DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

These are the diseases that dogs can detect in humans

2025-11-03 12:26:19Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

These are the diseases that dogs can detect in humans

Dogs are famous for their sense of smell.

They have 220 million olfactory receptors compared to humans who have 5 to 10 million. This means that their ability to distinguish smells is 10,000 to 100,000 times greater than ours. As unimaginable as it may seem to us, dogs can smell even the most subtle of scents among many others.

Something truly extraordinary is that some dogs can even smell illness. This is because they are able to perceive microscopic changes in the human body, from a slight change in hormone levels to the release of volatile organic compounds released by cancer cells. When we are sick, we “release” them through our breath, sweat, urine and blood, creating an “aura of scents”, different from when we are healthy and which dogs have the ability to smell.

In fact, studies that have been conducted have shown that there are specific diseases that can be distinguished from dogs.

So, let's see what these difficult situations are.

cancer

Research has shown that well-trained dogs can detect various types of cancer, such as melanoma, colon cancer, lung, ovarian, prostate, and breast cancer.

A 2019 study found that dogs — specifically, four Beagles in this study — were able to detect blood samples from people with cancer with 97% accuracy. Another 2021 study found that a trained dog could detect breast cancer from urine samples from 200 people with 100% accuracy. Of the people in the study, 40 had breast cancer, 182 had other types of cancer, and 18 were healthy.

However, a dog doesn't need to be trained to detect this disease. In another study in 2013, a rescued dog was found to have found a malignant melanoma behind its owner's ear. The dog was observed licking its owner repeatedly at the specific spot where the malignant tumor was located.

Unfortunately, researchers still don't know exactly which chemical compounds in different types of cancer the dogs detect in samples to alert them to the presence of the disease. This remains a hurdle both for better training cancer-sniffing dogs and for creating machines that can more accurately detect cancer in its early stages.

dIABETES

You may have read about service dogs being used by people with health conditions like diabetes. This is because trained dogs can detect and alert their handlers when blood sugar levels are out of range—either too high or too low, two potentially life-threatening conditions.

A 2016 study published in the American Diabetes Association's journal Diabetes Care found that dogs detect isoprene, a volatile organic compound found in human breath that increases significantly during an episode of low blood sugar. We humans can't detect it, but dogs can.

A study, 3 years later, in 2019, examined the reliability of dogs in detecting patients' blood sugar and found that 81% of the dogs notified their caregiver when sugar levels were outside the allowed limits.

What's worth noting is that dogs trained to alert their handler may wake up, jump on them, push them, or do whatever it takes to let them know they're about to have a hypoglycemic episode—a condition that can cause tremors, loss of consciousness, and, if left untreated, death. A dog that hasn't been trained in such situations may show signs of distress and anxiety.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by excessive and uncontrollable sleepiness even after adequate sleep. People with narcolepsy may be prone to sudden episodes of sleep that can be dangerous, depending on the timing of their occurrence.

In a 2013 study, scientist Luis Dominguez-Ortega observed that two trained dogs identified 11 out of 12 narcolepsy patients using a sample of their sweat, demonstrating that dogs can detect a specific and distinct odor produced by narcolepsy patients.

Dogs will let their owner know up to 5 minutes in advance by barking, licking or pawing at them, indicating that they need to sit or lie down. Another remarkable thing about this is that the dog may lie down on its owner to protect it from falling, for example, from a chair, or to protect it when it is in a public place.

Migraine

For migraine sufferers, it's crucial to catch them before symptoms start, as their treatment is different at an early stage. If caught early, they may not experience severe headaches and may not have to suffer for hours or days. Fortunately, some dogs are able to detect signs that a migraine is on the way. A survey of people who suffered from migraines and were also dog owners reported that 54% of 1,029 people noticed a change in their untrained dog's behavior before or during a migraine. The owners said their pets began sitting on or near them, pushing them with their paws, and following them around everywhere inside and outside the house.

It's important to note that the study was conducted using self-reports from owners, not observations by researchers. However, the study provides ample evidence that many dogs seem to sense and notify their humans of an impending change in their health.

ePilePtic seizuRes

A reliable method for predicting an epileptic seizure would be something that would be extremely helpful to people with epilepsy, as during a seizure they lose consciousness and there is a high risk of injury.

A study published in the journal MDPI Animals reports that 19 dogs showed behavioral changes when they smelled odors associated with a seizure during the seizure, compared to odors before or after it. The dogs were not trained to detect epilepsy and were exposed to odors thought to be characteristic of the three stages of a seizure, using sweat collected from people with epilepsy. By alternating between the different odors, they recorded the dogs’ reactions, which included barking, whining, and licking their handler. While there is a persistent odor associated with seizures that dogs can detect, it is not yet clear whether they can be trained to warn of an impending seizure.

Of course, there are service dogs that can be trained to assist their handler during a crisis, but for now, more studies need to be done on their detection training.

Dogs are amazing creatures with unimaginable abilities and incredible empathy. Personally, I am amazed at how people can abuse and abandon them, but that is another great topic that we can develop at some point. Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to learn more from these amazing creatures and that they will help us even more in matters of psychological and physical health.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×