Can Dogs Smell Cancer?

Hey ya’ll,

I’ve been away from my site for awhile as my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of last year and started chemotherapy right before the holidays. She is regaining her energy and strength one day at a time. I wanted to write this post because I have read amazing stories about dogs guiding their owners to the awareness that something may be wrong, which leads them to get checked out to discover an illness. Isn’t that amazing?!

Between the time my mom was diagnosed in September and had her surgery in October, I noticed and made note that Tula had been acting differently lately. I wrote “It’s possible that Tula has been acting differently in relation to moms cancer…. I’m not sure but it seems Tula is more interested in mom more than usual, laying by her and pawing at her a little more than normal. She has been really needy lately more than normal and also has been acting out more than normal; i.e. getting napkins and food off the table when were not looking, she got into a bathroom garbage that she never showed interest in before and snooping on moms nightstand all more than normal over the past few months. This can all be explained away… but knowing that she acts out when stressed and that dogs can detect cancer and behave differently really has me wondering so I wanted to make note so we know the potential signs in her behavior for the future.”

This got me researching the signs and the science behind dogs detecting cancer and I wanted to share this with you as it is so interesting and can help save your life if you know how to read your dogs communication!

HIF AU says “Dogs have an excellent sense of smell, and some can even sniff out when a person is unwell. There have been cases where the average pet dog untrained in detecting illness has been able to save their owner's life by detecting cancer. Studies have shown that dogs are particularly good at detecting lung and breast cancer.”

So how can they detect this?

Well, from what I gather, they actually aren't sure yet exactly how dogs detect illness. Are they sensing something different about you? Your smell, your energy, your emotions, stress, fatigue, or that they aren't getting as many walks? What we do know is dogs have an extremely heightened sense of smell, they also have a heightened sense of your energy and your emotions including stress level. We know that this can make them act differently. So can they sense illness and know that It’s bad? Are they trying to tell you, to warn you? Are they worried? Are they extra loving and caring because they know something is wrong? I am hoping to answer some of these questions soon.

What are some signs that your dog may detect an illness?

WagWalking.com says “Your pooch may sit and stare quite intently at you at times or it may tap at you with its paw. Sniffing at you is a common sign, as it is the smell of cancer that the dog primarily picks up on. Another thing some dogs may do is follow their owners around more than usual or lie closer to them than normal.”

This is just a bit of what I’ve been learning and I will continue to add more as I go. This is so interesting to me and I can see so many amazing possibilities for the future using their amazing abilities! Let me know if you find this interesting as well and if you have any stories about your own pets detecting illness or any other lifesaving scent.