Peanut Sniffing Dogs Save Lives

Quick Summary

• Peanut sniffing dogs are trained to detect peanuts in food and in an environment to help warn people with severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
• Training a dog to a detect peanuts and other allergens can take up to 6 months and cost up to $10,000.
• Doctors caution people with anaphylaxis to not rely solely on peanut-sniffing dogs to prevent a deadly allergy attack, but instead learn more about their allergies, the triggers, how to avoid it, and what to do in case of emergencies.

Let me tell you this quickly: It is true—peanut-sniffing dogs save lives. Not only can dogs use their incredible sense of smell to save lives by detecting cancer and finding people buried in the rubble. They can also be trained to sniff out peanuts as well as other allergens that are potentially deadly to people with extreme allergies. If you or someone you know has a peanut allergy, be sure to ask about the availability of a peanut detection dog in your area. These dogs can provide peace of mind and, potentially, save your life.

Dogs are natural-born sniffers: their sense of smell is 1,000 times greater than a human’s. While humans have 5 million olfactory receptors in their noses, dogs have a whopping 220 million.

The breeds commonly used for peanut detection are Poodles and Portuguese Water Dogs (both breeds also make good pets for highly allergic people since they don’t shed much and have little dander), Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds, along with mixed breeds such as Labradoodles. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related death. Approximately 2 percent of the population is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts or both. A report in the December 2003 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. They found that the number of children with peanut allergies doubled in the early ’00s.

Did You Know That Service Dogs Can Detect Peanuts?

It’s true! These amazing animals are able to sniff out peanuts in food, and they’re helping to save lives. Recently, a service dog named Angel saved her owner from anaphylactic shock after detecting a peanut hidden in his sandwich. One of the most important jobs that service dogs have is detecting peanuts

Southern Star Ranch in Florence, Texas, trains dogs to detect peanuts and tree nuts. According to its website, “Peanut dogs are easily able to detect minute quantities of peanuts in any form: raw, cooked, oil, butter, dust, etc.” Sharon Perry, the facility’s director of training, told ABC News that while a hypoallergenic breed is ideal for this type of work, the most important attributes are drive and energy, because the dogs are working all the time.  ”They are always aware of what’s around them and what they’re smelling,” Perry said. “It’s their nature; these dogs work because they consider it a game.”

Detection Dog Training

An allergen detection dog is specially trained to detect the presence of peanut proteins in food items and other things such as utensils that could have been contaminated with peanuts by a previous user (e.g., straws at restaurants). They’re also taught how to paw at or bark at the item to indicate that it contains peanuts.

Process of Peanut Detection Dogs

It takes at least 6 months to train dogs. Perry said she starts the training process by instructing the dog to find one whole peanut in a plastic bag. She then moves on to peanut butter and other foods containing peanuts, as well as objects such as library books and groceries with traces of peanut dust or oils on them. The dog is trained to discretely scan people for peanut residue to eliminate the risk of contamination. In addition to the ranch, training locations include real-world settings like malls and libraries.

Peanut sniffing dog: Detection dog

A passive alert and response occur when a dog senses peanuts, according to Dr. Julius Perry. “They’re trained to sit, and you can’t get them away from that sit,” she said. When the owner says “Show me,” the dog will point at the contaminated item. If you or a loved one is allergic to peanuts and you’re thinking your HMO might provide you with a service dog, forget about it. Perry said the total cost of training a peanut-detecting dog can be at least $10,000, which is not covered by any insurance plan.

Life Threatening Anaphylaxis : Peanut Sniffing Dog

While life threatening anaphylaxis is rare, it is a very scary experience for those affected. Anaphylaxis can occur within minutes or hours of exposure to peanuts and peanut products. Some symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hives and swelling of lips and tongue.

Did you know that food allergies are one of the leading causes of anaphylaxis? An estimated 15 million Americans have food allergies, and out of those, about 200,000 require emergency treatment each year. Peanut detection dogs are changing all of that. These amazing animals are helping to save lives by detecting peanuts in food before they can be ingested.

 Sherry Mers, whose daughter has a life-threatening peanut allergy, started Angel Service Dogs to help families defray the prohibitive cost of training dogs for children with severe allergies. “When you have a family looking at this dog and knowing that this is what’s going to save their child’s life, you can’t put a price on that,” Mers told WBZ. While a trained dog’s sniffing skills are about 95 percent accurate, trainers warn that an allergic person still needs to be on guard for allergens, and the dog should be the last line of defense.

Colorado Springs

The Colorado Springs Police Department has a new tool to help keep their community safe- peanut detection dogs. These amazing animals are able to sniff out peanuts and other allergens. Which can save the lives of people who have severe allergy.

According to ABC News, some doctors aren’t convinced that allergen detection dogs are better than caution and education.

”Although a dog might be able to smell a peanut, the danger does not come from the oils that create the smell; they come from proteins that a person ingests,” Dr. Dan Atkins, a pediatric allergist and professor of pediatrics at the National Jewish Health in Denver, told ABC News. “What could probably help them more than a peanut-sniffing dog would be better education about allergies, potential exposures, how to avoid them, and how to cope with an accidental ingestion.”