Did you catch that Newsweek article about dogs - and how they're stealing jobs from humans? Too bad they don't get the respect they deserve for doing what we cannot do - even with sophisticated technology.
For instance, Labradors can detect certain cancers with a 98% accuracy, while technology is correct only 10% of the time.
German Shepherds can detect roadside bombs more accurately than technology - in spite of the $20 billion cost of that technology.
And of course we all know how dogs can find lost people even when they don't want to be found.
Those are the large breeds, but small breeds work hard too. Studies have found that little guys like Jack Russell terriers can sniff out bedbugs with a 95% success rate - which is 3 times better than mere sight detection. They're now being "hired" by professional exterminators.
Showing posts with label cancer screening with dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer screening with dogs. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, January 8, 2010
Dogs' Valuable Sense of Smell
We all know about bloodhounds and other tracking dogs that can find people, even when the trail is not fresh. It's amazing to think that even when wearing shoes, we shed our scent on the ground as we go, but we know that dogs can find people when humans have no hope.
Dogs also find drugs when humans could not - alerting to major shipments hidden in sealed containers as well as small amounts in luggage or pockets.
Even more amazing is a dog's ability to sniff out disease and to predict when a person may have a seizure.
New tests are showing that a dog's nose is actually MORE accurate than sophisticated medical equipment By smelling a human's breath, dogs can detect lung, breast, and other cancers with an accuracy rate of 88 to 97%. In contrast, the multi-million dollar scanner your hospital might use has an accuracy rate of 85-90%.
I've seen spots on TV showing how dogs can sniff a person's body and zoom right in on the affected area, and read of dogs fussing at their owners so much over a certain body part that the person finally went to the doctor and found a cancer in time to get successful treatment.
Dogs are now being trained as seizure alert dogs, so that patients can take safety measures before an attack. In the case of epilepsy, dogs can warn up to 5 hours ahead of time.
These are such amazing creatures - and yet, we humans still mistreat them and abandon them. Kind of hard to figure out, isn't it?
Dogs also find drugs when humans could not - alerting to major shipments hidden in sealed containers as well as small amounts in luggage or pockets.
Even more amazing is a dog's ability to sniff out disease and to predict when a person may have a seizure.
New tests are showing that a dog's nose is actually MORE accurate than sophisticated medical equipment By smelling a human's breath, dogs can detect lung, breast, and other cancers with an accuracy rate of 88 to 97%. In contrast, the multi-million dollar scanner your hospital might use has an accuracy rate of 85-90%.
I've seen spots on TV showing how dogs can sniff a person's body and zoom right in on the affected area, and read of dogs fussing at their owners so much over a certain body part that the person finally went to the doctor and found a cancer in time to get successful treatment.
Dogs are now being trained as seizure alert dogs, so that patients can take safety measures before an attack. In the case of epilepsy, dogs can warn up to 5 hours ahead of time.
These are such amazing creatures - and yet, we humans still mistreat them and abandon them. Kind of hard to figure out, isn't it?
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