"sensing" dogs...

[courtnek]

I watched a show, called "Miracle Dogs", about a puppy that kept escaping
from its owner, who was a full time nurse, and not home alot. He kept showing up at a lady's house who worked from home, so was home all day. After being returned twice, the nurse finally brought him back and asked if she would like to keep him. The nurse wasnt home enough to care for a puppy (Lab puppy, cute as a dickens, all fluffy). She took him in. After he grew up, for some reason he started jumping on her and pawing at her left breast. When she pushed him down and ignored him, he nipped her there. For some reasonl she decided to have a mammogram done, (she was a medical transcriber for cancer patients) and yes, she had a tumor. It was SOOOO tiny they were able to remove it, with no repurcussions, and even remove the lymph nodes before they became
infected. She is fine now.

This dog was never "trained" to sense, although dogs can be. It gave me deep thoughts. Did the dog keep escaping to her for a reason? Was it coincidence? With all of that, I have to say this:

I would like to FORCE PETA to sit down and watch this story. Dogs shouldnot be pets? Should not be kept by people? I wonder how often, undocumented, that wolves and wild dogs discovered things wrong with people in the history of the world, and there just wasnt the means to
prove it? or do anything about it?

THIS dog came to her...she didnt seek it out...and it saved her life.

[ellieangel]

What a wonderful story Courtnek :)

[imported_Cassie]

When my Newfoundland had bone cancer my other dogs treated him differently. I think animals are much more intuned with weakness in other animals, and sickness...survival of the fittest. In my case my other dogs wanted nothing to do with my sick Newf and avoided him when ever possible...even with my sick old female Newf with CHF was treated with indifference by my other dogs...the scariest thing I had to be careful with is the fact that if my sick dogs fell, the other dogs would vicously attack them. This made it imperitive I take the sick dogs every where with me.

My dogs also are very indiffernent to an aunt of mine who has cancer and is going through chemo...they usually love every one who comes to my home...but, with her they just stay away from her anc some times will put their noses up as if catching a bad scent.

Dogs and other animals are pretty good at detecting other animals illness. I think PETA is a group which has gone too far with thier ideas and from the way people talk of the group (I don't know much about them...I only know as much as what I read on this forum :wink: ) they sound like a cult of mass porportions which go by their "feelings" instead of research. It is also well known that by having pets at nursing homes it helps the patiients live longer lives, and petting dogs and cats actually helps lower blood pressure...and those of us who live alone find companionship in our pets and they make us feel less lonely...or for me, they make me feel complete and much happier than when I had my human spouse pet to take care of...he was ALOT more work than my pets...actually he was from the worst of the animal kingdom :lol:
Also for people who are suffereing from depression or self worthlessness find caring for a pet gives them a reason to go on living and makes them feel as though someone needs them in this cruel old world.

Here is an interesting article.

[quote]Researchers at Cambridge University are planning to study the ability of trained dogs to identify men with prostate cancer by smelling urine samples.

"Cancer cells produce different chemicals and therefore are likely to have different odors," said David Broom, a professor of animal welfare at Cambridge Veterinary School. Dr. Barbara Sommerville, also at the Veterinary School added, "If there is a consistent change in odor, the dogs will be able to detect it, of that we are in no doubt."

"At the moment, identifying prostate cancer is an inexact science. The tests are serum tests which provide a lot of false positives and some false negatives. "The current test, the prostate specific antigen test, also cannot distinguish between fast-growing tumors which require immediate treatment, and those that are slow growing. "This creates a lot of problems, especially as the next stage of diagnosis is multiple biopsies," said Dr. Sommerville.

The dogs will be trained by allowing them to sniff 50 to 100 samples from men without prostate cancer, and samples from men who have been diagnosed with the disease. The dogs will be given positive reinforcement (praise and a treat) when they sniff the samples from the men with prostate cancer. After numerous repetitions, they will learn that by picking out samples with that particular smell, they will be rewarded.

The ability of dogs to detect cancer, is not without precedent. There are cases in which dogs have alerted owners about changes in moles that have turned out to be cancerous. Dogs have also been trained to predict the onset of a seizure in people with epilepsy, and alert them. These dogs, evidently, are sensing a change in the person's hormones and body temperature.

[/quote]

[starcastle]

A project using dogs to detect cancer has been going on for several years in US.
A couple of Silken Windhounds ("my breed") is involved, just as an example.

See trainer Kirk Turners page
[url]http://www.eztrainonline.com/[/url]

and Pinestreet Foundation
[url]http://www.psmerg.org/avenues/avenues4/canine.html[/url]

[starcastle]

More about the sensing diseases
[url]http://www.eztrainonline.com/CancerProject/Shingling.html[/url]