HJAR Jan/Feb 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JAN / FEB 2020 65 Your Rover is a cham- pion sniffer. Everything he sees gets inspected, smelled, and smelled again. It’s all interesting to him be- cause his little nose has “up to three hundred million” olfactory re- ceptors, as compared to your puny six million re- ceptors. You might smell a swimming pool, says Goodavage, but a dog could “sniff out a teaspoon of a chemical in a million gallons of water…” For centuries, humans have known about those warm, wet noses and we’ve put them to work in hunting prey, contraband, andmiss- ing people. Relatively recently, science has also expanded a dog’s nose job into something that can enhance a life, or save one. Diabetic-alert dogs, for example, can smell when their owners’ glucose levels are either too high or too low, with a minimum 80 percent accuracy. Dogs are taught to signal the problem to the pa- tient, thus avoiding illness, coma, or even death; some have figured out by themselves to rouse parents or caregivers if the diabetic doesn’t respond. Knowing that their owners are about to face crisis, seizure-alert dogs are trained to warn for what’s coming. This gives sufferers a chance to find a safe place to sit or lie down and ride out the seizure or fainting spell – sometimes, with the dog on their legs or lap. Dogs also offer comfort, once the seizure is over. Research on cancer- scent dogs is ongoing, as is work with cardiac ca- nines. Dogs offer mobility assistance for the handi- capped, they can suss out deadly bacteria, and they help PTSD sufferers, the mentally ill, and autistic children. The only problem? It’s one that’s all too familiar to dog lovers: “Dogs never live long enough.” The memes say it best: We don’t deserve dogs. And if you’ve ever doubted that, then read “Doctor Dogs.” Partly because of ancillary information gotten while writing other canine-based books, and partly due to a possible health issue of her own, author Maria Goodavage takes a good look here at a bunch of good boys (and girls), and it’s delightful – not only for the sci- ence behind what we’re only now learning, but because, well, dogs and dog tales and dog facts and the occasional cat. Reading it’s like sitting on a bench in a busy dog park: oh, the stories you’ll hear! By the way, don’t discount your own pooch; Goodavage says that family pets have been known to spontaneously alert for illness, so give Puppers a skritch and pay attention. She might be a muttly M.D. but even if not, read on. “Doctor Dogs”will leave you smiling. n THE MEMES SAY IT BEST: WE DON’T DESERVE DOGS. AND IF YOU’VE EVER DOUBTED THAT, THEN READ “DOCTOR DOGS.”