Sign In

Coronavirus could be ‘sniffed’ out by dogs, experts say

March 30, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has upended nearly every facet of day-to-day life around the globe, but one charity is hoping this everyday activity can help flatten the curve — dogs sniffing.

British charity Medical Detection Dogs has partnered with Durham University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) on a medical trial to see if the crafty canines are able to sniff out people who have COVID-19.

“In principle, we’re sure that dogs could detect COVID-19,” Dr. Claire Guest, CEO and co-founder of Medical Detection Dogs, said in a statement. “We are now looking into how we can safely catch the odor of the virus from patients and present it to the dogs.”

The dogs looking for the novel coronavirus could be used in the same way they are used to look for other diseases, such as cancer, Parkinson’s or other bacterial infections, as each disease has its own smell, the charity added. The dogs are able to “detect subtle changes” in skin temperature, so it’s possible they could tell whether someone has a fever.

“The aim is that dogs will be able to screen anyone, including those who are asymptomatic and tell us whether they need to be tested,” Guest explained. “This would be fast, effective and non-invasive and make sure the limited NHS testing resources are only used where they are really needed.”

Upon sniffing out the potential COVID-19 patients, the potential carriers would then be confirmed by an actual test to determine if they are indeed affected.

“We know that other respiratory diseases like COVID-19 change our body odor so there is a very high chance that dogs will be able to detect it,” professor James Logan, head of Department of Disease Control at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and director of ARCTEC, said. “Our previous work demonstrated that dogs can detect odors from humans with a malaria infection with extremely high accuracy – above the World Health Organization standards for a diagnostic.”

The dog trials could be done in as few as six weeks, the BBC reports, assuming positive results. If that happens, rapid deployment could occur, said Durham University professor Steve Lindsay.

“If the research is successful, we could use COVID-19 detection dogs at airports at the end of the epidemic to rapidly identify people carrying the virus,” Lindsay explained. “This would help prevent the re-emergence of the disease after we have brought the present epidemic under control.”

There are a number of tests used to detect COVID-19 that have been approved in recent weeks. Last week, the U.S. FDA approved one from Abbott Laboratories that can detect positive results in as few as five minutes and negative results in as few as 13 minutes.

As of Monday morning, more than 735,000 coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, including more than 143,000 of which are in the U.S., the most impacted country on the planet.

Register Your Dog

  • Most Recent News

    Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life

    When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]

    Read more

    Students Get Therapy Dog

    When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dogtor

    Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dog Pups

    When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]

    Read more

    Puppy Cams

    A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]

    Read more

    Pet Committee

    When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]

    Read more