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Dog enthusiasts are well aware of the many reasons to cherish their furry companions. They offer unwavering loyalty, provide warmth and comfort, and seem to have an innate ability to sense our pain. For instance, I’ve seen my rescue dog instinctively curl up beside my husband during his final weeks battling brain cancer.
Now, there’s another remarkable reason to appreciate dogs even more. In addition to vaccinations and enhanced testing measures, dogs could play a vital role in combatting our global health crisis. Across the globe, canines are being trained to identify COVID-19 through their sense of smell. Trainers in countries like Thailand, France, the UK, Chile, Australia, Belgium, and Germany are working diligently to prepare dogs for this unique task. Canine detection efforts have already begun at airports in Finland, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. A pilot study conducted at the University of Helsinki suggested that these dogs “might even be more sensitive than many of the tests that are currently available.”
Dogs’ Remarkable Olfactory Skills
To grasp how dogs can detect COVID-19, it’s essential to recognize their extraordinary sense of smell. Dogs have approximately 220 million scent receptors, in stark contrast to humans, who possess only about 5 million. Their olfactory receptors are also 10,000 times more precise than ours, enabling them to detect a single drop of liquid in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools! Additionally, dogs can differentiate between left and right scents and can inhale up to 300 times per minute.
High Accuracy in Detection
Research from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine has shown that “specially trained detection dogs can sniff out COVID-19-positive samples with an impressive 96% accuracy.” In a study, eight Labrador retrievers and one Belgian Malinois, none of whom had prior medical detection training, were able to identify COVID-19 positive samples within just three weeks. There was one minor issue when the dogs responded to a sample from a patient who tested negative but had previously been infected.
Despite this hiccup, the dogs’ accuracy surpasses that of many current detection methods, such as temperature screenings, which often overlook asymptomatic cases. Even those without symptoms can be identified by dogs due to a “trademark scent” emitted from the lungs and trachea of infected individuals. The canine screening process is quick, effective, and non-invasive.
The Science of Detection
Interestingly, the virus itself likely doesn’t possess a distinct smell. Instead, dogs seem to detect subtle odors that emerge from individuals infected with the virus. As David Simmons, a professor of toxicology at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, notes, dogs can differentiate these subtle markers amid a plethora of natural odors. Cynthia Otto, director of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Working Dog Center, highlights that “dogs must be specific in detecting the infection’s odor while generalizing across the varied background scents of different individuals.”
Training Takes Time
Describing the training process, Simmons explained that trainers first introduce a sample of the target odor repeatedly until the dog becomes familiar with it. The process then becomes more complex by adding distracting odors, with rewards provided when the dog successfully identifies the correct scent. According to Simmons, patience is key. The dogs at the University of Pennsylvania had no prior scent detection training; they began with basic detection before advancing to COVID-specific training.
Beyond COVID Detection
Most of us have likely observed scent detection dogs in action—whether at airports or in films. These dogs can identify not only drugs and explosives but also various diseases. For instance, they have been trained to detect skin, breast, and bladder cancers, as well as conditions like malaria and Parkinson’s disease. In certain cases, dogs can identify disease markers that may go unnoticed by medical tests. Additionally, dogs can assist patients in recognizing warning signs; they can alert diabetics when their blood sugar levels drop or spike.
While we may still be some distance from seeing dogs employed in large-scale settings such as airports or concerts, their potential to transform our approach to controlling this virus is undeniable. Anything that brings us closer to overcoming this pandemic is certainly worth exploring. For further insights, you can check out this other blog post here.
Summary
Dogs are proving to be invaluable allies in the fight against COVID-19, with their extraordinary sense of smell allowing them to detect the virus with remarkable accuracy. Various countries are training dogs to identify COVID-19 through scent, showing that these loyal companions have more to offer than companionship. Their training process is intricate but effective, as they can discern subtle odors linked to the virus. Dogs also have the capability to detect other diseases, making them essential in medical detection efforts.