Cancer-detection dogs at work in the UK, and with the approval of the National Health Service.
Medical Detection Dogs has recently received approval for the UK's first prostate, kidney and bladder cancer detection trial using the organisation's specially trained dogs to detect cancer through their sense of smell (olfactory) from samples of urine. So now, not only do we have
livestock guarding dogs to help farmers or
avalanche search and rescue dogs to search for missing people, man's best friend could become a valuable collaborator in healthcare diagnosis too.
The role of the canine nose
The United States of America and the United Kingdom are pioneers of cancer-detection dog training through the work of foundations that train up these special dogs, however other European countries have also made progress in this area. For example, the University of Helsinki's
project Wise Nose trained up 12 disease-detecting dogs while in Italy, a few years back, the medical and research centre
Humanitas tested dogs as a diagnostic aid in collaboration with the Cynophilist unit of the Italian Army.The canine nose is far superior to the human one, having 10 times the number of smell receptors. Dogs aren't able to precisely locate the cancer however, but thanks to their noses' heightened sensitivity, they are able to find
anomalies in the smell of human substances (such as urine) that indicate a potential problem. Just a few months ago,
Frankie, a rescue dog, 'assistant' to researchers at the University of Arkansas found fame by successfully sniffing our
thyroid cancer in 30 out of 34 patient samples. Frankie was trained to lie down when he sensed ‘cancer' in patient samples and turn away when the urine appeared clean. Similar tests were also carried out with prostate, breast and bladder cancer.
The use of cancer-detection dogs: an opportunity for new discoveries
The idea of dogs doing the rounds of hospital wards alongside the doctors is a little far fetched: however, it seems our four-legged friends may be used to sniff patient samples for disease detection in the very near future whether in the places they are trained or in special laboratories. And, as demonstrated by Frankie, there is no distinction between pedigree or shelter dogs as to their inbuilt talent:
it's the nose, not pedigree that counts! As well as aiming to make clinical examinations less invasive, the ultimate ambition of these studies, is to understand exactly how dogs are able to find tumours. Then, in the future it may be possible to develop an
electronic nose similar to the canine one. This medical advancement may still be a long way off: but what is certain is that fact that dogs have so much more potential than previously thought.
Photo:The Guardian
Arousing fear and an almost reverential respect but also a certain curiosity about its hidden meaning: howling is the distinctive call of the wolf, but is also used, on...
Man and dog built their special relationship millennia ago through the gradual process of domestication of the wolves. From an initial sporadic contact between humans...
Dogs in winter, just like cats, adapt to the changing temperatures. Dr Maria Grazia Calore, veterinary doctor and expert in pet behaviour, illustrates the physical and...
Dogs and Cats are not great fans of New Year's Eve fireworks. In fact, the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers have been linked to dogs going missing and even deaths of...
Just like cats and of course humans, even dogs use body language to express their emotions or request interaction. When dogs tremble, for example, they are expressing...
Dogs always seem so happy when their owners return home: have you ever wondered why happy behaviour, such as tail wagging is present no matter what the duration of your...
How to give medicines to our dogs and cats? We've just been to the vet and if we want our pet to heal, we have no choice, we must give them their meds. It is therefore...