An Empowering Step in Supporting Canine Heroes
The inspiration behind James & Ella stems from a deeply personal experience: my own therapy dog, Ella, who saved my life during a time of clinical depression. She showed me first-hand the extraordinary, life-changing impact a dog can have.
Medical Detection Dogs perfectly reflects this belief. Their dogs do more than transform lives, they actively save them. We are truly honoured to support their mission and to ensure that the dogs who dedicate themselves to protecting people and communities receive the very best nutrition.
But who are Medical Detection Dogs and what incredible work do they do?
Medical Detection Dogs
Medical Detection Dogs support people living with chronic medical conditions, empowering them to live independent and fulfilling lives across the UK.
Their incredible dogs harness their highly specialised sense of smell to detect subtle changes in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) produced by disease, effectively acting as living bio-sensors. Through rigorous training, they learn to recognise specific scent signatures in breath, sweat, or blood, enabling them to signal impending medical emergencies or identify serious illnesses, including cancer.
This vital work requires years of specialist, reward-based training, relying on high-value treats to reinforce life-saving behaviours. By supplying our premium freeze-dried raw treats, James & Ella is proud to fuel these remarkable dogs with nutritious, natural rewards that enhance their training and help them develop the essential skills needed.
Medical Alert Assistance Dogs
Medical Alert Assistance Dogs remain with their human companion, just as a Guide Dog would. Medical Alert Assistance dogs detect changes in their partner’s unique scent profile, which is triggered by the individual’s medical condition and provide early warning of episodes. This helps them manage life-threatening, life-limiting and complex conditions to improve their independence as well as confidence.
To date, Medical Detection Dogs have trained their dogs to assist with medical conditions such as:
PoTS and other cardiac arrhythmias
Addison’s disease and other types of adrenal insufficiency
MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)
Non-epileptic seizures
Low blood glucose levels
Severe allergies
Bio Detection Dogs
Bio Detection Dogs work in controlled clinical environments, assessing different samples to detect diseases such as bowel cancer, pseudomonas and UTIs.
The Medical Detection Dogs recent bowel cancer project highlights the significant role canine scent detection can play in modern diagnostics. By using urine samples rather than faecal samples, it means any resultant diagnostic test would be more accessible and more people would likely present for screening.
Information learned from the Bio-Detection Dogs about bowel cancer odour could help deliver an accurate, rapid and non-invasive test for early diagnosis that would be offered to clinicians to use alongside existing diagnostic methods. Other previous projects include prostate cancer, COVID-19, malaria and canine cancer, demonstrating just how valuable Medical Detection Dogs really are.
A Shared Commitment to Support the Dogs Who Save Lives
By supplying our premium freeze-dried raw treats, James & Ella is proud to fuel these remarkable dogs with natural, nutritious rewards that support their training and help them develop essential life-saving skills.
This is more than a treat donation, it’s a shared commitment to empowering extraordinary animals to achieve extraordinary outcomes.
And you, too, can be part of the journey to help support a life-saving medical detection dog. Whether you sponsor a puppy, organise a fundraiser, make a donation, or purchase a trial of James & Ella food and treats, you’re doing more than supporting a young dog, you’re helping transform someone’s future.
Together, through our collaboration and your generous support, we can continue changing lives and giving hope, one remarkable dog at a time.
Until next time,
James x
