Notes on

Golden Retrievers Club

of America Survey

http://www.grca.org/pdf/health/healthsurvey.pdf The statistics stated on the Suggested Health Tests page were based on the Table 21 of the report. 263 Golden Retrievers out of 1444 had hip dysplasia - 18.2% 152 Golden Retrievers out of 1444 had cardiovascular problems - 10.5% 314 Golden Retrievers out of 1444 had eye problems - 22.4% 358 Golden Retrievers out of 1444 had hypothyroidism or hypathyroidism - 25.6% 15 Golden Retrievers out of 1444 had Elbow Dysplasia - 1.0% 14 Golden Retrievers out of 1444 had vWD - less than 1% 6 Golden Retrievers out of 1444 had PRA - less than 1% Here are some notable statements made by the GRCA in regards to their 1998-1999 National Health Survey : (quoted from the section labeled "Introduction", page 8) Introduction ”… Further evidence for the effect of selective breeding is that mixed breed dogs generally live longer and have a lower incidence of most diseases than do purebred dogs of the same size. …” (quoted from the section labeled "Interpretive Summaries and Comments on the Results", page 158-159) Table 21 • This table constitutes the real meat and potatoes of this survey. It describes the frequency of occurrence of veterinary confirmed health related disorders by organ system / disease type. Within each category, we present both the total number of incidents and the total number of individuals affected, because each individual could have had more than one episode of a given condition. • The most frequently reported health problems were related to the skin and coat. However, the most frequently reported life-threatening conditions were a wide variety of cancers. Among the cancers, hemangiosarcoma and lymphosarcoma were the most common. Lipoma occurred more frequently, but it is benign and not life threatening. Other very commonly reported problems were musculoskeletal, allergic, and parasitic. • It is often difficult to precisely categorize a condition. For example, a dog with cardiomyopathy may have a heart murmur or arrhythmia due to cardiomyopathy. However, cardiomyopathy may not have been diagnosed. Also, a Golden with cardiomyopathy may develop heart failure, but only heart failure and not cardiomyopathy could have been reported in the survey. Both of these situations would lead to an under-reporting of cardiomyopathy. • No attempt was made in this survey to document what procedures or tests veterinarians used to confirm each condition." (quoted from the section labeled "Interpretive Summaries and Comments on the Results", page 152) Table 4 2. Approximate one-fourth of the Goldens in this survey had never competed at a show. The largest proportion had competed in obedience trials (67%) followed by conformation shows (48%), and field events (31%)." ................................ The information contained on this site is in no way intended to replace that of proper veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is meant to provide resource, so that we can better understand canine health related issues. .