Vancouver Coastal Health welcomes two new canines ready to sniff deadly superbug

Arti and Anton, two springer spaniels, have trained for months and are now permanently working for Canines for Care at Vancouver Coastal Health.

They're tasked with sniffing out the superbug Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) at hospitals in Vancouver.

"These dogs are only trained on one specific thing, which is C. difficile, one of the superbugs," said Teresa Zurberg, the Canines for Care program lead.

"That’s all these guys are on. That’s the most important odour in their entire life."

The bacteria is highly contagious and tends to target those who are immunocompromised. In some cases, it can lead to death.

"C. difficile is one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired diarrhea, and it can be actually really quick (and) devastating to people who contract it," Zurberg said.

Thankfully, the Canines for Care pups are able to sniff out the bacteria early.

They search common areas and high-touch places, but don't go inside patient rooms.

“Dogs have an amazing computer built between their nose and their brain and that’s why they can find things as small as bacteria and viruses," said Zurberg.

Lale Aksu, the Canines for Care training lead, explained that it's a game of association for the dogs, who are rewarded after sniffing and detecting the bacteria.

"For them, it’s really just a game. So what I do is they smell the smell of bacteria and then I pair it with a toy or with food and they just think that’s the best game ever," she said.

According to a statement from the team, there are currently seven dogs in Canines for Care.

Five of them specialize in C. difficile detection and two of them are research dogs learning new pathogen scent detection.

“I always say they are the heroes and I’m just their cape, because I make it happen for them to get there, but really they are the superstars," said Aksu.

Since 2016, the team has searched thousands of hospital areas for the superbug and traveled to 30 Canadian health-care facilities.