Medical Detection Dogs: The Future Of COVID 19 Testing?

They’ve successfully sniffed out different forms of cancers and sniffed out those affected by malaria for years, but are medical detection dogs the future of COVID 19 testing and detection?

By: Ringp Bones

Three months ago, specifically trained medical detection dogs have shown promising results in being able to detect COVID 19 in suspected patients even before the patients tested positive with existing COVID 19 test procedures, thus establishing their potential for use in new non-invasive, early warning measure to detect coronavirus in the future. After promising results by the world leading researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and collaboration with the charity Medical Detection Dogs and Durham University, dogs that can sniff out COVID 19 will soon be working as an early detection system in a public space near you.

Given that dogs have been successfully sniffing out certain cancers and even malaria infected individuals for a number of years now, COVID 19 detection could represent the new frontier for these medical detection dogs. More than 10 years of research gathered by Medical Detection Dogs has shown that the dogs, which could screen up to 250 people per hour, can be trained to detect the odor of specific diseases at the equivalent dilution of one teaspoon of sugar in 2-Olympic sized swimming pools of water.

Trials in Helsinki, Finland’s airports are already planned to use medical detection dogs to “sniff-out” newly arrived plane passengers for COVID 19. And given the promising results by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine trials of these dogs, the medical detection dogs can also perform mass screenings of COVID 19 at a faster time compared to existing mass testing methods with even better accuracy. This could make the disconcerting cotton swab through the nose testing for COVID 19 a thing of the past.

Can We Give Our Pets COVID 19?

Given the zoonotic nature of the coronavirus, can we inadvertently give our pets the COVID 19 despite of observing stay-at-home guidelines?

By: Ringo Bones

Zoonotic diseases – also known as zoonoses – are diseases caused by bacteria and viruses that spread between animals and people. Unfortunately, the COVID 19 virus has mutated into something that became a global pandemic back in March 2020 – and sadder still, it seems that pet owners can give their pets COVID 19 despite strict adherence to stay at home guidelines, not to mention it can virtually be impossible to social distance from your cherished pet during a pandemic lockdown.

The possibility of people making their cherished pets sick with COVID 19 arose when a tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID 19 and likely got the disease from the zoo’s animal handlers. Testing your pets if they got the COVID 19 virus has been a contentious issue since the WHO declared the disease a global pandemic due to the shortage of test and – currently – the tests are prioritized to essential and at risk personnel – i.e. front-line doctors and supporting healthcare workers. There has even been an outcry when that tiger from the Bronx Zoo got a COVID 19 test became headline news given that some doctors and nurses still await to be tested due to possible exposure due to lack of adequate personal protective equipment like masks and face shields.

When a pug from Chapel Hill, North Carolina became patient-zero of COVID 19 in dogs in the United States after that tiger in the Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID 19 has raised concerns given that it is virtually impossible to social distance from your pets during a lockdown. Not to mention that some towns and cities have ordered veterinary clinics to close during the ongoing COVID 19 lockdown because they are not considered as “essential businesses”.

Spotify For Your Pets, Anyone?

Aimed by the Swedish audio streaming site for their subscribers who felt guilty leaving their pets alone at home, does a Spotify playlist and podcast list for your pets actually offer positive benefits for your pets?

By: Ringo Bones

The Swedish audio streaming site has pitched the scheme specifically for those who felt guilty leaving their pet(s) alone at home Spotify is now making curated playlists specifically tailored for your pets to enjoy. Often referred to as “Spotify For Pets”, it’s been around for over two weeks now and many subscribers swear by it given that the app’s algorithm generates a music playlist that is more or less “liked” by their pets.  But for pet owners with a semblance of knowledge on how the science behind their pet’s auditory system works compared to theirs, are the “Spotify Pet Playlists and tailored podcasts are really backed by science that they offer positive benefits to your pets, never mind if they can even hear them at all given the physiological differences between the human auditory system and your pet’s?

Well, there was a study published by Australian researchers a few years ago that dog breeds used for sheepherding prefer to listen to acoustic guitar based campfire music and even seem to feel relaxed while listening to such repertoire. But what about the more exotic pets mentioned in Spotify’s pet playlists, like iguanas and probably snakes whose auditory system are more sensitive in the low frequency or bass region compared to humans? Would such pets prefer electronic dance music with a surfeit of bass – maybe Meghan Trainor’s All About the Bass perhaps?