Article posted: 1/26/2013 5:00 AM

Golden retrievers key to lifetime dog cancer study

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Dr. Rodney L. Page, professor of oncology and director of the CSU Flint Animal Cancer Center, with a golden retriever named Winston at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colo. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study will be the largest and longest study of dogs ever conducted.

Courtesy of Colorado State University

Golden retriever, Louie Mesinger, in his backyard in Boulder, Colo. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study will be the largest and longest study of dogs ever conducted.

Courtesy of Colorado State University

About this Article

When Jay Mesinger heard about a study seeking golden retrievers to help fight canine cancer, he immediately signed up 2-year-old Louie. He and his wife know firsthand the toll of canine cancer: Louie is their fourth golden retriever. The first three died of cancer. For Louie and 2,999 other purebred goldens, it will be the study of a lifetime. Their lives — usually a 10- to 14-year span — will be tracked for genetic, nutritional and environmental risks to help scientists and veterinarians find ways to prevent canine cancer.