Dogs are not only labeled as 'man's best friend'; now they can also be trained to detect different types of human diseases including cancer, according to Medical News Today.
The Humane Society of United States reported that there are around 83.3 million owned dogs in the United States alone, proving that the country is a nation of dog lovers. Earlier this year, a research from UK charity Medical Detection Dogs detailed how dogs have the ability to alert their diabetic owners when their blood sugar levels are extremely low. Past research has also revealed how dogs are able to detect clostridium difficile bacteria - a component that causes various types of infections found in feces samples and hospital air.
Dogs are reported to have 125 to 300 million scent glands compared to humans who only have around five million. This proves how sensitive dog's ability to smell and sniff is. Ralph Hendrix, executive director of Dogs4Diabetics - a US organization founded in 2004 that researches, trains and places medical assistance diabetic alert dogs with insulin-dependent diabetics - said: "We believe all diseases have scent associated with it, due to the changes occurring within the body, with different organs expressing different chemical compounds."
"These scents are evident in breath and sweat. Dogs have highly sensitive senses and can learn to recognize symptoms from many types of disorders. In our work, they are not taught to react to symptoms, but to scent," he added. However, dogs do not automatically adapt to detection of these scents. Trainers should ensure that dogs carry out the correct smell for their job. Prior to training, dogs should also meet a set of criteria that will qualify them for the 'job'. "The criterion ranges from their behavior characteristics, their relationships with human including their ability to bond and their willingness to please, their environment soundness, their work ethic, motivations, response to reward and more," said Hendrix.
