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Is There A Doctor — Or Dog — In The House?
Canine Sense Of Smell Could Help Diagnose Disease.

By Molly Masland
Health Editor, MSNBC
Updated: 3:52 a.m. ET June 21, 2004
© 2004 MSNBC Interactive

The next time your dog decides to dive belly first into a pile of rotting fish or writhe in ecstasy in another dog’s feces, keep in mind that this seemingly horrifying urge could one day help save your life.

Dogs have long been used to sniff out explosives and drugs, track criminals and find missing children. Now, researchers are attempting to harness the olfactory powers of canines for use in the field of medicine. Scientists are training dogs in the hopes that they may one day be able to reliably diagnose certain forms of cancer by smell, and help doctors catch these diseases earlier than conventional diagnostic tools currently allow.

Already dogs are used to warn of epileptic seizures, low blood sugar and heart attacks, although whether they are detecting changes in smell or physical behavior is still unknown. And, while they may not be able to perform CPR or operate a cardiac defibrillator (at least not yet), some canines do know how to call 911.

‘This isn’t anything magic’

Much of the research in this area is based on the theory that disease causes subtle chemical changes in the body or alterations in metabolism, which in turn releases a different smell, or chemical marker.

“This isn’t anything magic,” says Dr. Larry Myers, associate professor at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in Auburn, Ala., who has personally tested the olfactory capabilities of more than 4,000 dogs over the last two decades. “Physicians have always used their own senses to determine the presence or absence of disease.”

For instance, diabetes was once diagnosed by the smell or taste of a patient’s urine. Certain infections in burn victims can be detected by the smell of a patient’s skin, and bad breath is often a sign of gum disease.

Recent small-scale studies of dogs’ ability to detect the chemical markers of cancer, specifically melanoma, have shown promising results. The phenomenon was first briefly reported in 1989 in the British journal The Lancet and, since then, preliminary evidence has slowly been accumulating that suggests dogs may indeed be able to differentiate between healthy skin cells and cancerous ones.

A sophisticated sense of smell

Work is also under way to determine whether dogs can accurately diagnose prostate cancer. If the thought of a dog sniffing your private parts sounds just a little too, well, weird, have no fear: The dogs don’t actually smell men’s genitalia directly, they sniff urine samples instead.

Part of what makes a dog’s sense of smell so sophisticated is its ability to smell multiple layers of chemicals, says Myers. Dogs don’t detect a single chemical but a combination of them. “If (they were identifying) just a single chemical, medicine might have picked up on it. The dog may be doing something a little better,” says Myers.

Surprisingly enough, no breed has a monopoly in the olfactory department; most studies have involved a number of different kinds of dogs. “There’s this mythology behind the bloodhound, but I’ve tested a miniature poodle that had a sense of smell that was as good as the bloodhound’s,” says Myers. “There’s enormous variability within the breed and on an individual level.”

The biggest challenge for scientists lies in designing experiments that can accurately determine dogs’ success rate in detecting disease and whether or not they perform better than existing diagnostic methods. Implementing rigorous controls has been a major obstacle, as has been finding adequate numbers of willing patients and doctors.

Correctly training the dogs themselves has also posed a difficulty for researchers. “You’re asking the dog to discriminate something by smell without knowing what the smell is,” says Dr. Jim Walker, director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University, whose research on training dogs to detect melanoma will be published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

While it’s unlikely a canine will be joining the cast of ER anytime soon, researchers say if dogs do turn out to possess an ability to accurately detect disease, they could make a significant contribution to public health.

“It’s going to be very useful for large-scale screening of populations,” says Myers. “And it’s certainly going to be effective in third-world countries that don’t have the resources to do sophisticated (laboratory) tests.”

‘He’s given me my life’

Dogs that diagnose cancer may be a ways away, but some medical pooches are already on the job, warning their owners of epileptic seizures, high blood pressure, heart attacks, migraines and low blood sugar.

Leigh Meyer, of Huntersville, N.C., has suffered from severe epilepsy since she was 17. Now 35, Meyer credits her ability to live independently and take care of her four daughters to her seizure alert dog Cyrano. “He’s given me my life,” says Meyer. “He’s offered me a chance to have a little bit of normalcy.”

A giant schnauzer who spends most of his time as a docile couch potato, Cyrano’s mood changes abruptly about 30 minutes before the onset of Meyer’s seizures. Suddenly he becomes nervous and antsy, and begins pawing at Meyer and leaning on her. This signal gives her time to stop whatever she’s doing, move away from her children and prepare.

Once the seizure starts, Cyrano stands next to her until the episode is over, usually from two to four minutes. Because Meyer’s seizures are often very violent — she has broken several fingers, both collar bones and her feet during convulsions — she relies on Cyrano to keep her children out of the way. And, if a seizure occurs in a public location, she has taught him to herd the children to prevent them from wandering off.

Little research has been done to unravel the mystery behind dogs’ ability to warn of a seizure or other medical crisis, but most observers believe it is based on canines’ keen observational skills, sense of smell, or a combination of both.

“There would have to be some type of chemical change or physiological change in the body,” says Sharon Hermansen, executive director of Canine Seizure Assist Society of North Carolina, and Cyrano’s trainer. “People can’t tell when (a seizure) is coming on, so there’s something the dogs are doing that we can’t figure out.”

Each pooch chooses its own signals

Whether a dog has been trained to predict seizures, heart attacks or low blood sugar in diabetics, each animal develops its own set of signals to warn its owner. Some will walk in front of a person and refuse to move, others will knock their owner into a chair, while some will simply freeze and stare.

And yes, dogs have even been trained to call 911 on their own in the event of a medical emergency. Given that most telephones aren’t made for use by large furry paws, trainers have had to use more dog-friendly devices, such as step lights and pull cords, says Joan Bussard, founder of Amazing Tails Inc., a service and alert dog training program based in Oxford, Pa.

The most difficult part of training alert dogs is not teaching them to warn of a medical crisis — they can either do this on their own or they can’t — but training owners to recognize their pet’s signals, says Bussard.

“Sometimes it’s very clear and other times it’s very subtle. You have to play a guessing game,” says Bussard. “When they learn to talk, we’ll be in good shape.”

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From the Presidents Desk

From the Training Director

I am just coming off of a two-month hiatus. I apologize for not getting any articles out but between an illness and a move, plenty of items had to be put on back burner. Even my dogs have had a respite from training. I found that I had to give Niki my girl something to do or she got very bored, lethargic and by the looks of it depressed.

We are mostly settled now in our new home. We have moved to North Carolina about 15 miles north of Elizabeth City. Our new place has 5.2 acres of cleared field, a lovely one-year-old ranch home, very little traffic, half the taxes, and no yellow flies. I still commute two days a week to Hampton Roads so I will still be involved in affairs at PCOTC.

Already we are happy to be back to country living. Where rush hour traffic is three stoplights and five cars. Where I can walk out the back door and just keep going and going and going. Where my dogs can run the fields and fetch bumpers without a half hour drive. Where my neighbors on both sides have horses we can watch, one even has a colt we love to watch frolic around the pasture. Many of you may not know but my husband and I lived in the country in Western New York before moving to Virginia. It feels good to be home again.

I am back at training and getting ready for Tidelands Poodle Clubs obedience trial. Tank needs one more leg for his AKC CD and Niki is still working towards her AKC CDX. I hope to see some of you at the trials this summer.

We have started our third session of basic classes with Mark McCuen and David Hamel instructing. Our flyers are being revised with new contact numbers on them. I will be bringing them to classes soon for every one to distribute at their vets offices and local businesses. In order to keep our classes full we must keep our name in the public eye. There is stiff competition out their now for classes but ours is still a superior program and a great bargain. So tell your friends and neighbors about us. In order to keep the use of the armory we must keep our classes full.

Our third session of advanced class is also underway with Lee Hussey teaching a Rally class. Lee has applied for her rally judging license; we wish her luck.

I see a few new puppies out there with our members and I have heard of a few more who have gotten the puppy bug. It can be a contagious condition so be careful or you might catch it.

See you at class!

Accomplishments!

From Maggie Hayes:

Snap took second place in his division at the Rappahanock River Retriever Club’s Super Singles competition held in Remington, VA on July 3. Came home with a pretty red ribbon and a $25 gift certificate to a field training supply company. He’s a good boy...today! : )

Snap pulled a 199 at the C2P2 UKC obedience trial in Apex, NC of July 11. He won the class and was HS Gundog and HS Dog with a Field Title in the trial. He was a very good boy!

Announcements

Many of you are familiar with Rita Phoenix and her agility facilities that were located on Kempsville Road. Rita has been teaching agility since 1996. Recently Rita closed shop and moved her equipment to a new location at 1847 Centerville Turnpike, Chesapeake. The new facilities have a 200 X 120 fenced in agility area with great night time lighting and regulation equipment. You can get more information on their setup and offerings at

www.familydogclub.com/

Belroi Agility Club will also host Agility Show and Go August 29, 2004 Outdoor rain or shine at Belroi Agility and Obedience Center

Three Rings: Ring 1, AKC –Standard;

Ring 2, AKC - Jumps with Weavers;

Ring 3, UKC - AG II .

Registration and Walk Throughs: 8 AM to 9 AM

Judging begins in all three rings at 9 AM

Cost: $5.00 for first run, $3.00 for additional runs in any ring or class with the same dog. Training (food, toys, etc.) in the ring allowed. For more information contact Sam Banks 804 785-7208 or email: ssbanks@inna.net.

Events

Belroi Agility Club & Tidewater Dog Performance 4 UKC Agility Trials At The Belroi Agility and Obedience Center, 6023 Gallopond Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061 Pre-Entries only-No Day of Trial Entries. Limited to 150 Entries Per Trial—Trials are Outdoors—Rain or Shine $16.00 and $13.00 for same dog in same trial. Premium and UKC Entry Form can be downloaded from “http://www.belroiagilityclub.com/” web site.

September 11 & 12: Aiken Dog Training Club Obedience Trials, Aiken SC. 3 judges (Mrs. Jean Porter Lynch, Ms. Patricia Scully, and Mr. Don Young), 3 rings under cover, Rally Obedience, Regular, and non-regular classes. Check out www.infodog.com for more information.

September 19: Hampton Roads Obedience Training Club’s Rally Fun Match at the KOA Campground in Virginia Beach. Novice Rally only. Pre-entries accepted ($5 first entry, $3 additional entry of same dog), day-of entries taken starting at 8:30 am ($6 first entry; $3 additional entry of same dog). CGC and TDI testing on-site. Free parking & admission.

September 25 & 26: Dock Dog contest at Bass Pro Shops in Hampton.

October 9 & 10: 4 UKC licensed obedience trials held in Staten Island, New York. Entries close September 25th or when filled. This is a pre-entry only trial. Entries are $22 for first entry and $18 for second entry of same dog. Judges are Janet Blair and Diane Cohn. For additional info. Email rwisner@si.rr.com

October 30 & 31: Catoctin Kennel Club presents an AKC Obedience Judging Seminar. Judges only October 30. Everyone welcome October 31. Location is Catoctin Kennel Club Training Center, Point of Rocks MD. Contact info: Lamar Solomon at LamarSol@aol.com or 301-695-6613

Responsible Dog Ownership and Rally Match

Plans are underway for a PCOTC event that will coincide with the Chesapeake Humane Society’s annual Bark in the Park. During the September event the PCOTC intends to host a “Responsible Dog Ownership” booth and setup and provide for a Rally Match. We are soliciting for member volunteers that would like to help with the booth or Rally Match. Those interested should contact Denise Call or Leslie Wemhoff.

Member Notes

Thank all of you for your cards and kind thoughts on the our recent loss of Keeper. You really helped us get through a some very sad days. He was a soulmate to me and a great companion to our family and he is missed every day. Lee and Rod Hussey