A Nose That Saves Lives
Keola’s secret weapon is her sense of smell. Dogs have 4000% more scent receptors than humans. They can detect odors in tiny amounts, and distinguish subtle changes in scents. Some breeds are able to detect illness by picking up on minuscule changes in the human body’s chemical composition.
A small shift in hormones or the release of dangerous organic compounds can alert them of something wrong – which is what is believed happened with Keola and Alhanna. But Leola isn’t the first dog to save her owner’s life.