The human body releases hundreds of volatile organic compounds, the taste of which is almost indistinguishable for people, but not for dogs. However, human cancer cells will emit an abnormal smell, and dogs will be keenly aware of this smell. This is why some domestic dogs will find their owners "abnormal" just because they smell different from before.
Research shows that the dog's nose can smell cancer, the probability is 70%!
Dogs can help identify the special smell of cancer, give dogs some cancer samples to smell, and then slowly screen the smells from the samples. Dr Hillary Brody, a professor of otolaryngology at the University of California, Davis, said: "If the dog starts to stop responding to the sample after removing several ingredients, then you know that you have identified the ingredients in the mixture that specifically target cancer." He said that researchers can then analyze these individual components and develop biochemical detection elements that can reliably screen patients.
At present, many developed countries are trying to train and breed "cancer sniffing dogs" or "physical examination dogs". In some published project results, the discrimination rate of dogs for prostate cancer, bladder cancer and lung cancer can reach at least 93%, and for individual cancers it can reach 98%. Compared with expensive testing instruments and limited medical resources, these trained dogs are simply wonderful.
When we bring dogs into the family, we may think that pets are our running partners in the morning or the security guards at home. However, scientists have proved that dogs are not only that, but also children's best friends. Keeping a dog at home can stimulate children to be more active socially, be more friendly to others and animals, and even read more books more easily.