K9 Medical Detection New Zealand

K9 Medical Detection NZ (K9MD) is dedicated to advancing medical detection capabilities through the unique and highly effective use of trained canines. The organization’s mission is to improve health outcomes and enhance quality of life by harnessing the extraordinary olfactory abilities of dogs to detect diseases early and accurately.

K9MD was founded in 2018 by Pauline Blomfield. Driven by both her extensive knowledge of dogs and their remarkable olfactory abilities, as well as a deep concern for the high rates of cancer-related deaths in New Zealand, Pauline founded K9 Medical Detection NZ Charitable Trust (K9MD).

Convinced that a dog’s acute sense of smell could be put to excellent use in the development of a test for cancer and recognizing that there needed to be a rock-solid scientific basis for the concept to stand upon, Pauline made certain K9MD was not working in isolation and is partnering with leading scientists, clinicians, oncologists, and medical experts to ensure that their research meets the highest standards of scientific excellence.

Numbers aren’t just statistics, they represent real people, real lives, and real loss. But they also highlight the urgent need for earlier detection, better awareness, and improved access to life-saving diagnostics and treatments. Because when cancer is caught early, lives can be saved. The sooner diseases are identified, the greater the chance of a successful treatment.

K9MD has their Training and Research Centre near Dunedin, on the South Island of New Zealand to house training and scent detection rooms for the dogs to work in, laboratories for storing and preparing of samples, o>ice space and comfortable, air-conditioned kennel space for the dogs to rest in between training and detection sessions. Much of K9MD’s equipment, is unique and had to be designed from scratch to maintain clinical standards and be fit for purpose.

K9MD currently have a total of nine medical detection dogs. These dogs are not just remarkable companions; they are highly trained, precision-driven biosensors with olfactory capabilities up to 100,000 times more sensitive than a human's nose. The health and welfare of all dogs is of the highest priority with the dogs completing a fit for work programme and are regularly monitored by K9MD’s veterinary nurse and qualified fitness trainer. K9MD also has an environment trainer to give the dogs experiences outside the workplace, ensuring they are well-rounded, socialized dogs.

K9MD has completed various highly successful clinical trials with validations designed and analysed by an independent Biostatistician. Although there are yet more research trials to be completed, K9MD looks forward to a future where medical detection dogs are an alternative diagnostic option at primary healthcare level playing a vital role in the early detection of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

K9MD believes that together, we can change the narrative on cancer and other life-threatening diseases, from late-stage diagnoses to early intervention, from uncertainty to hope, and from loss to survival