Question About Colors And Cancer

[Guest borzoix4]

Somewhere out there in the future, there is a brindle girl with my name on her. However I have a question.

In some breeds ( Danes and Boxers come to mind) the Brindles are of the cancer numbers, more likely to get cancer. Now realizing that the sighthounds are the oldest of the breeds, and many medical conditions do not apply to them, but still I was wondering,-

Is there a higher incidence of cancer in the Brindle Greyhounds?

Edited December 5, 2010 by borzoix4

[Tallgreydogmom]

We have had 7 with cancer. Four of them were brindle's of various shades. I would look at their pedigree rather than their color. I think there are just a lot more greyhounds that are brindle than say fawn or cowdoggie. I did have two cowdiggie's with cancer, both were white and fawn.

[grey8greys]

I have never heard of color being a factor in getting cancer, my first greyhound Flossie was a fawn and cancer took her away from me.

[Guest PhillyPups]

Cancer, sadly enough, in my unmedical opinion, is an equal opportunity disease.

 

I lost SugarBear, a blue fawn (14.5 year old); TigerPower, a red (10 years old); Zeus, a blue (10 years old) all to cancer. I am now facing our arch-enemy once again with Gremlin, a brindle (12-3/4 years old). I don't think cancer cares about color it will rear. Its ugly head when it does. This is not scientific, just based on my personal journey with greyhounds.

 

But then my adoptions have never been based on color, just on personality and needs. I can't pick by color, which may be because my sister was the "golden haired child and I was the dark one.

 

I have been blessed to at least get to double digits with each them.

Edited December 5, 2010 by PhillyPups

[Guest borzoix4]

We have had 7 with cancer. Four of them were brindle's of various shades. I would look at their pedigree rather than their color. I think there are just a lot more greyhounds that are brindle than say fawn or cowdoggie. I did have two cowdiggie's with cancer, both were white and fawn.

Thank you for your reply. If however one were adopting a racer, how would one be able to look into the pedigrees to determine genetic suseptability?

[packmom]

2 brindles, 3 cowdogs, 2 reds, all with various forms of cancer. However the brindles and a red were the ones with bone cancers.

[silverfish]

I've lost two to cancer; a ticked white to kidney cancer and a brindle to a soft tissue cancer in her spine. I think it's just that brindle is one of the more common colours. I bet you find a 'high incidence' in blacks, too.

[Guest borzoix4]

Thank you all for your replies. Would you mind putting down if the dog was s/n? There have been studies involving that as well in general with dogs.

[oldrunners]

Two of my four blacks...

[Guest PhillyPups]

We have had 7 with cancer. Four of them were brindle's of various shades. I would look at their pedigree rather than their color. I think there are just a lot more greyhounds that are brindle than say fawn or cowdoggie. I did have two cowdiggie's with cancer, both were white and fawn.

Thank you for your reply. If however one were adopting a racer, how would one be able to look into the pedigrees to determine genetic suseptability?

 

You can check their pedigrees through Greyhound Breed and Data base. I have gotten lines back to early 1800's, I check for relatives. I am thinking checking for "deficiencies in bloodlines" is similar to checking for conformity, more in the show thought process.

[Guest krystolla]

I've never heard of brindle dogs being more likely to get cancer, couldn't find even rumors of it online. My google mojo must be off.

 

The only color-cancer-connection I've heard is that white and pale colored dogs (and cats) are more prone to skin cancers because having less pigment gives them less protection from the sun. If brindles are more likely to get cancer in certain breeds, that might be the effect of a particularly popular sire of a certain color rather than a problem with the color itself. Personally, I think lifestyle and diet have more effect on cancer statistics than colors.

 

So if you find your brindle girl, don't let potential cancer statistics get in your way! Heck, I'd say don't let speed limits get in your way either.

[Guest borzoix4]

I've never heard of brindle dogs being more likely to get cancer, couldn't find even rumors of it online. My google mojo must be off.

 

The only color-cancer-connection I've heard is that white and pale colored dogs (and cats) are more prone to skin cancers because having less pigment gives them less protection from the sun. If brindles are more likely to get cancer in certain breeds, that might be the effect of a particularly popular sire of a certain color rather than a problem with the color itself. Personally, I think lifestyle and diet have more effect on cancer statistics than colors.

 

So if you find your brindle girl, don't let potential cancer statistics get in your way! Heck, I'd say don't let speed limits get in your way either.

Who me??? Speed??? ohhh not me LOL

Honestly though on topic, it would not deter me but I would want to be aware of it if nothing else maybe medical prevention and as mentioned- diet modifications with immune supports, etc.

[GeorgeofNE]

The sad truth is that, according to Dr. Couto, the expert, approximately 1 in 5 NGA hounds will get bone cancer.

 

I don't know about other forms of cancer, as when I heard Dr. Couto talk, he was talking about bone cancer.

 

Color has nothing to do with it. Racing or not has nothing to do with it. There has yet to be a concerted effort to determine which lines are more prone to it (at least that I've heard of). Because AKC Greyhounds rarely get bone cancer (no more prone to it than any other breed of dog), they have decided it MUST be genetic since the breeding lines are different for AKC versus NGA hounds.

[Guest borzoix4]

The sad truth is that, according to Dr. Couto, the expert, approximately 1 in 5 NGA hounds will get bone cancer.

 

I don't know about other forms of cancer, as when I heard Dr. Couto talk, he was talking about bone cancer.

 

Color has nothing to do with it. Racing or not has nothing to do with it. There has yet to be a concerted effort to determine which lines are more prone to it (at least that I've heard of). Because AKC Greyhounds rarely get bone cancer (no more prone to it than any other breed of dog), they have decided it MUST be genetic since the breeding lines are different for AKC versus NGA hounds.

Interesting information. Thank you.

[45MPHK9]

We just heard Dr. Couto speak at the Greyhounds Rock event in October. He mentioned that the Broad Institute at Harvard/MIT is currently looking at the greyhound genome to see if racers with bone cancer have different genes than racers without bone cancer. You can read a summary of their current and future research projects here.

 

The Broad Institute still needs DNA samples from greyhounds suffering from osteosarcoma, as well as from older, healthy greyhounds.

Edited December 6, 2010 by 45MPHK9

[Guest Vers]

This is an interesting question; makes me wish I'd gone into research. Like others here, I've not heard that certain colors are more prone to cancer except for the connection of white hounds and skin cancer (but than again, I had a black indoor cat who developed skin cancer -- you never know). The argument that cancer , especially osteo in greys, must be genetic could hold true, but I have doubts. It is possible that the stress and strain on muscle and bone in training and racing predisposes the cells to cancer. Or, it could be both hereditary (genetic) and environmental (racing). And here's where I wish that research leads to treatment of all types of cancer and spares us heartbreak.

[seeh2o]

We just heard Dr. Couto speak at the Greyhounds Rock event in October. He mentioned that the Broad Institute at Harvard/MIT is currently looking at the greyhound genome to see if racers with bone cancer have different genes than racers without bone cancer. You can read a summary of their current and future research projects here.

 

The Broad Institute still needs DNA samples from greyhounds suffering from osteosarcoma, as well as from older, healthy greyhounds.

Thanks so much for posting that link, it was really interesting to see what is going on.

[cmc333]

I have a brindle, a fawn, and a black hound. Black one has thyroid and osteo both and she never raced. And she's only 9... she'll skew all statistics. I really think it's just the (un)lucky chance of a draw.

 

No matter what, it is horrible. Horrible.

 

Connie

[robinw]

What an odd question. Would you choose a dog of a different colour if there was a correlation between brindle and cancer? Personally, I'm not sure f that's information I would want to know.

[Batmom]

Are we talking backyard breeding or something? No higher incidence of cancer or any other disease in brindle vs. fawn boxers that any of the show-line boxer breeders I know are aware of.

[MP_the4pack]

One brindle, one black, one white/black.

 

The black and white/black were sisters, two different types of cancer.

 

And there could be a 'higher' number of brindles with cancer if there are more brindles to begin with. Greyhounds have more brindles and blacks than other colors. So, you would see more cancer in those colors.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

Is there a higher incidence of cancer in the Brindle Greyhounds?

the simple answer

NO

[Charlies_Dad]

The sad truth is that, according to Dr. Couto, the expert, approximately 1 in 5 NGA hounds will get bone cancer.

 

I don't know about other forms of cancer, as when I heard Dr. Couto talk, he was talking about bone cancer.

 

Color has nothing to do with it. Racing or not has nothing to do with it. There has yet to be a concerted effort to determine which lines are more prone to it (at least that I've heard of). Because AKC Greyhounds rarely get bone cancer (no more prone to it than any other breed of dog), they have decided it MUST be genetic since the breeding lines are different for AKC versus NGA hounds.

 

I thought I had read that research has increased the odds to something like 1 in 4 or 1 in 3 (25-35%) for NGA hounds. I agree colour has nothing to do with it and am in agreement with genetics being the top cause however I also believe racing does have something to do with it. Research has shown that bone cancer specifically has shown to appear often where a pup has injured/broken their leg in racing/practice. It could be considered coincidence however the numbers seem to indicate this.

[Guest borzoix4]

What an odd question. Would you choose a dog of a different colour if there was a correlation between brindle and cancer? Personally, I'm not sure f that's information I would want to know.

With any breed, any color, any sex of a breed, it would be better to have knowledge of a predisposition to something than not is why I am asking. Add that most dogs that have bone cancer its already known that early s/n is one of the causes. Or put it this way- more s/n dogs have bone cancer as well as structural weakness ie growth plate developement,and weight baring bones etc.

Cancer studies can be vague at best but with any general knowledge of a higher incidence- be it color, genetic lines, or even suceptability, I have found awareness as more probable is a wise thing to have.

 

 

Are we talking backyard breeding or something? No higher incidence of cancer or any other disease in brindle vs. fawn boxers that any of the show-line boxer breeders I know are aware of.

As far as boxers its hard to say without saying the study of said including the people etc, and no- not a byb. However- the boxer reference was used as an example as I am looking to replies about Greys.

[Guest borzoix4]

One brindle, one black, one white/black.

 

The black and white/black were sisters, two different types of cancer.

 

And there could be a 'higher' number of brindles with cancer if there are more brindles to begin with. Greyhounds have more brindles and blacks than other colors. So, you would see more cancer in those colors.

Exactly why I am asking. If say of 100 greys and of that number there were say 5 brindles in that pack of 100. Then lets say that40 were found to have cancer. And of that 100 original greys that had 5 brindles, and of the colors that had cancer say all 5 brindles were in the 40 group- you would get a ratio of 100% have cancer in that fictitious test group I used for example.

 

Now- if there were more blacks and more brindles in the breed to start with, that certainly would explain why higher numbers from the get go if the results was just as asque as my fictious example I listed.

 

The sad truth is that, according to Dr. Couto, the expert, approximately 1 in 5 NGA hounds will get bone cancer.

 

I don't know about other forms of cancer, as when I heard Dr. Couto talk, he was talking about bone cancer.

 

Color has nothing to do with it. Racing or not has nothing to do with it. There has yet to be a concerted effort to determine which lines are more prone to it (at least that I've heard of). Because AKC Greyhounds rarely get bone cancer (no more prone to it than any other breed of dog), they have decided it MUST be genetic since the breeding lines are different for AKC versus NGA hounds.

 

I thought I had read that research has increased the odds to something like 1 in 4 or 1 in 3 (25-35%) for NGA hounds. I agree colour has nothing to do with it and am in agreement with genetics being the top cause however I also believe racing does have something to do with it. Research has shown that bone cancer specifically has shown to appear often where a pup has injured/broken their leg in racing/practice. It could be considered coincidence however the numbers seem to indicate this.

Yea but I have a therary on that one all ready. The fact is in looking up the foods fed to racers, they are sponsered by food companies that used Ethoxyquin in the past and also buy from rendering plants that do not have to list if the ethoxyquin was used in the first place.