Can dogs smell cancer?

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Inhaled Steroids in Dogs

Chronic cough in dogs can be caused by various diseases, including chronic bronchitis, airway collapse, and eosinophilic lung disease. Steroids are typically used to manage these conditions but can result in systemic adverse effects when administered orally. Inhaled administration of steroids could be a viable alternative, providing direct delivery of drugs to the airways and minimizing systemic adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids in controlling chronic cough in dogs and to assess the feasibility of inhaled medication administration. The study found that inhaled corticosteroids, specifically fluticasone, significantly improved quality of life and reduced cough frequency, duration, and severity in dogs with airway collapse and inflammatory airway diseases. Feasibility of aerosolized medication was considered high, although it required some period of acclimation. However, clinicians should be vigilant of fluticasone-induced hypercortisolism. Bronchoscopy is still recommended for definitive diagnosis of complicating conditions in dogs that are suitable anesthetic candidates. 

Chan, JC, Johnson, LR. Prospective evaluation of the efficacy of inhaled steroids administered via the AeroDawg spacing chamber in management of dogs with chronic cough. J Vet Intern Med. 2023; 37( 2): 660- 669. doi:10.1111/jvim.16673 

Bottom line — We do it for cats — probably should be part of an option for dogs too

Exercise and epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in both humans and dogs, and anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are the mainstay of treatment. However, adverse effects and poor response rates to AEDs have led to the exploration of non-pharmacological adjunctive treatments, such as exercise. While some studies suggest that exercise may decrease seizure frequency and improve sleep quality in humans with epilepsy, the evidence is inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an increase in exercise on seizure frequency and sleep quality in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving AED therapy. The study found that dogs in the treatment group had a significant increase in activity during the exercise prescription period but also a slight, but significant, increase in seizure frequency compared to the control group. However, dogs with increased activity had improved sleep scores during the study period. The study highlights the need for further research to understand the types of activities possibly associated with seizures in epileptic dogs and the relationship between sleep quality and seizure activity in dogs. 

Grady, K., Cameron, S., Kent, S.P., Barnes Heller, H. and Barry, M.M. (2023), Effect of an intervention of exercise on sleep and seizure frequency in idiopathic epileptic dogs. J Small Anim Pract, 64: 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13568 

Bottom line — May help with sleep quality …

Can dogs really smell cancer?

 Cancer is a leading cause of death in dogs, with a prevalence of 1 in 4 dogs over their lifetime, increasing to 1 in 2 dogs over the age of 10. While current diagnostic testing for canine neoplasia does not routinely allow for the detection of cancer at the preclinical stage, studies have shown that dogs can detect differences in breath, urine, and blood samples from human cancer patients. Dogs can perceive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in excretions, which are characteristic of cancer, and studies have evaluated the ability of dogs to detect samples from human patients with various types of cancer. The objective of a preliminary study was to measure the ability of trained pet dogs to differentiate between saliva samples from dogs with cancer and those from healthy controls. The study confirmed that dogs can be trained to serve as a screening tool for cancer in other canines with high positive and negative predictive values. The study is a vital first step in demonstrating the ability of dogs to be accurately trained to distinguish between saliva samples from dogs diagnosed with cancer and healthy controls through scent with high accuracy. Further research is needed with larger sample sizes of malignant neoplasia and healthy controls, and more trained scent detection dogs. The goal is to isolate the VOCs/proteins that are uniquely detected via scent to learn more about the concentration and characteristics needed, and to explore these further as specific cancer diagnostic and monitoring tests. Canine scent detection of small animal neoplasia is a noninvasive technique with great promise, and if proven feasible would provide newfound hope for pet owners who receive a cancer diagnosis for their canine companion. 

Malone, L. A., Pellin, M. A., & Valentine, K. M. (2023). Trained dogs can accurately discriminate between scents of saliva samples from dogs with cancer versus healthy controls, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association from https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.22.11.0486 

Bottom line — More sensitive than some “liquid biopsies”…

Just putting things in perspective …