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A dog’s sense of smell can help save lives
Dogs and CPR – what’s the link?
Aural haematomas
How popular is your Labrador Retriever’s name?
A dog’s sense of smell can help save lives
You may remember our previous article on Medical Detection Dogs (please click here to view), which outlined dogs’ ability to detect human illnesses and diseases using their sense of smell. Specialists in the USA have set up a programme which is training dogs to sniff out ovarian cancer.
Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer by recognising a change in odour, often using samples of urine, using their extremely sensitive sense of smell. As dogs are able to detect cancers early, patients can start treatment sooner giving them a better chance of making a recovery.
The type of dog breeds chosen for this programme are often those which have been used successfully as assistance or search dogs (for example, Labrador Retrievers). This is because they have the capacity and temperament to be trained, focus and work well.
Dogs start their training at around eight weeks of age. Some of the factors that are taken into consideration during the dogs’ training include: feeding times, fitness, attention span, and any medical problems. Knowing an individual dogs’ traits helps to train them to work at their highest performance levels.
The cause of the odour signature (i.e. the difference in smell) of ovarian cancer is presently unknown, but the dogs have also helped to contribute to the scientific investigation which seeks to identify the differences in patterns between plasma samples from patients who have cancer, and those with benign growths. Classifying the samples on the basis of the dogs' responses helps to filter those which clearly have a detectable difference from those which do not, speeding up the process of identifying the molecules responsible for the difference.
To find out more about the study, please click here.
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Dogs and CPR – what’s the link?
Would you believe that a dog was in part responsible for the procedure we know today as CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)?
The story of CPR begins in the early 1900’s in America. At this time, America experienced a huge increase in the number of homes gaining electrical appliances. Many of the early workers installing the new power lines lost their lives through electrocution, which caused cardiac arrests. Somewhat ironically, external defibrillators were invented purposely to treat those whom had been electrocuted by shocking the heart into beating again.
In the 1950’s, researchers in America were funded by the Edison Electric Institute to investigate the effects of electrical currents on the heart. An electrical engineer named William Kouwenhoven (who invented the external defibrillator) set about improving it, and in doing so tested it on laboratory dogs. A graduate named Guy Knickerbocker was working in Kouwenhoven’s laboratory at the John Hopkins University in Maryland when one of the research dogs went into cardiac arrest. Usually the defibrillator would be used to start the dog’s heart again, but as the defibrillator was on a different floor of the building, Knickerbocker took a different approach…
Knickerbocker had observed a few weeks earlier that the pressure of the defibrillator paddles on the dog’s chest changed the blood pressure, indicating that blood was moving around the body. The dog which had suffered the cardiac arrest then had its chest pumped for twenty minutes whilst the defibrillator was being fetched. Once the defibrillator had been retrieved, the dog was given two shocks before its heart re-started beating. Knickerbocker concluded that the rhythmic pumping of the dog’s chest sustained life and afforded more time to receive defibrillation.
Knickerbocker shared his findings with a cardiac surgeon named Dr Jim Jude, and along with Kouwenhoven, the correct technique (of where to apply the pressure, how frequently and how hard) was determined. It was found that when using the correct technique a dog’s life could be extended for over an hour. Dr Jude was sure that the technique could be used on humans. This was put to the test when a lady who was admitted for surgery suffered an adverse reaction to the anaesthetic and went into cardiac arrest. Dr Jude carried out the technique on the patient and her heart started to beat again within two minutes. The patient reportedly made a full recovery.
Together with another research group who were exploring ventilation techniques, Kouwenhoven, Knickerbocker and Jude, established the procedure we know as CPR which is used around the world to this day. And to think it all started with a dog!
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Aural haematomas
An aural haematoma is the name given to a pocket of blood which forms within the ear flap. Although rare, they can occasionally form because something irritates the ear or ear canal, causing the dog to shake its head and scratch. This movement causes the blood vessels in the cartilage part of the ear to break, causing bleeding. A similar condition occurs occasionally in people, as a result of trauma to the ear when playing contact sports such as rugby. Occasionally, haematomas can form spontaneously, without any scratching or irritation. The swelling usually forms on the inside of the ear.
The swelling is very easily identified in affected individuals, and is obvious when the ear is palpated. The key to any treatment is to address the underlying cause of the aural irritation (which is often some form of ear infection). The haematoma rarely spontaneously regresses. If it is small, then the veterinarian may suggest leaving it alone. If it is large and uncomfortable for the affected dog, then drainage alone often does not resolve the swelling (as it recurs quickly). More permanent solutions can include placing a drain to relieve the swelling, instilling a medical treatment to try and prevent the haematoma recurring or opening the swelling up and suturing the skin of the ear back down onto the cartilage. Sometimes, the ear will appear to crease as the scar tissue forms during the healing process, but just like rugby players, dogs are not overtly concerned with the cosmetic appearance of their affected ear, even if it looks a bit like a cauliflower!
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How popular is your Labrador Retriever’s name?
Dogslife have been looking at the most popular names in the cohort, and how they may vary between the different countries in the United Kingdom. The word clouds below show the most popular names in the largest letters. In Northern Ireland, the most popular name is Holly. In Scotland and England, it is Poppy, and in Wales it is Bailey. Other popular names in the Dogslife study include Charlie, Ruby Alfie, Bella, Max, Molly and Oscar. Can you spot your dog’s name in any of the word clouds?
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Dogslife would like to thank everyone for their help with the study this year. If you are able to tell us more about your dog’s health and lifestyle over the festive season, please login at www.dogslife.ac.uk as we would love to hear how your Labrador is getting on!
Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
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