Scientists studying golden retrievers to understand why the dogs are dying sooner

Many of the beloved dogs die of cancer

Golden retrievers (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Scientists attempting to pinpoint why golden retriever dogs are living shorter lives, hope their results could also help humans.

The Morris Animal Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Colorado, established the first lifetime study of 3,000 purebred golden in 2012 to review the health conditions and environmental factors facing golden retrievers across the US.

The dogs taking part in the study hail from every US state, and around half are male and half are female, with half of each sex netuered.

Diseases which affect the breed more than any other in the US include bone cancer, lymphoma and a cancer of the blood vessels.

And as humans carry 95 percent of the same DNA, the research could help us, too.

Dr David Haworth, president and CEO of the foundation, which invested multi-million dollar study, told AP: "Canine cancer has become a dog owner's greatest fear.

"You don't see dogs running loose that much anymore, we don't see a lot of infectious diseases, and the vaccines we have today are very good, so our concerns are warranted," he added.

Dr Michael Lappin, who has 19 patients from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, in the study, said vets do not yet know enough to extend the lives of retrievers.

When Dr Lappin graduated from veterinary school in 1972, golden retrievers lived 16 or 17 years. Now the figure is as low as nine or 10 years.

He said the most useful information will come after six or seven years of work, and he therefore hopes information gathered from pet owners - particularly on cancer, obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions – will aid the study in the meantime.

Pet owners taking part in the study monitor how everything from travelling to the temperature affects their dogs.

Vets also collect blood, waste, and hair and nail samples annually in an attempt to pinpoint common factors among dogs that go on to develop cancer or other diseases.

Early results have revealed that 33 percent of the dogs, which are 1 to 5 years old, had skin disease or ear infections. A further 17 percent had gastrointestinal illnesses, while 11 percent had urinary disease.

"Everyone involved will feel the burden it will take to be able to say, 'I am playing a role in stopping cancer in these animals I love'," Dr Haworth said.

The study comes after scientists discovered that household noises including the crinkle of tinfoil can trigger seizures in cats, if the creatures suffer from a rare condition similar to audiogenic epilepsy in humans.

Additional reporting by AP