Can a dog sense illness in another dog?

Dogs are highly effective at detecting odours from changes linked to health in both humans and canines. The results show that canine bladder cancer has a distinct smell which specially trained dogs can rapidly and non-invasively detect with up to 90 per cent sensitivity and up to 95 per cent specificity. We have proven many times that dogs can detect cancer in human samples so were confident that they would also be able to smell it in those from other canines. The dogs involved with the study demonstrated a sensitivity superior to cytology of a free catch sample and similar to the BRAF test. It suggests cancer cells have a unique odour pattern, possibly via secretion of volatile organic chemicals. This study adds to the growing body of evidence which shows dogs are highly effective at detecting odours from changes linked to health in both humans and canines. The dogs, a chocolate Working Cocker Spaniel called Kizzy, a black Cocker Spaniel called Jobi and a black Labrador called Marlow, were trained to sniff urine samples attached to metal stands in the Medical Detection Dogs’ training room and show their indication behaviour in response only to positive samples. They were rewarded with food and play for both indicating positive target samples and for searching a negative line without an indication.

Dogs' noses are so powerful that they're able to sniff out the changes in certain cells when people develop illnesses like cancer. Because dogs' noses are so much more powerful than peoples - they have about 25 times more smell receptors than people do - they're able to sniff out the change in a dog's body composition and the changing cancer cells. A dog's brain is led by their olfactory cortex, which allows them to sniff out cancer cells in other dogs. One of the biggest signs is your dog will spend an inordinate amount of time, attention, and affection on the dog who they smell the cancer on. For example, pups are known to nuzzle the area on other dogs where they might be sniffing the cancer due to the distinct scent coming from that area. Studies suggest that cancerous cells release a different metabolic waste product than other, healthy cells in both people and animals. Because of this, your dog, with his or her superhero smell ability, can tell the difference between cancerous cells and healthy cells. The difference, in fact, is so evident to your pooch that your dog can detect cancer even in its earliest stages. If your pup sniffs out cancerous smells for people, why wouldn't they be able to detect the change in cell smell in other dogs? Your dog might start to act strangely attentive, anxious, or protective of the animal with cancer. Your pup might try to get attention to the other dog to let someone - anyone - know what they know.

Riley, a Maltese, is about 14.5 years old, but doing very well for such an old dog. He was diagnosed with a perineal hernia about a month ago. He can live with it as long as the bladder does not slip and become blocked off, at which point he would likely have to be put down. Rupert is a 7-year-old Yorkiepoo who has never known life without Riley, and they have always been best friends, but over the last few days, he has been extra obsessed with him. He is constantly licking him, whining and shaking, especially so when we push him away, and just generally seeming very concerned about Riley. I'm wondering if he is sensing something about Riley that we can't. It is weird, though, because if it weren't for Rupert's behavior, I wouldn't think anything was wrong with Riley.

Dogs are renowned for their sense of smell and we know from many years of the dogs’ ability to detect human cancer, that it is a disease that has characteristic odours that they can pick out very successfully. It seems obvious that they could do the same for canine cancer and as the current screening tests are often inaccurate, not to mention very unpleasant for our beloved pets, we are very much looking forward to showing that dogs themselves could be the key to diagnosing this disease early in their four-legged counterparts. The idea for the project first came when Medical Detection Dogs CEO and Co-Founder, Claire Guest, took her own cancer detection dog, Daisy, to Vet Oncologist at Davies Veterinary Specialists, Isabelle Desmas-Bazelle, for treatment for cancer. Daisy was presented with some samples of urine from dogs with and without the disease. She picked out the positive samples quite easily. Urine samples from dogs with and without cancer have been collected by Davies Veterinary Specialists and have been used to train dogs to detect the difference and will be used to test how accurate they are.

Our other dog has started snarling and baring her teeth whenever the eldest goes near her. Could this be that she smells/sense some change. I know they could 'smell' my cancer/chemo when I was sick 11 years ago.