Medical Detection Dogs
A talk by Terry Daws - November 2017
Dogs have a phenomenal sense of smell, explained Terry, introducing his talk to the U3A members at their General Meeting on 21 November. Dogs have 300 million scent receptors located in two noses, whereas humans have about 5 million confined to one. Thus, dogs are well equipped to be trained in the detection of drugs, explosives, money and - most importantly in the context of medicine – minute changes in the odour given off by a human being by volatile organic cells (VOCs).
After initial training to ‘socialise’ a puppy, the animal is then trained for a specific type of work. For example, when fully trained, it can alert a person with diabetes to the fact that their blood sugar level is dangerously low and will fetch an insulin kit from another part of the house or, alternatively, summon help. Many lives have been saved in this way. Apart from companionship, a medical detection dog gives a diabetic person confidence, independence and peace of mind from the risk of a hypoglycaemic attack which could ultimately be fatal.
It takes around 18 months to train each medical detection dog at a cost of £11,000. Not all of them will achieve the standard required to work safely with an individual but, if they do, their working life will be no more than about 9 years. Hence, there is a long waiting list for them (3 years).
Research is currently focused on the development of an “electronic nose” which could mimic the detection skills of a dog.
Terry concluded his talk by explaining that the charity, based in Aylesbury, (Medical Detection Dogs) receives no government funding and relies heavily on private donations. They have no kennel facilities and all dogs are trained in a person’s home from the outset. Several different breeds of dog are used but some are more amenable to training than others. Labradors are particularly popular due to their docile nature and spaniels also make reliable medical detection companions.
After a short Question and Answer session, Colin thanked Terry for his most interesting talk.
Janet Cato – November 2017
After initial training to ‘socialise’ a puppy, the animal is then trained for a specific type of work. For example, when fully trained, it can alert a person with diabetes to the fact that their blood sugar level is dangerously low and will fetch an insulin kit from another part of the house or, alternatively, summon help. Many lives have been saved in this way. Apart from companionship, a medical detection dog gives a diabetic person confidence, independence and peace of mind from the risk of a hypoglycaemic attack which could ultimately be fatal.
It takes around 18 months to train each medical detection dog at a cost of £11,000. Not all of them will achieve the standard required to work safely with an individual but, if they do, their working life will be no more than about 9 years. Hence, there is a long waiting list for them (3 years).
Research is currently focused on the development of an “electronic nose” which could mimic the detection skills of a dog.
Terry concluded his talk by explaining that the charity, based in Aylesbury, (Medical Detection Dogs) receives no government funding and relies heavily on private donations. They have no kennel facilities and all dogs are trained in a person’s home from the outset. Several different breeds of dog are used but some are more amenable to training than others. Labradors are particularly popular due to their docile nature and spaniels also make reliable medical detection companions.
After a short Question and Answer session, Colin thanked Terry for his most interesting talk.
Janet Cato – November 2017