Dog detects owner’s breast cancer

A nine-year-old collie called Max has alerted his owner to a serious health issue.

The discovery comes after Maureen Burns had been to see a doctor with concerns over a lump in her breast.

After initial tests, she received negative mammogram results. However, after some highly unusual behaviour from her pet, she insisted on a biopsy that discovered what could have been a potentially fatal condition.

The usually energetic and happy dog had become glum and lethargic, leading Burns to believe that the animal was the one with some kind of illness. However, it soon became apparent that something else was wrong, when Max began sniffing his owner’s breast and staring at her with a dismal look in his eyes.

An appointment with her health care provider resulted in several tests being conducted, only for Burns to be told that she was clear of any disease. Aware of the fact that she had a lump in her breast, she demanded yet another test, which proved that the abnormality was cancerous.

Burns, who upon returning home was greeted by a very normal behaving dog, said:

“He put his nose across my breast to check where the operation had been and started wagging his tail… I love Max and I owe him so much.”

Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the United Kingdom, with over 12,000 losing their lives to the disease each year. Burns is now on the path to defeating the illness, thanks to her collie’s instincts.

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