Contents
Smelling cancer and diabetes: 5 superpowers of dogs
Sometimes pets can do even more for a person than doctors.
Everyone has heard of guide dogs. And some even saw it. But helping the blind is far from all that devoted four-legged ones are capable of.
1. Smelling cancer
Oncological diseases affect more and more people: bad ecology, heredity, stress are doing their job. Not only is cancer often aggressive and difficult to treat, but the situation is aggravated by a poor initial diagnosis. How many cases were there when therapists dismissed the complaints of patients and sent them home with a recommendation to drink Nurofen. And then it turned out that it was too late to treat the tumor.
Specialists of the Medical Detection Dog organization believe that dogs are quite capable of helping with the diagnosis. In fact, they feel the same infection in the host. And with cancer, the production of volatile organic compounds in the body increases, which signal that something is wrong with a person. But only dogs can smell these compounds. According to American studies, specially trained hounds can detect lung cancer with 97 percent accuracy. And an Italian study says a dog is 60 percent more accurate in “diagnosing” prostate cancer than traditional tests.
In addition, dogs can recognize breast cancer.
“I trained my Labrador Daisy to recognize prostate cancer. And one day she began to behave strangely: she poked her nose into my chest and looked at me. I poked again, looked again, ”says Claire Guest, a psychotherapist and founder of Medical Detection Dog.
Claire with her husband and her favorite – Daisy
The woman decided to see a doctor and was diagnosed with very deeply nested breast cancer.
“If it wasn’t for Daisy, I wouldn’t be here,” Claire is sure.
2. Predict diabetic coma
Type XNUMX diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, so a person’s blood sugar is not properly regulated. And if sugar drops to a critical level, a person can fall into a coma, and suddenly. After all, he himself may not feel that the danger is already very close. But to avoid an attack, it is enough just to eat something – an apple, yogurt.
When sugar levels drop, the body starts producing a substance called isoprene. And specially trained dogs are able to smell this smell. Feel and warn the owner of the danger.
“I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 8. There were seizures every week and during the exams due to stress – several times a day, ”says 16-year-old David.
In the last year and a half, the young man has not had any seizures. The Labrador Retriever named Bo regularly warns the young man about the danger. Smelling the smell of trouble, the dog stops, pricks his ears, tilts his head and pushes the owner on the knee. David at this moment understands exactly what Bo wants to tell him.
3. Help a child with autism
Bethany Fletcher, 11, has severe autism and, like her parents, is a nightmare. When she is overtaken by a panic attack, which can happen even during a trip by car, the girl begins to pull out her eyebrows, even tries to loosen her teeth. When a golden retriever named Quartz appeared in the family’s life, everything changed. Bethany can now even go to the store with her mother, although previously the sight of a crowd of people made her thrash hysterically.
“If we didn’t have Quartz, my husband and I would have parted for sure. Because of Bethany’s special needs, she and I often had to stay at home while my husband and son went on business, to have fun, etc., ”says Teresa, the girl’s mother.
Quartz wears a special vest with a leash. The leash is attached to Bethany’s waist. The dog not only provides the girl with emotional support (she instantly calms down as soon as she touches the soft wool of Quartz), but also teaches her to cross the road and even interact with other children.
4. Make the life of a disabled person easier
Dorothy Scott has been suffering from multiple sclerosis for 15 years. The simplest things that we do every day are beyond her power: put on slippers, take out a newspaper from a drawer, take the necessary products from a shelf in a store. All this is done for her by Vixen, Labrador and companion.
At exactly 9 o’clock in the morning, he runs up to Dorothy’s bed, holding slippers in his teeth.
“You can’t help but smile when you look at this happy little face,” the woman says. “Vixen brings me mail, helps me load and unload the washing machine, and serves food from the lower shelves.” Vixen accompanies Dorothy literally everywhere: meetings, events. Even in the library they are together.
“There are no words to describe how much easier my life has become with his appearance,” smiles Dorothy.
5. Help a person with multiple allergies
Mast cell activation syndrome sounds ridiculous. But life with such a disease turns into hell, and it’s not funny at all.
“This happened to me for the first time in 2013 – I suddenly fell into anaphylactic shock,” says Natasha. – In the next two weeks there were eight more such attacks. For two years the doctors could not understand what was wrong with me. I was allergic to everything, to which I had not been before, and the hardest. Every month I ended up in intensive care, I had to quit my job. I was a gymnastics coach. I lost a lot of weight because I could only eat broccoli, potatoes and chicken. “
In the end, Natasha was diagnosed. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is an immunological condition in which mast cells do not function properly and cause many problems, including anaphylactic shock. According to doctors’ forecasts, the girl had no more than 10 years to live. Her heart had weakened greatly after three years of continuous attacks.
And then Ace appeared. In the first six months alone, he warned Natasha 122 times about the danger – she took her medicine on time, and she did not have to call an ambulance. She was able to return to an almost normal life. She can no longer return to her previous health, but she no longer threatens early death.
“I don’t know what I would do without Ace. He is my hero, ”the girl admits.