Many breeds of dogs are used to sniff out various pathologies.
Labrador, St. Bernard but also Newfoundland and Dalmatia are in fact able to intercept, thanks to their nose, some types of tumors, diabetes or the imminent arrival of an epileptic or narcoleptic attack.
Ascertained, therefore, that dogs are able to sniff out some diseases, we wondered how this is possible. The answer came from a Swedish study in Karolinska Institutet, according to which dogs would be able to sniff out certain polysaccharides that are altered by tumors, then disintegrating into the blood and urine.
Many breeds of dogs are used to sniff out various pathologies. Labrador, St. Bernard but also Newfoundland and Dalmatia are in fact able to intercept, thanks to their nose, some types of tumors, diabetes or the imminent arrival of an epileptic or narcoleptic attack.
Ascertained, therefore, that dogs are able to sniff out some diseases, we wondered how this is possible. The answer came from a Swedish study in Karolinska Institutet, according to which dogs would be able to sniff out certain polysaccharides that are altered by tumors, then disintegrating into the blood and urine.
In detail, the study carried out by Swedish researchers focused on the fact that some tumors alter polysaccharides (glycosaminoglycans) early, which then break down within the blood and urine. While for humans these polysaccharides are completely odorless, dogs are able to sniff out their presence because, depending on the breed, they have 150-300 million olfactory sensory cells.
The discovery made by the Swedish researchers is added to that of researchers from the University of New York and San Francisco, whose study was published in the journal Journal of Neuroscience. According to the American study, dogs would have five missing nerve connections in the human being, which allow them to integrate olfactory stimuli to cognitive functioning, thus improving the perception and awareness of smells.
The smell of dogs is not only used to intercept diseases but also in other particularly delicate situations. Take, for example, the search for survivors following natural disasters or in anti-drug operations.