NZ Ovarian Cancer sniffing dogs set to receive significant new funding boost.

Hogan, the skilled detection dog, hard at work sniffing along a lineup.

Every 48 hours, one woman in New Zealand dies from ovarian cancer. But now, two remarkable dogs, Hunter and Hogan, are on a mission to change that. Trained by K9 Medical Detection (K9MD) in Dunedin, these dogs use their extraordinary sense of smell to detect cancer early – potentially saving lives.

Thanks to a $183,000NZD grant from the Royal Canin Foundation, K9MD can continue their research for an early non-invasive diagnostic test to ultimately support women throughout New Zealand, especially significant as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month was recently held in February.

Jeremy Sassoon, Australia/NZ General Manager of Royal Canin, says “The dogs brought into the programme are selected for their superior genetic quality and intelligence. Just like professional athletes, Hogan and Hunter require premium nutrition, training, welfare and veterinarian support.”

Pet health through nutrition company Royal Canin has supported K9MD since 2022, with the Foundation also funding other science and medical research programmes involving cancer sniffing dogs across the globe.

“One of our key areas of focus is on animals supporting and having a positive impact on human health. Our rewarding partnership with K9MD allows us to continue to highlight this focus, while jointly playing a part in transformative non-invasive and early cancer detection,” says Mr Sassoon.

Pauline Blomfield, K9MD Chief Executive and founder, says the investment into expanding its ovarian cancer trials are crucial due to New Zealand having one of the highest rates of cancer in the world.

“Every 48 hours, one woman will die from ovarian cancer in New Zealand,” says Blomfield.

The new Royal Canin Foundation funding will allow K9MD to recruit more nurses across the country to collect a wider range of urine samples for the dog’s training.

The funding will also contribute to K9MD’s specialist trainers and their medical and research team.

Auckland University Dean of Science Professor Sarah Young breaks down the science behind the work at K9MD.

“Like many other diseases, cancers leave specific traces, or odour signatures, in a person’s body and bodily secretions. Cancer cells, or healthy cells affected by cancer, produce and release specific odour signatures, which K9MD dogs are trained to pick up on. The K9MD dogs are capable of checking around 300 samples a week and early-stage validations show an accuracy detection rate of 96-100 per cent*” she says.