10-11-2017, 12:52 AM
1
Aren't dogs wonderful
I think medical detection dogs are marvellous.I have just been reading about the dogs they are training to sniff out Parkinsons Disease now.
A lady noticed her husband's smell changed subtly in the years leading up to his diagnosis, and Manchester University started conducting some tests. It turned out, this lady was correct, and they found that Parkinsons does indeed have a scent.
Now they are using skin swabs to train these dogs to identify the disease much earlier.
They say - "For Parkinsons, there are drugs available, but by the time they visit a doctor presenting symptons, 70 - 80% of cells have degenerated and so it is harder for treatments to be effective. If we can diagnose at an earlier stage there is much less degeneration, and this is where the dogs are helping with this process."
At the moment, two Labradors and a Cocker Spaniel have been selected, due to their keen sense of smell and the enjoyment they get from working with humans and seeking odours. They have now completed their basic odour training, and are now ready to start on the Parkinson's samples.
I think all these detection dogs are brilliant.
10-11-2017, 10:57 AM
6
Re: Aren't dogs wonderful
Couldn't agree more a lady we know had her leg saved by her little terrier who kept sniffing a mole on back of her leg, her husband said get it checked and her dog had found it long before either of them would have worried about it. They are often not even trained and still pretty wonderful.|
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