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Newest ‘infection fighter’ at Vancouver hospital earns his name in contest

Two dogs have been added to the hospital’s clostridium difficile detection program
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Finn, one of two puppies, both English springer spaniels from Utah, have joined Vancouver General Hospital’s C. Difficile Canine Scent Detection Program, Vancouver Coastal Health announced Oct. 25, 2019. (VCH photo)

One of two new drug-sniffing dogs at Vancouver General Hospital has a name, picked by the public in a recent contest.

Four-month-old Finn earned his name, inspired by Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, from 900 votes cast online last month in a contest hosted by the Vancouver General Hospital Foundation.

Handler Teresa Zurberg called it fitting for the playful and adventurous dog.

“He is a clever guy,” she said of the English springer spaniel.

Finn will undergo months of training to be able to detect the superbug C. difficile, which attacks people with weakened immune systems, at the hospital.

Finn and his sister, Traveller, will be trained by the C. Difficile Canine Scent Detection Program’s top dogs, Angus and Dodger.

The program, launched in 2016, has sent dogs to search hundreds of hospital areas for the bacteria.

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