Man’s best friend has long been heralded for their loyalty and companionship. Dogs of all shapes and sizes fit into millions of families around the world. There have been many instances of children dragged form the water by rescuing dogs or of the family pet alerting the family to fire. Even detecting seizures before they happen. Saving lives has taken a new turn in the canine community. Sniffer dogs have been in use for drug and explosive device detection for many years now. So it comes as no surprise that our favorite domestic animal is now being cited for it’s cancer sniffing abilities

This phenomenon was first noticed after three separate reports in the UK from owners having similar experiences with their pooches. In each case the dogs sniffed and licked around the trouble spots on their owners. Becoming so focused on these areas caused the owners to seek medical advice. It was revealed, in two of the cases, that rampant malignant melanoma’s were present. Without early detection, this cancer spreads and is often fatal. In the third case a slower growing, but nonetheless fatal tumor was discovered. These incidents were recorded in the 1980’s with the exception of one, being in 2001.

In the April 1st edition of The Lancet, a letter was published by doctors from the Dermatology Department of King's College Hospital, in London. They reported a patient’s dog had repeatedly sniffed one particular mole on her leg. The woman was found to have a malignant melanoma. Anyone who has had, or knows of, similar experiences are urged to contact the International Biotherapy Society, details are at the bottom of this article. They are hoping to have more research done. Scientists’ and trainers in the USA did train a dog to sniff out malignant melanoma with amazing success.