Golden Retrievers have one of the highest lifetime cancer rates of any dog breed — a landmark breed-club health survey found roughly six in ten died of cancer, and while the exact figure varies by study, every major survey agrees cancer, not old age, is what usually kills this breed.
13.2years, median
0.7 years above the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 15,758 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 13.1 to 13.2 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, large breeds as a group had a median of 11.9 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is large and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
Golden Retriever Club of America sets the tests a Golden Retriever needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation or PennHIP, 24 months or older)
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, 24 months or older)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist (within 12 months of breeding)
- Cardiac Evaluation (ACVIM board-certified cardiologist, 12 months or older)
- Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 5 (NCL, Golden Retriever type) DNA test
When to spay or neuter a Golden Retriever: the UC Davis study of 35 breeds has a suggested guideline for the breed. For males it is a year or later. For females, a year or later, or leave intact; the cancer increase came at every spay age. The spay and neuter page has the numbers behind it and what the guidelines say for a dog this size.
Eye ulcers: Golden Retrievers are one of the breeds prone to the slow-healing kind, the one drops alone do not fix. If an ulcer has not healed in a week, ask whether it is this kind. The eye ulcer page has the signs and the treatment.
Itchy skin: Merck lists the Golden Retriever among the breeds prone to atopic dermatitis, a lifelong allergy to things like pollen, mold and dust that usually starts between six months and three years of age. Why does my dog keep itching? has how vets tell it apart from fleas, mites and food allergy, and the treatments.
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy (GR-PRA1, GR-PRA2, prcd-PRA) DNA tests
- Ichthyosis (ICH1) DNA test
- Degenerative Myelopathy DNA test
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Golden Retriever near you
Shelters and rescues list Golden Retrievers and Golden Retriever mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
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Living with a Golden Retriever
Goldens are affectionate, biddable, and genuinely easy to train, which is why they're everywhere — but that popularity has come with heavy use of a relatively small number of sires, and a cancer rate that means many families lose a beloved dog in its prime, often before age 10. They need daily exercise and heavy, near-constant grooming for a shedding double coat, and they stay mouthy retrievers — carrying, chewing, and 'gifting' objects — well into adulthood.
Health you should know about
- Cancer — the Golden Retriever Club of America's national health survey found 61% of Golden Retrievers died of cancer, and later GRCA survey data still shows cancer as the largest single cause of death; hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma are the biggest contributors.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia — joint malformation common enough in the breed that OFA screening of breeding stock is routine.
- Hypothyroidism — an underactive thyroid requiring lifelong daily medication; one of the more commonly diagnosed endocrine conditions in the breed.
- Subvalvular aortic stenosis and other heart conditions — a heritable narrowing near the heart valve found at above-average rates in Goldens, sometimes causing sudden collapse.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Golden Retriever? Scottish dog and cat names, 79 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 5 references
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
- https://grca.org/about-the-breed/health-research/electronic-health-survey-resu
- https://abc13.com/post/study-61-percent-of-golden-retrievers-die-of-cancer/156
- https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/golden-retriever-lifetime-study
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Retriever
Last reviewed October 2026. 5 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.