Dogs' sense of smell: New disease-fighter?

[Champ]

Canine sense of smell could help diagnose disease

The next time your dog decides to dive belly first into a pile of rotting fish or writhe in ecstasy in another dog’s feces, keep in mind that this seemingly horrifying urge could one day help save your life.

Dogs have long been used to sniff out explosives and drugs, track criminals and find missing children. Now, researchers are attempting to harness the olfactory powers of canines for use in the field of medicine.

Scientists are training dogs in the hopes that they may one day be able to reliably diagnose certain forms of cancer by smell, and help doctors catch these diseases earlier than conventional diagnostic tools currently allow.

Already dogs are used to warn of epileptic seizures, low blood sugar and heart attacks, although whether they are detecting changes in smell or physical behavior is still unknown. And, while they may not be able to perform CPR or operate a cardiac defibrillator (at least not yet), some canines do know how to call 911.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5183290/?GT1=3584

[Lefta Dissenter]

1. We've been hearing of dogs sniffing out cancer,

but my daughter's Maltese is a much more valuable dog... He can sniff out...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
... ZITS! :D When my daughter has a big zit on her face, her dog sniffs frantically at them - and she's not putting meds on them - it must be the delightful smell of pus that attracts him! How much do you think we could charge for his services in L.A., if he can detect zits before they make their appearance on the surface of the skin?

[Flaxbee]

2. Man's best friend, indeed...

I've always believed that dogs can smell illness... Cool story, thanks.

[UTUSN]

3. Powerful Sense of Smell

My old dog is blind and deaf, but his sense of smell and his mind are all there. He can find his way from the back to the front and vice versa.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. I watched a special...

that included a look at a dog that had been trained to smell out skins cancers. It was relly amazing to see how they trained him and to watch him work. He was getting wildy accurate in picking out moles that were cancerous but did not appear to be via dermatological exam.

Being a person with a couple of bad sunburns as a child and having lots of moles (which increases your cancer chances) I;ve actaully thought of having this done.