The Science

Our world-leading research programme harnesses the power of a dog's nose to help revolutionise early diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.

What makes a good Bio Detection Dog

As our charity comes of age, we look forward to moving from proof of the concept that dogs can detect disease, to application in real-world settings, making our research a reality.

1 in 2

people born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer.

10 million

people worldwide are affected by neurological disease.

700,000

people die annually due to drug resistant bacterial infections.

The Science Behind the Sniff

Here, we’ll explore the science behind the extraordinary abilities of the dogs nose. Read more

Help Us With Funding

Discover how your donation can make a difference. Read more

Partner With Us

Discover how our pioneering Cancer and Bio Detection Dogs can lead to breakthroughs that change lives. Read more

Latest

Job Vacancies

Working for Medical Detection Dogs is an exciting and rewarding experience. We are at the cutting edge of British innovation and collaborate with institutions and healthcare organisations around the world.
Volunteering with Medical Detection Dogs
Rehoming a Medical Detection Dog

The welfare of our dogs is of paramount importance to us; whilst they are training and working, but also when they are retired or withdrawn. Dogs that are ending their career with Medical Detection Dogs make wonderful pets, and we take care to ensure their individual needs are met when finding them a new home. Click on the link to find out more about this rewarding opportunity.
Bowel Cancer
Anatomy of the Dog’s Nose
Our Projects

We research how trained dogs can detect diseases through volatile compounds, building a strong evidence base in collaboration with UK and international partners. While continuing our research, we're now also exploring real-world applications.
Dogs informing technology

Electronic Nose to Detect Cancer at our Centre in UK first
About our Dogs - FAQ

Frequently asked questions about our dogs.
Request a Speaker

Would you like a Medical Detection Dogs Speaker to come to your club, organisation or group to talk about the amazing work we do?
Urinary Tract Infection

A UK project is training dogs to detect UTIs by scent, offering faster, non-invasive diagnosis—especially beneficial for elderly and vulnerable patients. Backed by strong research, dogs show over 90% accuracy in identifying UTI-related bacteria. Following a successful pilot, the program will expand, aiming to support NHS efforts and improve wellbeing through community-based detection and assistance services.

Medical Detection Dogs has launched its first ever urgent fundraising appeal to support a pioneering project that could transform how bowel cancer is detected — using specially trained dogs. Read more

Donate Fundraise