(Health-NewsWire.Net, December 11, 2015 ) New studies show that dogs can smell cancer and other health concerns. Owning a pet has several health benefits, especially dogs. Pets help in lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety and boosting their owner's immunity. When a person is stressed out or feeling down, dogs can actually comfort them. Those suffering from dementia have fewer anxiety attacks if they have a pet in their home.
Studies have also pointed out that having a pet can elevate the levels of serotonin and dopamine in blood, which helps people remain happy and calmer. So, those who suffering from heart ailments survive longer if they have pets around , compared to those who don't.
Dogs have a strong sense of smell, and the recent articles have been published about medical science benefiting from the dog's ability to smell. One such study tells us that dogs can tell if a person has a prostate cancer by smelling his urine. This paper was presented at the American Urological Association's meeting recently.
The researchers trained a pair of German Shepherd dogs to detect cancer of the prostate by smelling the urine, and the two dogs – Zoe and Liu correctly identified 99% of the prostate cancer urine samples. The researchers said that using dogs to diagnose the disease could provide an alternative to the current system of blood test for prostate-specific antigen, which can give false results in men who do not have prostate cancer.
The UK medical journal published another article that states that dogs can smell melanoma. The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides have trained dogs to detect a drop in sugar levels in human beings. These dogs are called 'glucose alert' dogs. These dogs are trained to sniff low blood glucose levels and also fetch the medicine kit. They are also very smart in helping children with diabetes who have high fluctuating blood sugar levels.
