Therefore, another fascinating characteristic for dogs is their
ability to smell. Dogs have a hyper capacity to track a scent. No
environment for this behavior is expressed more abundantly than while on open
walks. This behavioral instinct is not by accident. The instinct for dogs
to sniff is natural; however, it is also an expression of the species basic need.
For dogs, I believe, this comes down to created purpose.
Incredible
studies indicate that man’s best friend can sniff out cancer. New research out
of Italy has found that dogs can actually detect prostate cancer with an astounding
98% accuracy rate. That is more accurate than some of the most advanced lab
procedures and screening tests.
Dogs
have been shown throughout history with search and rescue, bomb detection,
and now with cancer, tremendous results. There is certainly not enough
research, but the research that is out there is promising. So, the research
concludes, if dogs are able to correlate smells to cancer then it must be
true. Especially, if dogs are detecting
it; smells associated with disease has been going on since the beginning,
dating back to Chinese medicine. There are certain smells associated with specific
diseases. We understand this with diabetes, other diseases, including later
stage cancers, there is an odor that is detectable by humans in latter stages (Dina
Zaphiris: Malibu’s Dog Trainer to the Stars).
The
fact that there is an odor attached to the latter stages of cancer may provide researchers
with further direction on how to attack cancer and may be even illuminate cancer.
The fact that the largest Urology departments in the country are talking about
this study is remarkable. It may be an indication, that we who are in cancer
research need to think about cancer differently and start taking a closer look
at these volatile compounds, for instance in how we conduct screening tests (Dr.
Marty Makary; Prof of Public Health at Johns Hopkins).
Using
positive stimulation where dogs are trained to lay down when detecting the
disease has had a 40% - 90% accuracy rate. A specific combination of odors,
dogs have sniffed out diseases such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate
cancer, lung cancer, colon & bladder cancer, diet, smoking, alcohol and melanoma
have already being utilized in the medical, search & rescue, and law enforcement industries.
Thinking
creatively entails bolstering our understanding that dogs have five times the
number of sensory cells in their noses than humans may be an indication that researchers
should consider airborne particles in
urine samples and/or Breathalyzer tests (Dr. Marty Makary; Prof of Public
Health at Johns Hopkins).
We
can discover cancer in the most bazaar ways.
Where
false positives in screening tests are concerned, dogs have shown to not only
have tremendous olfactory sensitivity, but specificity; which is incredible. This
means, not only can dogs tell us that cancer is present with a higher percentage
of accuracy, but dogs can even tell us when cancer is not present.
Research
dogs are trained to ignore healthy samples; they are also trained to ignore disease
controls. Other diseases that may have
common odors with cancer, therefore, not only are the research dogs highly scientifically
trained, but – across the board, they are giving researchers low false positives. These screening
tests are completely non-invasive. We can train dogs to detect on urine
samples, breath samples, and simple plasma samples. These are again, non-invasive, low cost,
highly accurate methods for early detection and screening for most cancers that
don’t have screening methods today (Dina Zaphiris: Malibu’s Dog Trainer to the Stars).
The
scientific fact is that dogs are helping us detect cancers before
they can become too serious to be treated within an individual. Which I declare, is
one additional reason to love All Good Dogs.
I welcome any thoughts you may have on this topic.
I welcome any thoughts you may have on this topic.