Medical Detection Dogs

Kate Humble presents an appeal on behalf of the charity Medical Detection Dogs, which has identified in dogs an incredible ability to sniff out human health conditions, including cancer. Archie is eight and has severe diabetes. Since he was born, his blood sugar levels have fluctuated without warning, leaving his parents exhausted from constant monitoring and terrified he might not survive the night. But thanks to Medical Detection Dogs, they now have a dog trained to alert them to changes in Archie's breath that show he needs his blood sugar levels checked. Domino has given Archie the chance to feel like a normal little boy. Kate also watches in amazement as a labrador called Kiwi correctly picks out urine samples positive for prostate cancer. If it is successful, research by Medical Detection Dogs could help experts to develop a cheap, non-invasive test for prostate cancer that could revolutionise the science of diagnosis.