# Can dogs detect heart attacks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637 "2003-10-10T07:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/1 "2003-10-10T07:37:25Z")
Okay, I’ll admit: I’m reading that bastion of credibility, the National Enquirer. There’s an article about dogs that no one wanted, and how one has become a drug-sniffer, etc. However, this little bit from the article threw me for a loop: > [@](#): > > On top of that, Dakota [the dog] turned out to be a genuine lifesaver for his new owner. Dakota was able to warn Mike [his owner] of an oncoming heart attack, buying him several lifesaving minutes to seek help. When an attack is gearing up, the heart puts out enzymes that cause an odor picked up by the dog Huh? How is that possible? Can a dog REALLY sense when a heart attack is coming? And suppose the house contains more than one person. Can the dog differentiate? And how does the dog communicate this? Not every dog is Lassie, and not everyone would know that Timmy fell down the well, metaphorically speaking. I confess that I’m not as up-to-date on dog studies as I probably should be, but I’ve never heard of anything like this. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/2 "2003-10-10T08:19:16Z")
My cardiologist, Dr. Spot, has agreed to answer this question. > [@](#): > > **WIAADD, IANYDD. Rrrruff. Rrruf ruf ruffr ruuuf. Wrowll woo ruf wrowrl ruuf.** ---
**Author:** ![cw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cw)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/3 "2003-10-10T08:23:35Z")
http://www.rense.com/health3/heartdog\_h.htm Although this dog doesn’t seem to “sense” the heart attack, it seems to have been trained to notice the onset of one in it’s master. ---
**Author:** ![cw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cw)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/4 "2003-10-10T08:25:28Z")
bad link [http://www.rense.com/health3/heartdog\_h.htm](http://www.rense.com/health3/heartdog_h.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Anga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Anga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anga)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/5 "2003-10-10T08:29:16Z")
I am certain beyond most probability that a dog can sense a heart attack, provided it is the dogs heart going haywire. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/6 "2003-10-10T09:52:10Z")
I’m pretty sure my dog can, as she’s never said anything and I haven’t had a heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/7 "2003-10-10T11:19:53Z")
The enquirer is not so far off here. Dogs can detect changes in people’s bio-chemistry by scent. A medical journal type television show recently explained how a dog is helping a young girl cope with epileptic attacks. The dog smells a change in the girl’s bio-chemistry and growls a certain way. When the owner’s hear the dog, they get ready, including putting a helmet on the girl, and taking appropriate medications. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/8 "2003-10-10T11:30:52Z")
Yes, Dr. Spot tells me that cardiac arrest and epileptic seizure smell vaguely similar… “A little bit like burnt toast with a hint of okra and lilacs.” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/9 "2003-10-10T15:54:50Z")
Just as a point of interest, **cw** , that was the same guy and dog I was referring to in my article. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/10 "2003-10-10T17:48:16Z")
As **Ficer67** mentioned dogs are indeed used to detect things such as imminent seizures. I do not know if it scent or very subtle body cues the dog picks up on but they do notice it before the person themself is aware. I saw one lady who was liberated by this. Previously she could not leave her house for fear of having a seizure and causing herself who knows what sort of injury (falling down, etc.). Now she can roam about and her dog lets her know a few minutes before a seizure allowing the woman to take precautions (sitting/lying down, finding help, etc.). Given that I would say a dog might be able to sense a heart attack. Of course, the dog somehow has to know that this ‘new’ vibe it is getting from its owner is something to be worried about and let the person know. Of course the person likely has no clue why Rover is going nuts all of a sudden. To add to that I do not think (I am not a doctor though) that all heart attacks are created equal. That is, they occur for different reason with the onset being faster or slower in different circumstances. If that is the case a dog might be able to sense it in some instances and miss it in others. That’s just a WAG (pun intended) though. ---
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/11 "2003-10-10T17:55:29Z")
Here is another article on the subject: [http://www.umm.edu/natnews/110353.html](http://www.umm.edu/natnews/110353.html) ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/12 "2003-10-10T18:37:52Z")
And for those strange people who don’t like dogs… > [@](#): > > Underwear ‘can detect heart attack and call ambulance’ > > Dutch scientists have developed underwear that calls an ambulance if the wearer has a heart attack. > > The Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven has developed bras, vests and pants that register and analyse the wearer’s heartbeat. > > The sensors are linked, via wireless technology, to a mobile phone which automatically makes contact with an alarm centre or an ambulance in an emergency. > > … > Story filed: 12:06 Friday 10th October 2003 from: [http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm\_827582.html](http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_827582.html) Not _very_ sure I _want_ my underwer to be making phone calls all by itself…hmm - nah - dog soudns more fun. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-detect-heart-attacks/206637/13 "2003-10-10T19:48:52Z")
Rrrrrrrrffffffff. RRRRRRRRRRRRfff. AARRRRRooooo. Give me two aspirins and 50 mgs of metoprolol. And a bowl of water. Maybe a juicy, steak, too. A nice thick one without too many bones. Hey, is that a cat I smell?