Inspiring story about early diagnosis of serious disease

Arthuritis

We have all heard about how dogs can smell when something is seriously wrong with their owners long before their owner or doctor realises it… but how about a super gran and wife with a super sense of smell? (hyperosmia)?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11187123/amp/Thats-breathtaking-Meet-woman-sniffed-husbands-Parkinsons.html

This took the med profession by surprise, and despite their scepticism she was proven right, and her discovery, through her persistence and perseverance is being now been turned into a commercial early warning test when previously there was no such test until overt symptoms became apparent leaving little room for treatment benefit.

Hopefully this approach will be extensible to RA & cancers

stickywicket

I read this. I've also heard of dog's sniffing out their owners' cancer before any signs showed. And, of course, they can sniff drugs. A whole, promising area.

Loggiemod

Before my father passed away he was effectively being poisined by his body and I could smell this I guess on his breath. Some years ago I also got the same smell from a relative with an abcess that went bad and was really ill. So yes I can believe this.

Lilymary

They have also trained dogs to be able to tell when an owner's epilepsy is about to kick off, and to spot a drop in blood sugar levels in diabetics. They're amazing creatures. Given that most medical conditions result in chemical changes in our bodies, I'm not surprised that dogs can be trained to detect at least some of them.

They're also useful in building conservation as they train them to seek out wood rotting fungi hidden behind panels etc in historic buildings without ripping the place apart ("rot hounds" - usually spaniels).