This code shows how to add a timeout to your function in go.

test_timeout.go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
)

func work(ch chan int) {
    time.Sleep(5000 * time.Millisecond)
    ch <- 12345
}

func main() {
    c := make(chan int, 1)

    go work(c)

    select {
        case res := <-c:
            fmt.Println("result:", res)

        case <-time.After(1000 * time.Millisecond):
            fmt.Println("error: timeout")
    }
}

// Refer to: http://code.google.com/p/go-wiki/wiki/Timeouts