What do you get when you put together 3000 golden retrievers, dedicated veterinarian and scientists, and the threat of cancer? You get a landmark longitudinal study that will benefit your family pets but also your family.
Chloe, the last golden enrolled in the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, will help scientists better understand the role of environment, nutrition, exercise, behavior, genetics and other factors in the development of canine diseases like cancer. The best part is that the Foundation is running results in real-time and publishing findings as soon as solid data emerges.
“When we look at the similarities among animal species, we can see that there will be health risk or benefit factors that we can extrapolate from this study to other dog breeds or even to other animals,” Dr. David Haworth, DVM, PhD, and President/CEO of the Morris Foundation said. “The study will provide its own revelations about risk factors and disease correlations, and possible causations, as well as lead us to new areas of scientific inquiry both in veterinary and human medicine.”
Dogs helping dogs, dogs helping other species, and dogs helping humans, after all we live in the same houses, breath the same air, drink the same water…..One health one medicine.
I would also like to note that the Retriever’s owners voluntarily enrolled their pets into this amazing study
I thought that it was interesting when you said that there are certain health risks associated with different dog breeds that lead to the necessity of health monitoring and testing by a professional in order to ensure longevity in their life. I have been thinking about buying a dog but I have been worried that I would get too attached to a pet and have a hard time when they pass away. I would be sure to take my pet to the veterinarian for routine check-ups to make sure that their health was in order so that they would live for a long time.