# Behavior, can dog detect injury?



## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I do a lot of walking/jogging with Abby. For the past few weeks I have had knee pain (ITB?) on the outside of my right knee. When I am sitting or walking (or even jogging) Abby will often come up and sniff my leg where it hurts. That is (fortunately) the only place that she seems interested in.
weird


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

I fully believe dogs can tell these things. It never fails when we are hurt they seem to be extra careful and when it's something substantial they generally "investigate" the area that was injured.. not sure what they pick up on but I am positive they know something is wrong.

Hope you get feeling better soon


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Dogs can sense oncoming epilepsy attacks, they can sniff out cancer...yes, I think they can sniff out injuries as well.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

You are very fortunate to have such an exceptional dog! Yes, I do believe they can smell illness. Growing up, we had a beagle. He normally was a nasty dog, but when I had to stay home from school sick, he was always near me.

A few years ago there were news stories on this cat who could sense death. It lived in a nursing home and would sleep on the beds of patients who soon died.

There were a few posts here on nosework and pseudo scents. I hope someone can develop some training scents for illness, so when I go to the doctor I can get checked out by a dog instead. It would certainly reduce my blood pressure as I tend to get white coat disease.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Gretchen said:


> I hope someone can develop some training scents for illness, so when I go to the doctor I can get checked out by a dog instead. It would certainly reduce my blood pressure as I tend to get white coat disease.


Made me laff out loud.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I sprained my sternoclavicular joint the other day and was in bed from the pain and my dogs (especially my Libby) got in the bed and wouldn't leave, they were interested in that spot. 
I am positive they can smell the injuries we get.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

When I saw the thread title, I was thinking that since they can read us so well, surely they can see if we are not walking right or if our faces show discomfort. We might also look tired, spaced out eyes, etc.

With an internal inflammation, would there be anything to smell? Change in bloodflow to the inflamed ligaments?

If I had to bet, and being a born skeptic, I'd say if you were limping or otherwise displaying that the knee was bothering you (sitting differently, rubbing your knee etc.), he was just noticing something was different in the way you were responding to the knee. And/or noticing the extra smell on your knee if you had been rubbing it (maybe by rubbing it, you are causing more skin to slough off in the area, or the scent of your hand etc.).

Speaking of that. My knee is killing me today and my dogs haven't seemed to notice a thing. :laugh:


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Ucdcrush said:


> When I saw the thread title, I was thinking that since they can read us so well, surely they can see if we are not walking right or if our faces show discomfort. We might also look tired, spaced out eyes, etc.
> 
> With an internal inflammation, would there be anything to smell? Change in bloodflow to the inflamed ligaments?
> 
> ...


My previous dog did not care if I were sick or injured, but one of the feral Siamese cats I have definitely noticed when I am sick, stressed, or mentally off. Normally since it is feral, he is a hands off cat, but when I was not right, he curls up with me, or hangs closer. I call him my medicine ball (he curls up tight like a ball). Neither my daughter nor I have been ill in any way with the new dog, so I don't know how she will react.

My old dog died of cancer, even I could smell a difference in her. She smelled like necrotic tissue. Maybe dogs can smell this when it is in earlier stages.


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## Freddy (Apr 23, 2009)

I have one who definitely can, including sensing my son's seizures. He also notices when anything is up with me, and gets more clingy. 

The other one could care less.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i think some dogs can detect things. when i came home after surgery
my dog met me at the door. when i first entered the house he was excited
and then all of a sudden he started moving slow. he slowly walked
towards me and started sniffing me. then he sniffed where i was
operated on. he remained calm and slow around me. 3 or 4 days
a week we visited my GF's mother. my GF's mother was 89 yrs
old and used a walker. when our dog was around her he was
very calm and slow moving.


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## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

My little dog, Sergeant, is forever finding injuries and whatnot on us, the other dogs, and even the cats. We have decided he was an army medic in a former life. I truly think he could be very easily trained to be a cancer sniffing dog or something.


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

My previous GSD was super clingy for the couple of days before I went into labor with my son.....so much so that people who were staying and not dog people commented on it. He just wouldn't leave my side and was almost tripping me over and then when I would sit he would put his head in my lap.
My hubby jokingly said "Maybe he knows your going to go into labor" and sure enough I did. I don't have him this time around and I am pretty sure my 12month old GSD will be too busy to notice if anything is up with me this time....


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

I'm pretty certain that they can detect injury and disease. I have psoriasis, and quite often dogs will gravitate their noses right to some of the spots where it is flaring, and many of them will try to lick it.


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Slightly different but a few weeks ago my 16 year old cat was not well. Have since found out she has a tumor in her eye. But anywhoo Molly would gentle nuzzle Paris's eye. This dog (bless her) is not the sharpest tool in the shed and will chase Paris at any given opportunity so this was strange to see.


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

my female has never really liked my husband. One weekend, he got really, really sick. For some strange reason, she attached herself to him. So very clingy. She would lick and sniff him everywhere.

He went to the dr. that Monday and found out he had diabetes. His numbers were outrageous.

Ever since that day...she is attached to my husband. She loves him.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Our dogs get quite concerned when other dogs come in freshly spayed, etc.
We most recently had Sassy, the itty bitty Pug baby who needed one eye removed. Our youngest Dachshund, Pebbles, took charge of her. She was so careful and would sniff Sassy's incision (where they removed the eye) and would gently lick it.
Pebbles has taken it upon herself a few times, now, to protect dogs who have health issues. Her "BFF" Layla (a profoundly disabled Dachshund) has neuro issues and then developed an abscessed toe for which she had 2 surgeries. She had a bandage on her foot which made it even harder for her to walk, and Pebbles would just stand over her and encourage her, in whatever ways dogs do, to walk. She even tried to pry the bandage off Layla's foot! 
When Layla can't get down the stairs to the couch, Pebs will go stand at the bottom as if to say "I'm here for you, even if you fall!".
It's so freaking adorable <3


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