A Yellow Labrador has an uncanny ability to detect a deadly lung infection just by its smell. The dog named Chilli is part of the Medical Detection Dogs' (MDD) Bio Detection Dog Team.
He's one of a handful of dogs that can detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), a bacterium that causes lung infections. The bacteria affects those who have Cystic Fibrosis. The Yellow Labrador went from being a rescue puppy to being a valuable Bio Detection Dog. Thanks to his sniffer and training, the Yellow Labrador can detect the bacteria.
Dogs can detect the lung infection with 94.2% sensitivity and 98.5% specificity.
"We are delighted that Chilli is now an official member of our Bio Detection team," Chris Allen, head of puppy supply and training at MDD, said in a statement. "He is full of personality, confidence, and loves to use his nose. Which are all attributes we look for in a Bio Detection Dog."
Yellow Labrador And Its Super Nose
The dog will be valuable to helping patients.
"He needs to be assertive enough to tell us when he has found his target odor and when it is not present. And he will be rewarded for both decisions," said Allen. "He loves life at our training centre where he gets dropped off for training in the morning. And collected at the end of the day."
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home praised Chilli and his nose.
A spokesperson at the animal rescue organization said, "Everyone at Battersea was thrilled to hear that Chilli had passed his final assessment. And will now be helping make a real difference to people's lives as a Bio Detection Dog. While we believe that every dog and cat in our care is special, even as a tiny pup, we knew that Chilli had something extra special about him. We're so grateful to Medical Detection Dogs and the other charities we work with for seeing the potential in our dogs. And giving them the wonderful lives they deserve."
