Super sniffer dogs

Medical Detection Dogs, which trains dogs to sniff out cancer and diabetes, is helping prevent medical emergencies and improving the lives of those with life threatening conditions.

The charity, which has received £500,000 in funding thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery, pairs individuals with these extraordinary dogs that have been trained to provide life saving support.

Its world leading Bio Detection Dogs can sniff out even the tiniest smells associated with cancers and many other diseases such as malaria, Parkinson’s and bacterial infections. This could lead to an early diagnosis and faster, cheaper, non invasive testing.

Medical Alert Assistance Dogs are partnered with people with life threatening conditions like type 1 diabetes, Addison’s disease and severe nut allergies. They alert their human partner to a change in their smell which indicates that a potentially fatal event is about to happen, saving their lives on a daily basis and giving them back their independence and providing their families peace of mind.

Lizzie Draper, who suffers from PoTS which causes an abnormal increase in heart rate, is partnered with canine life saver Henry. Lizzie, says: "Life before Henry wasn’t much of a life – suffering blackouts without warning, sometimes several times a day, meant that I was watching all my friends go to uni, get married and have babies while myself living a childlike existence and barely able to go out.

"Since being partnered with Henry I have got a university degree, am now considering a masters and have my independence back. I can’t thank Medical Detection Dogs enough, what they do is life saving and life changing."