The charity Medical Detection Dogs will feature in this year’s Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal, and, as one of its supporters, Royal Canin is encouraging the specialist pet trade to get behind the campaign.

Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to detect volatile substances found in cancer cells by using their sense of smell to analyse samples sent for screening at the charity’s training centre.  Working in partnership with researchers, NHS Trusts and Universities, there are two aims – to assist scientists into the development of electronic systems for the early detection of cancer through cost-effective, non-invasive tests, and secondly to provide second line screening for hard to diagnose cancers such as prostate cancer.

Meanwhile, Medical Alert Assistance Dogs are trained to assist indiviuals who manage complex medical conditions on a day to day basis – the dogs are trained to identify the odour changes associated with certain medical events and to warn their owner of a potential life threatening event.  Like Guide dogs, they are fully accredited, allowing access to all public areas.

Dr. Claire Guest,  Medical Detection Dogs chief executive, comments: “We are thrilled to be part of this year’s campaign, and with training costs of around £11,000 for a medical assistance dog and £6,000 for a cancer detection dog, and ongoing costs of £5,000 per year per dog, 55 working dogs and a waiting list of over 100 potential owners of medical assistance dogs, raising the funds is an essential part of our activities.”

Royal Canin retail marketing manager Gemma Duffield says: “The work of Medical Detection Dogs has implications for all of us, and we are delighted to support them.  With more money, progress will be faster, so the Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal could not come at a better time.”

For more information about Medical Detection Dogs, visit www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk.  To make a donation, visit www.telegraph.co.uk/charity.