Has anyone got a dog like my Rosebud? If any of the other dogs is feeling ill she stays with them, but I often find that she will start to hang round them and lick at a certain place all the time. When I first look at the place she is licking I can't find anything, but over a period of time a wart for example might appear. I know some dogs will warn their human owners that they are about to have an epileptic fit, and some experiments are going on to find out if dogs can really smell tumours in people.
I just wondered if two dogs kept together might if one is epileptic have the other warn it and the owner by staying with it or licking it? Same for multiple dog households if one gets cancer do the others warn the owners by their behavour?
What started me thinking about this, is that Rose has started licking the spaniel. Always in the same place on his side, and although I haven't been able to find anything yet, knowing her track record I am now constantly checking Jack spangle, at that place.
I do wonder if they can smell some sort of chemical change in the body or something else...

Mine always know when I'm sad...especially if I'm crying.They come and bury their heads under my arm and its then very hard to be sad for too long!
Archer

Mine will lick the puppies in a motherly sort of way, but that (presumably) isn't the same.   They will lick and lick is they (presumably again) have grass mites, or have been stung - this can turn into a kind of small lick granuloma in Phoebe, who is liver, and I think is thinner skinned than the blacks.   Maybe Rosebud can sense an irritation in the spaniel's skin?

Think Phoebe takes after me - I'm not thick skinned either !!   :-) ;-)

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

Hi Polly,

I think that dogs are very perceptive where illness is concerned.
As I posted a couple of months ago I took on a Presa Canario.
We were meant to be going to re-home her but of course this never happened.
She ended up living with my daughter and her four girls. Along with their Mastiff bitch Callie.
We had been told Phoenix had had a seizure in January this year.
Well she had a nother seizure a few weeks ago.
My daughter was alerted by Callie barking at 4am in the morning.

The day before had been very warm and Callie had been very attentive to Phoenix all day.You must remember they were not 'pals' by this time as they had only been together for 3 weeks.

Since this evnet when Callie is 'attentive' to Phoenix we have noticed a marked difference in her behaviour for a day or two. Although there have been no more seizures as yet.

I think Callie can sense the 'electrical' changes in Phoenix and is telling my daughter to watch her.