• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

House that Barks

  • Lifestyle
  • Health
  • Recipes
    • Frozen Dog Treats
    • Cupcakes for Dogs
    • Dog Biscuit Recipes
    • Air Fryer Dog Treats Recipes
    • Food Facts
  • Safety
  • Training
  • Travel
  • Crafts
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Lifestyle
  • Health
  • Recipes
    • Dog Biscuit Recipes
    • Frozen Dog Treats
    • Cupcakes for Dogs
    • Air Fryer Dog Treats Recipes
    • Food Facts
  • Training
  • Crafts
  • Safety
  • Travel
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Healthy Dogs / Can Dogs Smell Cancer in Humans

    October 7, 2021

    Can Dogs Smell Cancer in Humans

    Barks! Please share Woof!

    17 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    PIN dogs smell cancer

    Can Dogs Smell Cancer?

    We all love dogs for many reasons. Dogs are loyal, comfortable, caring, and dependable.

    During stressful times, therapy dogs offer patients and their families a welcome distraction and comfort.

    Dogs can sense some medical conditions in humans, such as diabetes distress and oncoming seizures, because of their amazing sense of smell and their trainability.

    A growing body of evidence now suggests that dogs may also help humans detect cancer, either directly or indirectly.



    dogs smell cancer


    The Science Behind a Dogs Smell Cancer


    Alexandra Horowitz, a research scientist, writes in her book "Nose of a Dog" that “most of what the dog sees and knows comes through his nose.”

    The nose of a dog has around 125 million to 300 million scent glands, while the nose of a human has around five million.

    Therefore, a dog’s sense of smell is around 1,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than a human’s.

    Researchers discovered dogs can detect tiny amounts of diseases’ odors by sniffing out tiny amounts of sugar, about one teaspoon to two Olympic-sized swimming pools.



    How Do Dogs Act When Dogs Smell Cancer?


    There has been formal study and confirmation that dogs can detect melanoma, a potentially deadly cancer.

    Researchers found that dogs persistently sniffed, licked, and nipped at melanoma lesions on their owners’ skin, even through clothing, which led owners to identify the cancerous sites and seek care from clinicians.

    As described by Horowitz in "Being a Dog," a Dachshund puppy repeatedly sniffed its owner’s armpit. Eventually the woman found a lump there, which led to a diagnosis of breast cancer.



    Can Dogs Be Trained to Detect Cancer?


    Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School’s Working Dog Center and Medical Detection Dogs, in the United Kingdom, are investigating this possibility.

    In these studies, the dogs sniffed the breath of patients diagnosed with breast cancer and lung cancer.

    The dogs supposedly detected biochemical differences in the exhalations of cancer patients and those who did not have cancer.

    In various experiments, dogs have detected:


    • Sniffing the urine of patients can detect bladder cancer and prostate cancer.
    • Sniffing exhaled breath and stool samples can detect colon cancer.
    • They sniffed samples of tumors and blood from patients for ovarian tumors.
    • They sniffed patient biopsy samples for cervical cancer.


    Will Doctors Use Dogs to Help Detect Cancer?


    Probably not. 

    An Israel Institute of Technology clinical trial is testing two of its NA-NOSE electronic noses to determine their ability to detect malignant tumors and specific smells in patients’ breath.

    MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms is working with Medical Detection Dogs to develop ways to use dogs to teach artificial intelligence to detect prostate cancer.

    Researchers in physics, chemistry and gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School have developed electronic devices that detect and identify tiny amounts of odorants released by ovarian cancer tumors, which were detected by trained dogs. 



    Dogs And Their Two Noses


    A dog’s powerful nose has 300 million sensors compared with the human’s measly 5 million.

    In addition, dogs have another smelling organ in the back of their noses that we lack, called Jacobson’s organ.

    The double smelling system allows trained dogs to detect cancer’s unique odor, called volatile organic compounds.



    How Do Dogs Smell Cancer in Humans?

    Cancerous cells produce a very distinct smell. Even human noses can detect it in late stages of the disease.

    The dogs’ sense of smell is between 10,000 and 100,000 times more sensitive than ours, which means they can detect this smell much earlier in the disease’s progress, even when the cancer is still “in situ,” or hasn’t spread.

    Dogs can detect this scent on a waste matter like breath, so they don’t need to smell the growth directly.

    That makes the work of training a dog to detect cancer a lot simpler. 



    Can My Own Dogs Smell Cancer in Humans?


    A few studies suggest that untrained dogs can detect cancer, but others disagree.

    Co-founder of Medical Detection Dogs, Dr. Claire Guest, discovered she had breast cancer after her dog, Daisy, began nudging an area of her chest that felt bruised.

    Someone later diagnosed her with two tumours.

    Several pet owners have reported that their pets’ behavior changed prior to being diagnosed with cancer.



    Other Posts You May Enjoy


    • How to Keep a Dog Safe From Coyotes
    • How to Help A Dog with Ear Infections
    • How to Help a Dog with Allergies


    Can Dogs Detect Cancer in Humans?

    More Healthy Dogs

    • 5 Symptoms of Dogs with Autism
      5 Symptoms of Dogs with Autism
    • How To Trim Your Dogs Nails
      How To Trim Your Dogs Nails
    • 10 Tips: Why Does My Dog Eat Poop?
      10 Tips: Why Does My Dog Eat Poop?
    • 6 Types of Enrichment for Dogs
      6 Types of Enrichment for Dogs

    Barks! Please share Woof!

    17 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    ruby

    Hi, I'm Ruby! I'm a Mini Goldendoodle. I'm your local recipe taste tester, bed hog, and I love my sister, Callie.

    More about me →



    Popular Posts

    • 15 Reasons you Should get your Kids a Dog
      15 Reasons you Should get your Kids a Dog
    • 20 Minute Pumpkin Oat Dog Treats Recipe
      20 Minute Pumpkin Oat Dog Treats Recipe
    • 6 Ways to Keep a Dog Out of the Litter Box
      6 Ways to Keep a Dog Out of the Litter Box
    • Are Dogs Afraid of the Dark?
      Are Dogs Afraid of the Dark?


    Popular Frozen Dog Treat Recipes


    • Frozen Watermelon and Carob Pup Pops
      Frozen Watermelon and Carob Pup Pops
    • Bones and Paws Banana Yogurt Flax Dog Treats
      Bones and Paws Banana Yogurt Flax Dog Treats
    • Cucumber Yogurt Frozen Puppy Dog Treats
      Cucumber Yogurt Frozen Puppy Dog Treats
    • Homemade Peanut Butter Cups for Dogs
      Homemade Peanut Butter Cups for Dogs
    • Callie's Cantaloupe and Yogurt Pupsicles
      Callie's Cantaloupe and Yogurt Pupsicles
    • Super Easy 2-Ingredient Frozen Dog Treats
      Super Easy 2-Ingredient Frozen Dog Treats


    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    ● Web Stories

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About


    Articles may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from House that Barks.

    Copyright © 2018 -2022 House that Barks! Woof!