Dog’s bizarre habit of sniffing around his owner’s mouth went on for months — then came the life-changing diagnosis

Even though he had quit smoking five years earlier, discovering the problem early put him in a strong position.

PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO

(L) Hispanic man sitting with dog in living room, (R) Male doctor discussing with patient in clinic. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Hill Street Studios, (R) Morsa Images)

Tom Sweeney, a man from Blaengwynfi in Neath Port Talbot, was completely unaware of the silent illness growing inside him until his dog helped him in a miraculous diagnosis. After recovering from a cold and sore throat, Tom noticed an obvious change in his voice. But it wasn’t until his five-year-old dog, Dug, kept sniffing around his mouth for months that he began to worry.

"He was sniffing my mouth a lot over the course of two months—he does it with other family members too—but he just wouldn’t stop with me. He must have known something wasn’t right," the owner recalled. Realizing it could be serious, he rushed to his local surgery, where he was advised to undergo a biopsy at Morriston Hospital. Later, when the results came, it was confirmed that he had throat cancer. "A consultant otolaryngologist explained it was a smoking-related cancer. I had given up smoking five years ago, but as the cancer was caught early, we were in a good position," he told WalesOnline. Further, Tom confessed that if it weren't for his dog, he would never have gone for a check-up.

Young man lying down in hospital in contemplation. Getty Images | Photo by sturti — Young man lying down in hospital in contemplation. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by sturti)

Six weeks later, Tom began his radiotherapy treatment at the South West Wales Cancer Centre at Singleton Hospital. His treatment was successful, but he returns once every two months for his routine check-ups. "The staff at the South West Wales Cancer Centre are all angels—they are truly incredible humans. Nothing is too big or small. They go out of their way to help you with anything you need. They are always there for you with a smile on their face, and you feel you are their only concern," Tom said, praising the hospital staff.

Though it isn't clear if Dug was specifically trained to detect cancer, there are documented cases where pets have alerted owners to illnesses, even without training. Cancers leave traces or odor signatures in a person's body or bodily secretions, just like many other diseases. Cancer cells or healthy cells that are affected by cancer produce and release odor signatures, made up of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), according to Medical News Today.

A female owner with her pet dog. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Oscar Wong)

In a similar story, Christine Sams from Lewisburg noticed her dog, Lexi, following her everywhere and sniffing a freckle on her leg. At first, Sams ignored Lexi's behavior until it became her routine. The woman had lost her mom to breast cancer, and so she decided to get herself checked. The biopsy results confirmed that Lexi had been alerting her to Stage 1 melanoma. "It was very scary. I had to have another surgery, a wide excision to remove the tissue around the cancer," she said. Luckily, Sams' cancer stopped progressing further and got better with treatment.