WYOMING – Wyoming Game and Fish is partnering with researchers from Utah State University who are testing the feasibility of using sniffer dogs to identify cow elk that are infected or seropositive for brucellosis.
Dogs have been used to detect cancer and other diseases. The science underlying much of this sniffer dog work is that when an animal has a particular illness, there are volatile organic compounds present in their breath, feces, or urine, that are unique to that illness, and that dogs can smell and remember.
The project has several goals. Currently, there are few tests for brucellosis in elk that can be conducted quickly in the field. If sniffer dogs can accurately identify infected or seropositive elk, they could provide wildlife managers with another research tool. The broader implications of this work are that disease detection in wildlife could be conducted without the need to capture and handle animals.
Fecal samples and vaginal swabs were collected at a number of elk feedgrounds. The animals from which samples were collected, also had blood drawn and re-searchers determined which samples to use as the training ‘target’ based on the results of their blood work.
Two dogs, a black lab and an Australian cattle dog mix, were then trained using a ball reward to discriminate between samples taken from seropositive and seronegative elk.
Results are expected later this year.
PHOTO: Ripley, a 6-year old black lab, works on fecal samples taken from cow elk at Wyoming’s feedgrounds to identify brucellosis. Photo by Jared Rogerson.
