How Dogs And Cats Sense Illnesses

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Both dogs and cats have an amazing way of detecting illnesses in people and in other animals. Dogs, especially, have an unbelievable sense of smell. Unlike humans who have approximately 5 million scent receptors, dogs have anywhere from 125 to 300 million scent receptors depending on the breed.

Dogs, having such an acute and accurate sense of smell and a high level of awareness of the types of energy surrounding them, can at times detect many types of illnesses including epileptic seizures and certain types of cancer. It's theorized that our present day dog's ancestral grey wolf's pack survival depended upon the necessity to know which member of the pack was sick.

Like dogs, cats also have an uncanny ability to detect ailments and diseases as well. Cats also have an acute sense of smell and have the ability to sniff out a chemical change in the body caused by a disease. And both dogs and cats can also sense the change in mood, behavior and pattern that affect a daily routine.

Reported By Nan Talleno, KYW Newsradio