Village Link's talk on Medical Detection Dogs required extra chairs for the
people who had come to find out more about this fascinating medical advance.
Geoff Lambert, the speaker introduced us to Buddy, a retired medical dog and
warned us that he would probably be checking our breath afterwards for sugar
overload from the biscuits, that was if he didn't eat them first. We were amazed
at how these dogs can be used. At present they are a major support for children
with type 1 diabetes and also for people with narcolepsy. Mongrels are used and
it costs £11,000 to train a dog. They are dedicated to the detection of human
disease through canine olfaction. A dog's sense of smell is estimated to be
100,00 times more sensitive than a human's. They are trained by learning to
recognise glasses of water and their contents but owners have also said that
dogs are aware when they have illnesses such as cancer and work is continuing
along these lines including bladder, bowel, prostate and breast. They are now
legally allowed in schools and in Holland stand at hospital entrances to sniff
out C Difficil. If the dog sits down you are a carrier! Other diseases
recognised are Addison's and TB. If you would like to learn more visit their
website or write to geofflambert2@ntlworld.com
Our next meeting
will probably be in October and the speaker will be Princes William and Harry's
former Protection Officer.
