Daigle proposes 'trained dogs will accurately and rapidly predict BRD risk in individual cattle'

Since dogs have been proven able to detect certain diseases in humans, a team from Texas A&M is researching dogs' ability to sniff out breathing problems in cows.

Courtney Daigle, Texas A&M AgriLife researcher and animal welfare specialist in the Department of Animal Science, and doctoral student Aiden Juge are conducting research to determine if dogs' sense of smell can be used to accurately detect bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in cattle, the university reported in January. 

The team is working with BRD expert John Richeson from West Texas A&M University in Canyon and Nathan Hall, an expert on canine olfaction from Texas Tech University, to explore the theory. "Hall specializes in canine olfaction, otherwise known as a dog’s sense of smell, and Richeson supplied the first set of nasal swabs from cattle used in the pilot study," the report states.

Preliminary testing was used to help identify what training, equipment and other parameters are needed to increase accuracy in detection, according to the news release. The team is currently conducting its second round of studies to see if dogs can routinely and accurately detect BRD in cattle.. 

Daigle says once perfected, this new technology could be used to determine the health of individual animals in commercial beef production. Cattle health is currently evaluated at the herd level, and antimicrobial treatment is applied to the entire group, irrespective to the health of individual animals. 

“We propose that appropriately trained dogs will accurately and rapidly predict BRD risk in individual cattle, and communicate that information to humans in real time, resulting in a targeted approach to controlling BRD using antimicrobials,” Daigle said in the news release.

By identifying and treating affected animals individually instead on the group level, commercial beef producers could save on costs by reducing drug use. 

“If these dogs can discriminate between samples from sick and healthy cattle under highly controlled conditions, then producers could have another tool in their cattle-management toolbox when it comes to detecting BRD,” Daigle said. “Also, these results may catalyze further research that could examine what compounds are responsible for those scent differences, leading to the development of sensors for BRD.” 

BRD is a leading cause of cattle death, reportedly affecting 16.2% of U.S. feedlot cattle, according to the news release.