6 Medical Conditions That Dogs Can Sense In Humans

Dogs have a tremendous gift: their nose. They can be trained to sniff out a number of things like drugs, explosives, missing humans, deceased bodies, and of course, medical conditions.

To understand the power they hold in their nose, you first need to understand that the average family dog has a sense of smell that is 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than any human. In fact, they have 300 million olfactory receptors as compared to the 6 million that humans have. Scientists have compared dogs’ sniffing abilities to “catching a whiff of one rotten apple in two million barrels.”

That is pretty impressive.

Based on how impressive a dog’s snout really is, it is no wonder that many fields – from law enforcement and military employment to laboratory medical research – employ canines to help save countless human lives.

There are dogs everywhere that are putting their noses to work detecting medical conditions in the humans, thus helping to improve their lives.

Below is the list of the 6 medical conditions that dogs can detect with their nose:

1. Cancer 

Dogs working with the non-profit In Situ Foundation have the ability to detect cancer in its early stages through small samples of human urine, saliva or expelled breath – and all with more accuracy than any modern equipment. The more than 50 dogs have been trained by In Situ founder, Dina Zaphiris, and they can sense multiple types of cancer in parts per trillion. That is similar to being able to detect a single drop of blood within an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

2. Seizures

This is one that has some people split, as there is controversy whether or not dogs can actually sense an impending seizure, or just react to one that is in progress. If they can indeed sense them coming, scientists have not yet figured out how. Since there is no specific scent marker for predicting seizures that has been identified, trainers are only able to teach service dogs to assist during and after an attack. It is still unknown whether or not the dogs that do seem to sense an impending seizure are picking up on a smell brought on by a change in body chemistry or subtle behavioral changes.

3. Diabetes

Dogs have an incredible ability to sense subtle spikes and drops in human blood sugar. Scientists have discovered that what they are detecting in a hypoglycemic episode is isoprene – which is a common natural chemical found in human breath that has a significant rise as someone’s blood sugar plummets. A drop in blood sugar can lead to disorientation, unconsciousness, coma or even death in an insulin-dependent diabetic, that is why it is vital to alert their handler at the earliest sign. Many diabetes service dogs have also been trained to retrieve a sugar source in cases of hypoglycemia.

4. Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a potentially dangerous brain disorder that affects the ability to control sleep-wake cycles. This means a person could potentially fall asleep while doing everyday things that could end in tragedy, such as walking down a flight of stairs or crossing a busy street. Narcolepsy service dogs have the ability to detect the subtle biochemical change, like an odor, prior to an attack coming on. Dogs can then warn their owners to seek safety up to 5 minutes before an attack. In addition, they’re trained to stand over them and protect them if out in public.

5. Migraines

While these aren’t life-threatening, they definitely are debilitating, and they can cost those who get them to suffer for hours, if not days, of intense pain. An informal study by Psychology Today made a note that 60% of migraine sufferers who were polled, claimed that their family dog has alerted them to an impending headache an hour or two prior. Some people who suffer from severe migraines even have service dogs who are specifically trained to pick up on serotonin spikes in the blood. They are able to warn them of the brutal symptoms up to 2 hours in advance – plenty of time to take medication and get the headache under control.

6. Stress & Anxiety

Dogs are wonderful at reading our emotions – anyone with a pet can attest to that. In fact, dogs can quite literally “smell fear” in humans, which is surging hormones released by our bodies in response to stressful situations. These hormones include adrenalin and cortisol. There are service dogs for emotional requirements, and their skills make a world of difference to people on the Autism spectrum who experience higher levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol, as well as for those suffering from PTSD.