Results indicated that not only can dogs detect Covid faster, but they can also do so in a non-intrusive manner – so no need to swab your throat or nose
Dogs can detect Covid-19 faster and more accurately than a PCR test, a new study shows.
Researchers looked at the ability of canines to recognise the virus and its variants, even when they are obscured by other viruses, like those from common colds and flu.
More than 400 scientists from over 30 countries contributed to the study as well as 147 scent dogs, according to the findings published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.
After analysing many studies covering both field and clinical experiments, Professor Dickey and Junqueira found that dogs who are trained to sniff out scents are “as effective and often more effective” than antigen tests.
A total of 53 dogs were trained to sniff out Covid scents, while 37 were not and scientists found that the dogs that were not trained were in some cases “slightly superior” to those that were pre-trained.
“The previously untrained dogs have the advantage that they are not as prone to indicating on scents other than the Covid–19 associated scent,” the paper said.
The results indicated that not only can dogs detect Covid faster, but they can also do so in a non-intrusive manner. This means you won’t need to put a swab in your throat or nose.
How can dogs detect the virus?
This essentially comes down to the dog’s highly evolved nose with its ability to sense out smells quicker.
Dogs possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about six million in humans. And the part of a dog’s brain that is devoted to analysing smells is about “40 times greater” than humans. Canines also have ‘neophilia’, which means they are attracted to new and interesting odours
And so, with all these enhancements, dogs can detect very low concentrations of odours associated with Covid infections.
“They can detect the equivalent of one drop of an odorous substance in 10.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools,” Professor Dickey said. “For perspective, this is about three orders of magnitude better than with scientific instrumentation.”
Scientists also found that in some cases, the animals were also able to detect the virus in pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, “whose viral load was too low for conventional tests to work.”
Professor Dickey has said that dogs can also differentiate Covid and its different variants in the presence of other respiratory viruses. This included the common cold or flu.
“They’re much more effective. In fact, one of the authors that we quote in the paper commented that the RT-PCR test is not the gold standard anymore. It’s the dog. And they’re so quick,” he added. “They can give you the yes or no within seconds if they’re directly smelling you.”
How was the study conducted to see if dogs can really detect Covid-19?
In some studies, the dogs gave a person a quick sniff, sitting down to see if the person has Covid. In another study, the dog was given a sweat sample to smell for a few minutes.
The press release has said that scent dogs, such as beagles, basset hounds and coonhounds are the ideal candidates for sniffing out the virus, given their “natural tendencies to rely on odours to relate to the world.”
But the studies which the researchers analysed showed a variety of dogs were up for the challenge and were able to sniff out the Covid odour. With a few weeks of training, puppies, older dogs, purebred and mixed breeds, both male and female were able to sniff such odours out and “all performed admirably,” the Eureka Alert press release said.
Although there has been success with dogs detecting such viruses, researchers believe there are still many challenges with using dogs for medical diagnoses.
“There’s quite a bit of research, but it’s still considered by many as a kind of a curiosity,” said Professor Dickey.
In conclusion, Professor Dickey and Junqueira said after reviewing the studies, believe that scent dogs deserve “their place as a serious diagnostic methodology that could be particularly useful during future pandemics, potentially as part of rapid routine health screenings in public spaces.”
“Perhaps, most importantly, we argue that the impressive international quality and quantity of COVID scent dog research described in our paper for the first time, demonstrates that medical scent dogs are finally ready for a host of mainstream medical applications,” they added.
A sad dog in the shelter can scarcely raise her head and begs softly for a reassuring pat on the back.
John Hwang, an animal enthusiast and photographer, encountered a dog at a shelter that utterly stole his heart.
A sad dog at a shelter can barely lift her head to ask for a hug.
John Hwang, an animal enthusiast and photographer, met a nice dog at the Baldwin Park animal shelter in Los Angeles. The guy often visits such facilities to spend time with animals in need of affection, and it was there that he saw the 10-year-old dog, who was quite depressed and curled up in a corner, not moving at all.
The Dodo was informed by John. “My first reaction was that this dog was bashful or sad and didn’t want to engage with me.” “I was astonished when she came me when she saw me.”
Indeed, as soon as she spotted John, she went on all fours, and he observed that she was shivering slightly.
A shelter dog lifts her head to be petted.
“She appeared clumsy, yet the way she moved was adorable,” John adds. She was filthy, but her heart was pure.”
The dog wanted to be loved. She began by sniffing John from a safe distance, but before long, her body was leaning against the fence, as if yearning to be a member of a family. Of course, John began caressing her, and they spent some time together relaxing and enjoying one other’s company.
“We certainly could have sat there all day,” John continued.
Although the dog seemed afraid at first, she rapidly showed John all the love she had to offer, teaching us not to judge a book by its cover or a dog by its appearance. He has the impression that he is in a refuge.
She came to find a loving home, and her dream was granted. It turns out that this dog’s tiny deed made others feel so much affection and share her tale. Thousands of people have seen John Hwang’s images on social media.
“A lot of people were in love with this female dog and were trying all they could to attempt to get her out,” John says.
Leashes of Love Rescue, which specialized in rescuing dogs from high-death shelters, was among many devastated by the dog’s fate. Cathi Perez, a group volunteer, picked up the dog, called “Annabelle,” as soon as the shelter listed her for adoption. When Annabelle was brought to Cathi, she was standing, offering kisses and waving her tail.
“She was so delighted to get out of her kennel,” Kathy explains. Simply going for a stroll outside. The second time she came out, she was overjoyed. She wasn’t the same dog anymore.
She was brought to the vet for a checkup to cure an eye infection, which was one of a number of health concerns that needed to be treated. She will be picked up in a few days by a lady who has already provided her a permanent home.
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