I’m a vet, and here are five dog breeds most prone to cancer – including Golden Retrievers

A British vet has revealed five dog breed that are especially prone to cancer in a highly-viewed video on TikTok – including Boxers and Golden Retrievers.

Taking to the platform, the creator known as @ben.the.vet, said some breeds are more prone to cancer than others.

He explained: ‘We know some dog breeds get cancer a lot more than others and that unfortunately has a lot to do with their genetics.’

Ben also noted that the breeds he was planning to list are not ‘necessarily in ascending order’.

He added that there have ‘been lots of studies over the years in different countries, and they all have a slightly different top five’.

However, he went on, the breeds he was listing ‘always tend to feature quite high up on the list’. 

In the clip, he says: ‘Number five is the boxer, and with them, it’s quite a wide range of cancers that they’re prone to.’

These include brain tumours, fibroid tumours, and lymphoma.

Another, he says, is ‘a type of skin tumour called a mast cell tumour which they’re at 10 times higher risk of developing than crossbreed dogs’.

Moving onto number four, he continues: ‘[This one] makes me really sad because I love Golden Retriever, but they do get cancer a lot. 

‘About one in five of them get a type of aggressive cancer called hemangiosarcoma, which grows on the wall of blood vessels, most commonly in the spleen.

‘Unfortunately, these tumours can burst and cause massive internal bleeding. And often that’s the first sign that we get that there’s a tumour there.’

The third dog Ben lists in the video is the Rottweiler. He explains: ‘One study in the UK found 45 per cent of them die of cancer.

Golden Retrievers are among the dog breeds most prone to cancer, including to vet Ben, who based his video on the findings of myriad studies

‘According to cancer research in humans, that statistic is about 24 per cent. And studies have found a similar sort of percentage in purebred dogs generally, so that is really high.’

Ben notes that Rottweilers are ‘especially prone to a type of bone tumour called osteosarcoma, which most commonly affects large and giant breed dogs’.  

Continuing, he says: ‘Number two is the Bernese Mountain Dog and it’s a shame because they are awesome dogs, but again, so prone to cancer. 

‘Some studies have found that they die of cancer more than all other causes of death combined. 

While Flat-coated Retrievers (pictured) are great family pets, according to Ben, he says people should consider their health issues before taking one on

‘The type of cancer they’re particularly prone to is called histiocytic sarcoma, which is extremely rare in humans to the point that Bernese Mountain dogs have been used as a genetic model to understand the disease better than humans.’ 

The final dog in the video is the Flat Coated Retriever.

Describing the breed, Ben says: ‘I think they’re wonderful family dogs and I love Flat Coated Retrievers, but I just couldn’t deal with the heartache of having to lose them so predictably.

‘Because again, it is getting on for half of them that die of cancer and they’re prone to the same type of unusual cancer that the Bernese Mountain dogs get as well.’

Rottweilers (pictured) are another of the dogs breeds that is prone to cancer, notably a type of bone tumour called osteosarcoma

Going on to describe the condition, he says: ‘It’s a weird type of cancer because it can grow from the spleen, but also from the connective tissue and muscles of the limbs.’

Concluding the clip, Ben suggests that viewers consider this type of health information when deciding what dog to get.

He says: ‘[If] one of these breeds is on your list, just think really carefully before making that decision, because it’s not possible to help test for these kinds of cancers. 

‘And if you have one of these dog breeds already, just be particularly vigilant when they reach middle age.

‘Anything that’s not right, just contact your vet. It’s always best to catch cancer early, same as in humans.’