Breakout Session 3 B

Canines for Care, the Canine Scent Detection Program at Vancouver Coastal Health, is an evidence based biomedical scent detection team, led by multidisciplinary experts and highly trained canines. For the past 7 years, our team has been promoting and protecting the safety of patients, staff, visitors and physicians, by rapidly and non-invasively uncovering hidden reservoirs of C.difficile. This has supported infection prevention, education, and reduction at acute health care settings across the country. By building on these strong foundations, we are continuously exploring canine scent detection for new and emerging pathogens. Recently we completed a pilot project and published paper for COVID-19 odour detection. We use strong scientific rigour which includes high thresholds for sensitivity and specificity. As a team operating within a healthcare environment, all of our dogs (in both the C.difficile and COVID teams) are trained and certified using OSAC and SWGDOG standards.
Working as a canine team in a hospital presents many unique challenges not faced when conducting other types of detection screenings. We are excited to share our program’s recent advancements in bio-medical scent detection, best practices and lessons learned.