Sniffing Out Covid 19, Can Dogs Help Contain the Virus? | Episode 17

Kossi, a Greyhound Mix, Says 100 % Yes!In this episode of the Pawdcast, Karen and Jean chat with Teri Schultz, a freelance reporter for National Public Radio and Deutsche Welle.Based in Brussels, Belgium it was a story in Finland caught animal-lover Teri’s attention.  A project being overseen by the University of Helsinki using scent detection dogs to sniff out Covid 19 at Helsinki’s airport.   At the height of the pandemic, Teri traveled to Helsinki twice – once at her own expense, to cover the story.What Teri shares is nothing short of fascinating.  Kossi, a greyhound mix who was adopted off the streets of Spain, has developed into a master sniffer -- with a specialty for identifying diseases.  Under the guidance of his owner/trainer, Kossi can detect Covid 19 in minutes with incredible accuracy. Finland is one of several countries, studying (or piloting) the use of dogs to sniff out the virus and help snuff out the pandemic.  The United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and the United State are conducting similar programs.  Here in the U.S., work is being done at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.Teri, Jean and Karen discuss what’s needed to take this program to scale and the unlimited applications for this noninvasive (nonthreatening) type of detection.Learn more about Kossi’s work here -- https://en.wisenose.fi/smell_detection/https://www.dogrisk.com/research-group