Cancer-sniffing Dog Saves Owner's Life

Maureen Burns in Rugby, England has a 10-year-old mixed breed collie named Max who probably saved her life.  Max started actingly strangely, sniffing his owner's breath and rubbing against her right breast. 

Mrs. Burns discovered a lump but it did not show up on a hospital mammogram.  She convinced doctors to do a biopsy and sure enough, the tumor was malignant. 

She's had surgery to remove the lump, followed by radiation treatment, and her prognosis is excellent. Mrs. Burns is convinced that she is alive today because of her dog's keen sense of smell.



"It was his peculiar reaction that alerted me to the fact that something was wrong. At first I thought he was just getting old, he was not so playful and his eyes were sad. He'd sniff my breath in an odd way -- I even asked my husband Roger if I had halitosis."

-- Maureen Burns

Link - via arbroath

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.


not exactly new, but still neat. Here's a national geographic article a few years back about training dogs to find cancers:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0820_040820_detectordogs.html

I can't find the link, but a few years back there was also a cat that predicted who would be the next to die at a nursing home.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
I'm having difficulties understanding the link between cancer and a certain body odor. How would breast cancer somehow give off a certain smell? And how the hell would the dog know that it was her breast that was cause of the smell? I'm thinking that this was just a coincedence.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Count me crazy(or is it angry?), because I agree with Mad Max. Dogs can be trained to detect cancer, but they haven't got xray vision. Not yet, anyway.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Dogs are amazing prognosticators and sniffers of things undetectable to our lowly senses. Ever heard of seizure sniffing dogs? Seems impossible, but they can detect a seizure moments before it strikes an unsuspecting human.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
this bitch comes from an amazing breed. just look at its warm and healthy coat. she is sure to win best in show. Look, she can do tricks too... why right now she's wear a pair of glasses.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Click here to access all of this post's 9 comments




Email This Post to a Friend
"Cancer-sniffing Dog Saves Owner's Life"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More