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Dogs accurately sniff out cancer in human blood
Dogs in the study could detect cancer in blood with almost 97 per cent accuracy.
Study could lead to non-invasive screening method

Dogs can use their powerful sense of smell to accurately identify cancer in human blood, according to new research.

A study led by research and development firm BioScent DX found that dogs could detect the disease in blood with almost 97 per cent accuracy. The findings, presented at the 2019 Experimental Biology meeting (April 6-9) in Orlando, may lead to new non-invasive ways to detect cancer.

"Although there is currently no cure for cancer, early detection offers the best hope of survival," said lead researcher Heather Junqueira. "A highly sensitive test for detecting cancer could potentially save thousands of lives and change the way the disease is treated."

In the study, researchers used clicker training to train four beagles to
differentiate between normal blood and samples from patients with malignant lung cancer. Three out of the four dogs correctly identified lung cancer samples 96.7 per cent of the time and normal samples 97.5 per cent of the time.

"This work is very exciting because it paves the way for further research along two paths, both of which could lead to new cancer-detection tools," said Junqueira.

"One is using canine scent detection as a screening method for cancers, and the other would be to determine the biologic compounds the dogs detect and then design cancer-screening tests based on those compounds."

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.