My mam was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer end of September 2016 but prior to this a couple of months prior her dog became obsessed with being around her neck area when mam was sitting on the settee and if she was in bed. Definitely think they can sense 

Absolutely.

My grandmother who sadly passed away last August from lung cancer had a poodle who, prior to her diagnosis of cancer in March, never left her side. The dog had separation anxiety ever since my grandmother picked her up from a rescue centre 6 years ago, so she was always on her lap or hovering around her feet. She would never leave my grandmother out of sight of longer than 30 seconds. It used to be quite sad to watch, but she kept my grandmother company and she always had something to hug (often smothered with kisses!)

My grandmother was diagnosed in March, and in June/July, she began to steadily get worse. It got to the stage where her dog who, as I said, was previously unable to leave her side, now no longer sat anywhere near my grandmother. She stopped kissing her on the face, stopped getting on her lap (she would sit with someone else or on the chair opposite) ... in fact, she wouldn't even look at her. On many occasions, we picked her up and put her on my Nan's lap, but she would immediately jump off. We were convinced that she could smell the illness in my Nan and she didn't like it, hence why she couldn't stand to be anywhere near her. Very, very sad, but interesting nonetheless!

Hi

I don't have a dog myself, but my stepson and his wife had two (one passed away last autumn).  Both are rescue dogs, one of which was frightened of men and was very attached to my daughter-in-law.  Before being diagnosed with bowel cancer in July, I had noticed that when we went round to their house, both dogs seemed to pay me a lot of attention. The labrador wanted me to throw and play tug of war and the basset would leave her favourite place on the settee and snuggle up to me where I was sitting.  At meal times both dogs are moved out of the dining area and on one occasion the basset groweld and snapped at my daughter-in-law as she tried to move her away from me.  

Four weeks before I was diagnosed, we spent a week with them on holiday including both dogs.  At this point I had been seen by my GP and was waiting to see a consultant to try and find out why I was anaemic. My daughter-in-law joked that Jodie, the basset was a traitor as she spent most of the week snuggling up to me rather than her 'mum'.  The labrador would also come and sit next to me on the sofa or would sit on my feet or lean up against me.  I commented that I was very honored to have all this attention from both of them.  

Although I had heard many stories about dogs being aware of serious illnesses, it was not until after I was diagnosed and Bella the lab would still fuss round me that we began to wonder if both the dogs knew before we did.

I have received chemoradiotherapy and chemo and I am just about to have my operation to remove the tumour.  Bella has displayed one unusual bit of behaviour which she has done only once about two weeks ago. She gave my bottom a good sniff as if she was checking things out.  I know my tumour has shrunk quite a bit so maybe whatever she sensed before is not as strong or gone altogether.  

It would be great if research could find out what it is that dogs sense relating to illnesses.

Yes I believe pets have a sixths sense. I know prior to my diagnosis. I had a boxer dog. Who when he was near me kept nodding his head into myleft upper body. I wondered what he was doing. But he didn't understand personal space my boxer. He would sit on your knees if you let him. He was often jumping up and nudging his head on my left heart area. I thought nothing about it. Until I was diagnosed. After that he stopped nudging me, he would just rest his head on that part of my body. It was then I realised he was trying to tell me something, unfortunately since then my boxer has died, he had a darker coloured skin patch, I was not happy about, I took him vets. I was told it was normal with some boxers. He was a red. She said especially if they have ancestors who had black or bridle in them. So I took him home not worried has he'd just come back from vets. Within less than two weeks I took him back to the vets, he was off his food and was listless. I saw a different vet. He looked at the notes and said I see you brought him in over a black patch forming on his skin. He asked me where it was I showed him. He turned him over. The black patch had spread in the creases of his back legs. He asked if I could leave him. I asked why he said he wanted to do some tests. I left him. Went back to collect him the following day. Only to be told my boxer had not long left to live. The black patch turned out to be a aggressive form of skin cancer. I went ballistic because the women vet I saw said it was normal I wanted  answers. He said he did not know why she said that and he would look into it. 4 days later I woke up in the night.I had not long had my left lung removed because of my cancer. I found my dog my beautiful boxer had passed away.So yes he was trying to tell me something was wrong with me. I just think he knew . God bless him 

My labrador Molly knew when both my sons had prostate cancer every time they coughed she would sit and stare at them . After they're operation when the cancer was gone she went back to normal, when they cough now she doesn't take any notice . Sadly she has now been diagnosed with cancer herself. 

Hi

Yes, our pets are amazing.

Nearly 10 years ago my boader Collie Jessie kept putting her head on my lap,she would then start crying, after a few months I actually went to the doctor and my first cancer was found in my prostate, during this time she was over protective of me, and refused to go for walks with me on the very days I actually felt bad, after the operation and I came home she never attempted to jump up on me for a cuddle (I'd half my stomach removed and was stitched up and had staples) I was unable to get upstairs to bed and slept down on the couch,I had a bag for a few months draining my bladder and during the night she would go upstairs and wake up either my wife or 2 boy's and make them come down and empty the bag as when it got full it gave me serious pain, she took this job very seriously and never missed a full bag thank god, when I was over the cancer she was back to normal. After a year she once again started putting her head on my lap,it turned out the cancer was back and I needed radium for 6 months everyday, again she took over as my personal dog nurse again very protective of me..I'm now completely over that cancer but still have liver cancer that was found during the original cancer,I'm 55 now and have good and bad days mostly due to lack of sleep as I wake 6/7 times a night for a toilet (lucky enough I never lost control of my bladder, quite a few men do,I count that as a blessing) but for the constant nagging from Jessie I would probably be dead as I never suffered from symptoms of prostate cancer, my only concern at the time was my lack of energy and I put it down to the job as most men would. So does my dog have a sixth sense the answer is yes and that sixth sense saved my life and also that of a friend who went to his doctor after Jessie kept putting her head on his lap and crying.