1. Cancer
This might be the most well-known condition that dogs are able to detect. Our buddies are famous for sniffing out more types of cancer, including lung cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.
Have you heard about all of those stories where a dog suddenly becomes extremely interested in a mole on its owner, sniffing that place constantly, and after a visit to the doctor, the owner finds out they have cancer? These stories are pretty common, and that is not a coincidence.
In 2019, researchers led a study and found out that dogs are able to detect the blood samples of people who suffer from cancer with an accuracy of 97%. In order to conduct this study, they used four clicker-trained beagles. These dogs were successful in identifying the illness, with one exception. This study is part of a larger one, and the subject of the research is canine scent detection in breast cancer and non-small-cell lung carcinoma samples.
Another study that was published in 2020 showed that when trained dogs needed to identify the urine samples of patients suffering from cervical cancer and separate them from samples that came from healthy individuals, dogs were able to do that with an accuracy of 100%.
As you can see, pups are very good at finding out if you have cancer, even before you go to the doctor for your annual checkup. If you notice that your dog is suddenly becoming obsessed and keeps sniffing or linking a lesion to your body, this might be a sign of alarm, so better check with a professional.
14 Responses
I have a 2 year old St. Bernard who can detect low blood sugar and wakes me up when mine drops dangerously low.
Very. Helpful.
That is so awesome! I hope you give him anything he wants! ( he ‘s big enough, so I guess you’d better!) You truely have a wonderful friend.
My Aussie sniffed my lymphoma 1 year before medical detection. Wanted to sniff my affected nodes & tell me. Same dog who smelled my steak on the table but could reach it. Chairs were pulled under table and he took his paw & pulled out the chair & put his front paws on the seat to reach the steak. Amazing dog—in heaven now waiting for me.
That’s really interesting
We have three dogs that we trained ourselves. No med training at all. Yet they still can and have sensed when something was wrong with me back in 2020. They helped save my life. There was another time after that they saved their daddy’s life too. He was about to have a heartattck. The doctors were amazed that the dogs can do all of that. They said yes they saved you. So they have a forever home. One has been detecting my brother’s blood sugar being low. So she has been staying by his side. The Other dogs aren’t being allowed inside families house at the moment. We are only visiting with them right now.
My yorkie lets me know if I’m about to do something that will piss my wife off by bringing me a beer.
Would like to know more about how amazing our companions are? From smelling diseases to knowing how to tell when they need care and attention.
I would like to know of places that train dogs for this.
Where can you have your dog trained to help owners?
I had a bad case of bronchitis and strangled and quit breathing on mucus. My dog started head butting me just below the rib cage. Until I gasped a breath. I had sore belly and ribs but he saved my life.
how would i know how my dog is trying to tell me something, i have high blood pressure and anxitey and diebities, he’s always following me around the house but i don’t know what he’s trying to tell me, how can i get help so i’ll know what he’s trying to tell me. Vivian
When I was a teenager, I gave a Lab/Doberman mix puppy to one of my friends. My friend and her mother were epileptic. When the puppy was around 1-2 years old, she started alerting them when they were about to have a seizure! No special training, she just started doing it on her own! She would paw at them and whine non-stop until they acknowledged what was happening. Dogs are amazing!❤️
I would like to know where I could get my dog some training for this