'Healthy Man' Gets Cancer Diagnosis After Dog Starts Acting Strangely Around Him

A man who considered himself completely healthy received a cancer diagnosis after being puzzled by his dog’s odd behavior toward him.

The old saying that a dog is truly a man's best friend rang truer than ever in this case, as it appears that this unidentified man’s loyal pet picked up on something before he did.

Most of us probably wouldn’t rush to a doctor unless we were experiencing some kind of symptom. But in this case, it was the dog’s strange obsession with a specific part of the man’s body that eventually convinced him to get things checked out.

He shared his story on Reddit in response to the question: "Redditors who have cancer, what were you feeling/experiencing that made you go see a doctor causing you to eventually find out you had cancer?"

The man detailed what happened, saying: "My small dog was preoccupied with the left side of my chest and began over a period of weeks pawing, sniffing and eventually jumping on the one side."

"I had no feeling of discomfort or pain, but eventually discovered a lump and my physician confirmed it as stage 1 cancer."

The dog picked up on something being wrong Getty Stock Photo

"My dog knew something had changed by smelling the site and I would have never bothered to check otherwise (an otherwise healthy man with no family history of cancer). Man's best friend."

The incredible story quickly gained attention after it was posted on Reddit. People were fascinated and began wondering how the dog could have sensed something was off.

One Reddit user added to the thread with their thoughts, writing: "Fun fact, this is actually a thing! I've seen more than one story about dogs specifically being able to hone on this."

The was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer Halfpoint Images / Getty

"It's totally believable too, since they have trained dogs to detect low blood sugar or seizure disorders. Glad you had a super sniffer there."

That brings up the question—what’s the science behind this? How are dogs able to detect something as serious as cancer?

As per Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, dogs have an impressive ability to detect trace scents that are produced by different illnesses including cancer.

Some types of cancer, like skin cancer, are reportedly easier for dogs to sniff out. Experts believe this is because the signs are closer to the surface, making the scent easier to catch.

Ashley Stenzel, PhD, weighed in on the subject and said, as quoted by the center: "The ability of dogs to detect melanoma, a potentially fatal skin cancer, has been formally studied and confirmed."

"Given that melanoma is a cancer presenting with lesions on the skin, it would be logical for dogs to be able to detect a lesion."

The Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center also shared a comment from Lauren Gauthier, who advised: "Pay close attention if your dog starts to intensely sniff and react to a certain part of your body."

"Your dog might know something that you don't, so don't brush their unusual behavior aside. I truly believe that Victoria saved my life."