Dogs Sniff Out Bacteria at Kelowna General Hospital, Other Interior Health Facilities
Five trained dogs can screen an average unit in 15 minutes, far faster than swab testing, the Canines 4 Care team said.
- On Tuesday, June 2, five specially trained canines from Vancouver Coastal Health's Canines 4 Care program screened Kelowna General Hospital for Clostridioides, a bacteria-detection initiative operating for nearly a decade.
- Clostridioides causes most acute diarrhea in North American hospitals, with more than 60 percent of cases contracted in facilities, making rapid detection critical for patient safety.
- Assistant manager Lale Aksu noted the team consists mainly of spaniels chosen for hunting instincts; dogs and handlers undergo rigorous certification demonstrating proficiency, sensitivity, and specificity before hospital deployment.
- Interior Health pays approximately $2,000 per facility for the canine tour; Megan Helgason, director of clinical operations at KGH, called the dogs an effective tool for patient safety with no permanent team planned.
- The canine unit is touring the Interior region with stops in Penticton, Kamloops, and Cranbrook; the program recently received $80,000 from the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation to purchase a transport van.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Dogs go on tour to help snuff out disease in B.C. Interior hospitals - Creston Valley Advance
A team of dogs are making waves in the B.C. healthcare sector. Five specially trained canines put in a shift at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) on Tuesday, June 2, to help mitigate disease in the healthcare centre. “We’re doing a tour of the Interior,” said Lale Aksu, assistant manager at the Canines 4 Care program operating out of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “We are going from Penticton, Kelowna, Grand Forks, all the way out to Cranbrook, an…
Dogs go on tour to help snuff out disease in B.C. Interior hospitals - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier
A team of dogs are making waves in the B.C. healthcare sector. Five specially trained canines put in a shift at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) on Tuesday, June 2, to help mitigate disease in the healthcare centre. “We’re doing a tour of the Interior,” said Lale Aksu, assistant manager at the Canines 4 Care program operating out of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “We are going from Penticton, Kelowna, Grand Forks, all the way out to Cranbrook, an…
Dogs go on tour to help snuff out disease in B.C. Interior hospitals - Grand Forks Gazette
A team of dogs are making waves in the B.C. healthcare sector. Five specially trained canines put in a shift at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) on Tuesday, June 2, to help mitigate disease in the healthcare centre. “We’re doing a tour of the Interior,” said Lale Aksu, assistant manager at the Canines 4 Care program operating out of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “We are going from Penticton, Kelowna, Grand Forks, all the way out to Cranbrook, an…
Dogs go on tour to help snuff out disease in B.C. Interior hospitals - Vanderhoof Omineca Express
A team of dogs are making waves in the B.C. healthcare sector. Five specially trained canines put in a shift at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) on Tuesday, June 2, to help mitigate disease in the healthcare centre. “We’re doing a tour of the Interior,” said Lale Aksu, assistant manager at the Canines 4 Care program operating out of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “We are going from Penticton, Kelowna, Grand Forks, all the way out to Cranbrook, an…
Dogs go on tour to help snuff out disease in B.C. Interior hospitals - Northern Sentinel
A team of dogs are making waves in the B.C. healthcare sector. Five specially trained canines put in a shift at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) on Tuesday, June 2, to help mitigate disease in the healthcare centre. “We’re doing a tour of the Interior,” said Lale Aksu, assistant manager at the Canines 4 Care program operating out of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “We are going from Penticton, Kelowna, Grand Forks, all the way out to Cranbrook, an…
Salmon Arm Observer
Dogs go on tour to help snuff out disease in B.C. Interior hospitals
A team of dogs are making waves in the B.C. healthcare sector. Five specially trained canines put in a shift at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) on Tuesday, June 2, to help mitigate disease in the healthcare centre. “We’re doing a tour of the Interior,” said Lale Aksu, assistant manager at the Canines 4 Care program operating out of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “We are going from Penticton, Kelowna, Grand Forks, all the way out to Cranbrook, an…
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