Cancer Sniffing Dogs
In recent days Israel’s medical research has come very close to discovering a cure for cancer. In a similar story, Israel has dogs that can, incredibly, sniff out cancer in its earliest stages. “The name of the laboratory is Dog Prognose, and it allows a person to send a saliva sample (in a small plastic container), and receive instant results as to whether they have cancer.” The cost for this test is
NIS399 or just over $100.
Started by Uri Bakeman, a professional dog trainer, he explains that “the test can identify the disease at it’s earliest stage since the dogs identify the characteristic signs of the disease by the smell. If the dog sits down after sniffing the sample it means that it’s suspicious.” A study conducted at Ben Gurion University by Professor Pesach Schwartzman showed that various types of cancer share an odor that dogs have the capability of smelling.
One notable dog, Daisy, pioneered the process, and successfully identified 500 cases of cancer out of 6,500 samples, including her owner’s breast cancer. She received the Blue Cross medal for saving hundreds of lives. Sadly, Daisy died in 2014.
Thankfully, great progress is being made to eliminate the threat of cancer in our world. I am grateful for the progress from Israel in this regard.
