Medical Detection Dogs

Rosie sniffs for the odour of bowel cancer in urine samples in our training room, work that could help create a fast, accurate and non-invasive method of diagnosis. We hope that one day, Rosie's work can be translated into clinical settings alongside existing diagnostic methods. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/bio-detection 📸Michael Leckie/PA Media Assignments @OpenUniversity

No wonder Kimi has an extra golden glow about him - he's passed all his assessments to become a Medical Alert Assistance Dog and is ready to be matched to his future client. Kimi is a fun, friendly, lively boy who has a good mix of politeness and confidence. When you throw his amazing nose in too, he's the perfect recipe for a future lifesaver. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad

Despite all the sights, smells, sounds and frens at the beach, Kenny didn't miss Kate's odour change that meant she was about to collapse due to PoTS. Thanks to his sandy nose, she was able to manage the episode, lying down calmly and safely. Kenny waited until she came round and gave him his reward and headed back to the waves 🌊 medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad @UKPoTS @PostcodeLottery

"My health was getting worse and worse to a point where my world was so small. I was so isolated and everything that I'd ever loved had been taken away. "Then Treble came along and from then on my life changed so much." Thankyou to our client, Steph, for telling us about her partnership with her pet dog Treble, who has transformed how she lives with #PoTS. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad @UKPoTS

Pru was part of a team that taught us that dogs are able to detect ultra-low concentrations of #pseudomonas in bacteria grown in a nutrient liquid with a sensitivity of 94.2% and a specificity of 98.5%. Now, she will be teaching us whether they can detect the odour in breath and sweat samples, which could lead to faster more accurate and less invasive diagnosis. She had a few refresher sessions on a training odour to remind her of the 'game' and quickly moved back into what she does best - detecting disease. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/bio-detection @cftrust @imperialcollege

Zuri alerts Dawne when she's about to blackout due to #addisons disease. Zuri is Dawne's pet dog who we helped train to alert and her early warnings mean Dawne can take medication earlier and avoid sudden collapses and the injuries they cause. When Dawne was hospitalised due to another health condition, there was only one medical expert she hoped to see during visiting hours and Zuri made herself right at home! medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad

Nic Nak's smiles says it all - she's having so much fun training to become a Medical Alert Assistance Dog. She's currently working on heelwork, being settled on car journeys and playing appropriately with other dogs and her adventures are staring to take her further afield to new places. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad

Winnie will have to put her tennis ball down for a bit as she's got a new job! She is joining our world-leading Pseudomonas detection dog team and will help us assess the ability of our dogs to detect the odour of Pseudomonas bacteria in urine, breath and sweat samples. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/pseudomonas @imperialcollege @cftrust

Rosie had a successful training session learning the odour of bowel #Cancer in urine. We're investigating whether dogs like Rosie could help deliver an accurate, non-invasive and more sensitive method of early-stage bowel cancer detection that could both increase uptake of the screening and improve health outcomes. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/colorectal-can… @OpenUniversity

Please meet our newly accredited partnership, Harris and Phantom. Phantom alerts Harris when he’s about faint due to PoTS and his alerts have enabled Harris to finish his university degree, work on his fitness and do a variety of voluntary work. Harris says: “Phantom is the reason I am the person I am today. I am very thankful to Medical Detection Dogs and our trainers for supporting us through this journey, from my puppy full of potential I got as a pet, to fully accredited lifesaver." medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad

We spotted an extremely rare creature in the wild - a stationary Drummer! Medical Alert Assistance Dog in training, Drummer, is having a whale of a time in the early stages of learning to become a lifesaver. Free running and recall when he gets lots of treats and praise for being a good boy is his favourite module! medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad

Jasper, who came to us from @WoodgreenPets, is back in the training room as we kickstart our project to investigate whether dogs can detect the odour of the drug-resistant lung infection, Pseudomonas, in urine, breath and sweat samples. Our previous project showed that dogs can detect the disease in saliva samples with a sensitivity of 94.2% and a specificity of 98.5%. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/pseudomonas @imperialcollege @cftrust

Dotty is so enthusiastic about her work to detect the odour of bowel cancer that we've had to put her on slo mo so you can see her super sniffing. Luckily she has been trained to hold her stand and stare indication before she gets her reward so there is no doubt when she finds her target odour for her trainer or for us! medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/colorectal-can… @OpenUniversity

Beautiful Quella has got some exciting news - she's joining our Bio Detection team as a Pseudomonas detection dog! Quella joined us from @guidedogs who recognised her excellent use of nose and will become one of a handful of dogs in the world that can detect the odour of the nasty lung infection. We hope that the training of her and her colleagues could be used as the foundation for testing patient samples directly and faster, less intrusive diagnosis. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/pseudomonas @imperialcollege

Our bowel cancer detection dogs are sniffing their way into 2026 - here's Willow, Jodie and Rosie at work. We believe that information learned from these ladies and their colleagues about the odour of bowel cancer could help deliver an accurate, rapid and non-invasive test for early diagnosis that would be offered to clinicians to use alongside existing diagnostic methods. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/colorectal-can… @OpenUniversity #cancer

Thanks to Jarvis, Daisy has not only been able to obtain a Law Masters, she was able to enjoy her graduation ceremony last week. Jarvis alerts Daisy when she's about to become seriously unwell due to #pots and #mcas. She missed her entire undergraduate ceremony because she passed out outside but this time she could do it thanks to Jarvis' nose. Daisy says: "Jarvis gives me even more determination to pursue my career because he means everything is possible." medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad

As part of her UTI detection training, Meg practised the art of passively screening without being intrusive or jumping up, in the training room. This stands her in good stead for when she carries out her work in real life settings, such as care homes, where the scenario will be different but our expectations will be the same. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/urinary-tract-…

When Winnie alerts May to an oncoming PoTS episode, May lies down to stay safe and avoid injury. Winnie then offers deep pressure therapy by putting her weight on May's legs to prevent blood pooling in her feet, helping her regain consciousness faster. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad @PostcodeLottery

Medical Alert Assistance Dog, Spring, alerts our client, Michelle, when she is about to become seriously unwell due to #addisons disease. He stares at her and paws her when he detects a change in her odour which means her cortisol levels have dropped and she needs to take action. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad

We'll start the new year with a new recruit - the lovely Edna. Edna joined us from @guidedogs UK and she has fitted into the life of a super sniffer brilliantly. Occasionally, dogs come to us from other Assistance Dogs UK family members if it is felt they are better suited to our type of work and we're very grateful to them for spotting her amazing nose. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad