The charity Medical Detection Dogs has been running since 2008, starting from small beginnings it has grown and flourished undertaking research with a range of highly credible collaborators such as Imperial College (IC) London and helping people to regain their independence. The research the charity is doing with their partners is supporting the early detection of a range of cancers and helping people with conditions such as PoTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) to live independent lives.
To better understand this leading edge work I arranged to visit the charity to see its work for myself and how these amazing dogs can really help people with a range of health challenges.
When we arrived, we were welcomed by Charlotte Richardson who talked to us about the research the charity is undertaking with a range of academic partners. We were then taken to observe a puppy training class. The dogs are initially trained to detect minute samples of non-biological material. Those who pass this phase of the training progress until they are able to detect the presence of specific diseases in people. The 8 month old pups in the class were delightful happy puppies with a noticeable purpose; once in work mode, they became very focused, learning to detect tiny samples of material hidden in boxes. Once they detected the correct box they would sit very still and focused until the handler came along and gave them a treat. The more advanced classes used microscopic amounts of target odour and were run double blind, so even the trainer didn’t know where the sample was hidden.
Dogs are also trained to support people with a long term condition that places them in physical danger. PoTS, mentioned above, is a condition in which heart rate increases excessively when a person stands up often leading to them collapsing without warning. Having a dog who is trained to ‘alert’ before the onset of an ‘incident’ enables the person to get into a position of safety, lying or sitting down. This prevents the endless trips to A&E when injuries have been sustained. It is estimated that a person with PoTS that has a Medical Alert Assistance Dog saves the NHS around £79K in visits following falls. A medical detection dog costs 30k to train and look after in their lifetime.
Discovering this I enquired about the prevalence of PoTS in the UK. According to statistics published by PoTS UK the prevalence is greater than 1 in 600 people. I was therefore amazed to discover that there is no NHS code for PoTS as it is often diagnosed as something else. This appears to be a major oversight for such a debilitating condition. If anyone reading this can explain why there is no NHS code for PoTS I would love to hear from you.
Other dogs are trained to detect a range of diseases such prostate and bowel cancer in its early stages from minute samples of urine.
Not all dogs make the grade but those who do go on play a valuable role in either disease detection or alerting people prior to them collapsing so that they can get to a place of safety
The work the charity undertakes provides a pivotal role in enabling people to live independent lives, being able to go out rather than staying at home for fear of collapsing and hurting themselves. I left my time with Charlotte, Claire and their colleagues totally inspired, with a desire to find more ways to support the important work everyone at the charity is undertaking.
Guide dogs are an accepted part of society. Isn’t it about time that Medical Detection/ Assistance dogs are too?
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