Cohort profile: The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study (GRLS)

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Canine Health Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Cancer and other diseases are significant health concerns in Golden Retrievers.
• Identifying risk factors is crucial for improving canine longevity and well-being.
• Prospective cohort studies provide valuable long-term health data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study (GRLS) design and methodology.
• To investigate nutritional, environmental, lifestyle, and genetic risk factors for canine diseases.
• To establish a comprehensive dataset for cancer and common disease research in dogs.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study enrolling 3,044 Golden Retrievers (6 months to 2 years).
• Annual owner/veterinarian questionnaires on lifestyle, environment, diet, and health.
• Annual veterinary exams, biospecimen collection (blood, hair, urine, feces), and biobanking.
• Histopathology and necropsies for diagnosed malignancies and deaths.

Main Results:

• Enrollment completed by 3,044 dogs between June 2012 and April 2015.
• As of May 2021, 2,251 dogs remain active, 352 have died, 441 lost to follow-up.
• Extensive data on lifestyle, environment, and health outcomes collected.

Conclusions:

• The GRLS provides a rich, longitudinal dataset for canine health research.
• Data and biospecimens are available to researchers for investigating disease etiology.
• Findings will contribute to understanding and preventing cancer and other diseases in dogs.