Sniffer dogs to detect Covid-19

[P999]

Does anyone know anything about how long it takes and if this would (or wouldnt) be an interesting idea? I know there might be issues around consent to being tested. But potentially overridable in a pandemic situation? Just an idea. Stupid or not stupid?

Why? What's wrong with conventional testing?

If the dogs touch lots of people they might spread the virus from one infected person to some others through bad luck, it doesn't sound like it would be a good idea.

Should have written, how long it takes to train dogs?

Conventional testing: time factors. Results take a good couple of days to come back from lab. Plus people only present when symptomatic. Could dogs be trained not to touch those they sniff as infected? I know nothing about this, btw.

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No expert, but I would imagine it takes months to train a sniffer dog and they'd need a constant supply of infected people to practice on. If it's even possible for them to distinguish indivual viruses by smell. Not exactly rapid response.

Mine's already trained. I'll sell him to you for a very reasonable price.

Is there any evidence that dogs can identify the coronavirus, or any similar viruses, from their smell?

I know dogs can generally tell when their owner has a cold or the flu, but I think that's more 'hey, my human smells different than normal' rather than 'that smells like the flu'.

Don’t you think if it was a viable option it would already be being considered?

It’s about eighteen months to train a dog. You’d also have to train a fuck tonne of them. I’m not even sure it’s feasible for dogs to be trained to detect this virus.

Training sniffer dogs takes time.

And as pp pointed out you'd need a load of infected people to practice on.

As well as the danger of the dog passing it on from person to person, there's also the danger of the dog getting it as well I imagine, as didn't it start with animals, although I could very well be wrong there. If that did happen then you suddenly find yourself with a lot of very sick, expensively trained dogs.

Either way, I think the test that they've developed already is probably the best way of testing for it at the moment.

www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/about-us/

It’s not even the eighteen months to train them, you’d have to develop the methodology to do so first. What exactly would they be trying to detect, what smell? Plus I really doubt anyone with very mild to no symptoms smells differently. To someone who doesn’t.

It would take years to put something like that in place, even if it was possible, which I doubt.

Plus dogs are fallible. Science is not.

Dogs can sometimes 'know' when people are ill (stories abound about cancer)

I am not aware they can be trained to detect particular infections.

And it takes months/years to train, by which time it might be a different pathogen causing concern.

Cancer is not this. And do you know how many years it took to develop that program

YABU not posting this in the Coronavirus section

It would take longer than the virus would at it's worst, it is probably not even possible for a dog to distinguish from one virus or another.

This is problem we have tonnes of people making statements let's close schools let's do this, and it's all based in feelings of fear not fact.

YABVFU for not posting this is in the Coronavirus hysteria topic.

Hopefully it will get moved.

Happy for it to be moved. No idea where the dedicated thread is. Zero hysteria from me btw.

Just googled about the likelihood of dogs picking up the virus from humans as I said in my pp. Apparently, as far as scientist are concerned this is very unlikely to happen and they have doubts about the dog in Hong Kong that tested positive, actually being positive.

Apparently though, if you're self isolating you're not supposed to touch your dog. Not entirely sure how that's possible tbh.

Were you dared to make the most off-the-wall thread about coronavirus? Congratulations, you won!

1. There’s a WHOLE TOPIC
2. It’s transmissible to dogs so it’s unethical

@P999

Happy for it to be moved. No idea where the dedicated thread is. Zero hysteria from me btw.

We've moved it

The Coronavirus topic can be found in our Health section.

There was a medical detection dog on Crufts yesterday. The person with him (sorry, don't know if they were a scientist or dog trainer!) was saying that it is not scalable. They aim to replicate the dog's sensory perceptors (not technical term) in machine form so that it can be rolled out globally.

Hi. For anyone who is interested. Looks like the sniffer dogs are an option!

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/dogs-could-join-the-fight-against-covid-19/&ved=2ahUKEwiKvoWhisfoAhXKN8AKHTTzAFsQFjAGegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw28qrRPgVdsEY0-5TmS8Bne" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/dogs-could-join-the-fight-against-covid-19/&ved=2ahUKEwiKvoWhisfoAhXKN8AKHTTzAFsQFjAGegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw28qrRPgVdsEY0-5TmS8Bne