Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to detect the odour of human disease with the aim of developing faster, more efficient and less invasive diagnostics that lead to better patient outcomes.

We are at the forefront of the research into the fight against cancer and other life-threatening diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and bacterial infections. Our Bio Detection Dogs are trained to find the odour of those diseases in samples such as urine, breath and sweat and our work has the potential to benefit millions.

We already apply what we know about the science of canine olfaction to benefit people by training Medical Alert Assistance Dogs to detect minute changes in an individual’s personal odour triggered by their disease and alert them to an impending medical event, helping them manage complex, life-threatening medical conditions and improving their quality of life.

We take the welfare of our Medical Detection Dogs extremely seriously. From the moment they come to us as puppies we ensure the highest standards of care for our dogs. We have a strict no kennel policy and all our dogs live in the homes of our staff or fantastic local volunteers where they are loved and cared for as part of the family.

We rely on the generosity of our supporters, charitable trusts and foundations and members of the public to fund our life-saving work.

Bio Detection Dogs
We carry out ground breaking research to improve early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.
Medical Detection Dogs is at the forefront of innovative research into dogs’ ability to detect the smell of human diseases and save lives.
The dog’s nose is the best bio-sensor we know of. Our 2014 research indicated that our dogs were capable of detecting tiny traces (around one part per trillion – the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic sized swimming pools) of the odour created by different diseases.

Medical Alert Assistance Dogs
We train dogs to support people with life-threatening health conditions, saving their lives on a daily basis and helping the NHS by keeping them out of hospital.
Using their amazing sense of smell, dogs can be trained to identify minute odour changes emitted prior to an emergency and alert the person to take preventative action.
• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS)
• Addison’s disease
• Severe allergies
• Type 1 diabetes
• Other endocrine disorders
• Episodes of sudden health deterioration