Health Research Recognizes Animals and Their Sixth Sense

Most pet owners have had a dog or cat  offer comfort during a bout of the flu or other illness. Our pets just know when we are not feeling well, and their presence can sometimes be more healing than a prescription drug. There is now evidence in different branches of medicine that dogs and cats may be attuned to various diseases, and even death,  in ways that might benefit medical science.

A recent German study published in the European Respiratory Journal found that specially trained sniffer dogs of varying breeds had a 71% success rate in distinguishing between the breath samples of lung cancer patients and those of healthy participants. With lung cancer presenting few symptoms and unreliable diagnostics, early detection is usually by chance. The sniffer dogs offer promise of improved detection, but researchers say they will first need to identify specific detectable markers for the development of proper screening methods.

In July 2007 the New England Journal of Medicine published an essay by Dr. David Dosa (geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University) about Oscar, a cat adopted by the staff of Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, R.I. Oscar would "predict" the deaths of patients by curling up next to them during their final hours and staying with them until shortly after their passing. After staff noticed the precision of Oscar's visits to residents a few hours prior to death, they began calling family members when a patient was observed receiving Oscar's attention. Most families were grateful both for the final companionship Oscar provided their loved one, as well as the advance warning that allowed them to say good-bye.

Some epilepsy patients have seizure service dogs that can summon help, pull potentially dangerous objects away from the person's body, guide a person with partial seizure to avoid obstacles if still walking, and provide physical support. Other  dogs with more specialized training can alert an epileptic to a seizure anywhere from several seconds to 45 minutes prior to onset, allowing the person to get to a safe place. The dog alerts by altered behavior such as close eye contact, circling, pawing, and/or barking. There is no scientific evidence as to how dogs can anticipate a seizure, but some believe the dogs are able to smell chemical changes in the body.