinations, no land chemicals, no cleaning products (wife is autoimmune). The cats and the dog were on Acana and Orijen kibble and the cats got Lotus canned as well. The cats were not doing well so research led to settle on raw. Lost my last goldie mix shy of 10 years to hip cancer. Non GMO, organic and local. Wishing you all well with your Golden’s.

25. I agree 100% with Judy and Tina and believe it’s the food ingredients, chemicals in the vaccines, our lifestyles and environment.
    I was a young kid in the 70’s living in Toronto, ON, Canada and we fed our dogs Dr. Ballards (grocery store brand) / table food scraps. They lived to be 16+ which included medium to large breeds; smaller dogs like my friends’ miniature and toy poodles easily lived to 19 or 20. There was an unfriendly Samoyed who would bark at me every time I passed by his house en route to middle school. I was about 22 when I last saw him at which point his barking was reduced to a raised head and scowling look…I thought, ‘are you still alive?’
    Fast forward to 1997 when I bought my first purebred dog. A Golden Retriever who I named Sadie. Loved her to bits – she was my IT dog. Loved the breeder, who called every year on her pups’ birthdays. We maintained a good rapport while I had Sadie – to the end Feb 1, 2007. She passed 4 days after her 10th birthday. The diagnosis from 2 vets who tested her and took x-rays came out with inconclusive. Finally the second vet took a biopsy test and though inconclusive, concurred with my first vet giving her one week to one month. On the outside she showed gradual weight loss – going from 80 lbs; heavy for a female to 65 lbs but she was spayed at 6 weeks and according to the research I did before agreeing to the purchase, I learned they usually grow outside of the breed standard for males /females. The visual cues pointed to cancer, weight loss went down slowly over a few months September 2006-Feb 2007 about 15 lbs. I was gutted. During this time there was the issue with Iams dog food contamination in china which is where I focused. I occasionally fed her Iams but stuck with the food the breeder had them on; a premium Canadian brand Shur-gain. I included raw food. Sadie remained a trooper throughout the whole ordeal and had great and not so good days so I wasn’t sure if I should put her down. She died at home in my arms – not peacefully which I regret to this day. All the vets told me to do was take her home and keep her comfortable. She had no medication offered. Sadie stopped eating her dog food and bless my mum, she bought fresh kidney and liver and cooked it without spices with white rice and we took turns spoon feeding her. She ate it all!
    I learned from that experience, tragic as it was. I felt guilty for not putting her down. She had days where she behaved like a puppy. But the “end” was clear when she remained stationary as though paralyzed. She watched us and I decided to sleep close to her on the couch. She died the following morning around 7.25 am. I still miss her. I learned her mother died at age 11. It took me three years to get another puppy, Quincy who’s a delightful Cockapoo and is now 9 years, showing no signs of slowing down.

26. Has everyone seen the latest dog food scandal? Disgraceful. Grain-free to blame THIS time but that’s a farce. It’s always something different but never the corp greed & vile industry.
    My beautiful Lab/Vizsla died at 11yo. Arthritis set in at 8-1/2, about when I noticed her “quality” kibble looked different & she didn’t like it so I kept changing trying to find something she liked again, but I didn’t convert her to real “human” food until a t-cell lymphoma rx at 9-1/2. Between those rxs various vets tested, x-rayed, & convinced me to put her on various meds, not to mention the heartworm preventative & pest control. All BS. Next thing I know, a “rare” lymphoma with 2 months to live. Well she lived 2 more quality years on fresh, healthy food & supplements & acupuncture & chiropractic. A javellina attack at 10+yo threw her out of remission with ongoing skin irritation, ear infections & finally a tumor grew on her skull that eventually lead to seizures.
    She was my whole world and I did everything to give her quality over quantity of life, and more than anyone I know would do including repeatedly driving hundreds of miles for regular acupuncture with our favorite vet in Sedona and spending all my money on her. I’d do it again if she were still here but had to let her go when seizures became too much. What I will never do again is feed pet “food”, over vaccinate, submit to vet scare tactics with so-called prevention chemicals, and all their experimenting while “practicing” medicine. One day when my heart heals I will get more dogs and they will be raised a la nateural.

27. I would love to have some data, numbers of what traits breeders are breeding for which has resulted in a decrease of life span. Does anyone have any actual data?

28. Why did they not control for the veterinary care? Perhaps new flea-tick drugs – which we gave our dog but can not touch for at least 12 hours because it is so poisonous — is different from ‘back then’. They should control for that, or have some of the labs using the same medications from ‘back then’. If they really did live longer back then, certainly the veterinary care was not inferior or if it was, was not a problem in their living long lives.

    1. I just lost my beautiful golden 3 days ago. I was inconsolable for 2 days. Now I have calmed down some I’m trying to read everything I can. She was 12 1/2 when she passed and had been panting excessively for the last 2. I took her to 2 different vets in two different cities to try and find out why. Then 7 days ago she coughed up blood (Sunday). We took her to the vet on Monday. My vet listened to her chest but didn’t hear anything unusual but he suggested we do an X-ray just to make sure. Well we got the devastating news that she had infiltrates in both lungs!! We took her home and decided to provide her with palliative care. The next few days she was great. Chasing squirrels like she usually did. Then in the middle of the night on Thursday I woke up to see her collapse in our bathroom floor. I knew she was dying immediately. I held her head in my arms for the last hour of her life. Now I wonder if I should have aggressively pursued trying to get answers about her panting problem. 💔💔💔😭😭😭😭

29. I’m a bit perplexed…. where do you get this information that “Back in the 1970s, Golden Retrievers routinely lived until 16 and 17 years old. Golden Retrievers are now living from 10 to 14 years old,” if the study has only been going on for 5 years, and is only using aa sample cohort of about 3000 dog, which is not nearly a large of sample group of canine participants. See, I don’t doubt the assertion, but I won’t believe it either until I see significant, factually verifiable, empirical data indicative of a marked decrease in lifespan for golden retrievers over the last half century. The problem is, it’s way too easy to publish misleading junk science and have undereducated, ignorant people misconstrue it as legitimate information. I mean this is why so many people are afraid of vaccinations, despite there being no factual information to support anything but their benefit to the overall population, following numerous protracted longitudinal studies (both on humans, and on other animals.) There are far too many “faux scientific studies” and fraudulent scientific experts making “scientific” claims that are factually inaccurate for the sole purpose of lining their own coffers.

    For instance, there’s a “former professor or Doctor” with some semblance dubious credentials but the name of Dr. Gundry. I’m sure most people have seen add go his pop up on Youtube and elsewhere on the internet asserting that modern vegetables have a small percentage of the nutrition they did in previous decades because of the soil. Now, this has been thoroughly debunked by ACTUAL scientists and experts performing real scientific studies (likes studies that rely on empirical information and adhere to the scientific method,) and Dr. Gundry has been show to either be linked to or own (I forget the exact specifics of how he profits from this, but even if he were just a paid shill… although few actual Doctors/expxerts are willing to compromise their integrity unless they’re getting like “company owning money, but I digress.) The point is, it’s easy to make a spurious pseudoscientific claim that appeals to, and preys on the fears of, undereducated, science fearing, logic denying, ignorant conspiracy theorists making them think that normal food isn’t good,, and they need some sort of super vitamin, which quite conveniently, the person or company making said claim happens to be selling, or making, or invests in…. The point is, I need to see a lot way more citations from the actual study than what’s found on this page before I believe anything about this unsubstantiated claim abut dogs dying younger (still waiting for a citation on that one.)

    I’m not really familiar with this website, so I’m not sure if it’s an inadvertent pawn, or a deliberate a mastermind in a Dr. Gundry-eque scheme. I do see quite a few comments railing against vaccinations (again despite an incredible number of studies proving their efficacy as well as their safety, and disproving a connection to any sort of widespread harm [be it autism, cancer, cellular damage, or whatever the uneducated, conspiratorial nut jobs with zero comprehension of how science works are currently claiming it does],) which does set of some red flags for me, because it’s indicative of the fact that this article is being directed towards a certain undereducated demographic of individuals who aren’t exact scientifically literate. Well, regardless of the intent of this particular article, think I’ll wait for the results of this study. I still am wondering where you got that factoid about dogs living shorter now than in the 1970’s…

30. Has anyone taken into consideration that people are using a lot more chemicals on their lawns than they did before the mid to late 80s? It seems as if the amount of HOAs have increased drastically and they alone require homeowners to have nice lawns which requires pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides, and many other chemicals. The average homeowner also likes to have their yard looking nice and they are using all of these chemicals to keep it looking good.

    Dogs are absorbing all of these fertilizers, pesticides and weed killers through the pads on their feet and I’m sure it isn’t doing them any good. I don’t remember many people using as much chemicals on their yards back in the old days. Could this be the cause of the decrease in the life expectancy of dogs since the 70s?